How to Piece a Scrap Overload Block

Happy April Fool’s Day! It’s the first of April, which means it’s time for our newest block in the Friendship Quilt Along, which goes by the fitting name of the Scrap Overload Block.

Like last month’s Checkerboard Tiles quilt block, this one is very scrap heavy. You’ll need all the accumulated practice and skill building you picked up in March for taking on this one!

Click here to find the Scrap Overload quilt pattern. This block features lots and lots of little pieces this month with a really fun scrappy border.

Working with On Point Diamonds

You’ll begin by carefully following the pattern and assembling your diamonds on point. This is asymmetrical so you’ll want to be careful when making your diamonds from the Half Square Triangles.

Once you’re certain everything is correct, get ready to be clip happy! Flip and clip each piece so all units are together in one row.

Piece a Scrap Overload Block

Sewing the Units Together

When on the machine, be sure you are stitching the straight stitch with the needle in the center position. This will produce the nice, tight stitch you’ll need for putting this block together.

Look at the seam allowance on your half square triangles. You’ll want to start stitching at the top corner of the piece on the seam allowance and down along the edge to the bottom corner.

Then chain piece the next row and rinse and repeat.

Sewing the Rows Together

Take your first two rows and make sure the corners are aligned perfectly and slip them under the foot, right against the needle, and then begin stitching.

I’m not using pins but fingertip pressure as I stitch the rows together. The most careful thing is making sure the corners come out right, which can be tricky when you have double stacked seam allowance.

Here’s what it looks like when I finished piecing the rows together and completed all four quarters:

Matching Seams on a Scrappy Quilt Block

Assembling the Quarters and Finishing with the Border

You’ll create the beautiful diamond pattern by putting the four quarters together. The most important seams to match are the black diamond halves. This is a good cornerstone ensuring you have a solid block, and even if you made a few minor errors, the block will still pop as long as the diamonds look perfect.

This block isn’t called the Scrap Overload block for nothing! We’re going even scrappier as we finish with our border. In case the border strips do not fit on your block, click here to watch the piecing video for the Checkerboard Tiles Block.

Wow, look at all those scraps!

So if your strips come up short, it’s no problem to add a few more strips to the strip border. After all, this is a seriously scrappy block! This is one hardcore block, so it’s best to get started immediately and begin cutting up your half square triangles.

The key here is breaking this block into smaller units to break it up in chunks. This is a great skill building block and I guarantee it will make you a stronger quilter!

Click here to find the Scrap Overload Quilt Pattern and find all of the friendship quilt along tutorials I’ve shared so far.

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day