Mini Quilt Patterns – ScrapBlocks May 2024

May 2024 ScrapBlock of the Month

Start with a ScrapBlock and make a mini quilt, wall hanging, pillow or cushion cover, or a full-size quilt!

✨ ScrapBlock Mini Quilts: Where Scrapbooking and Quilting Collide! ✨

Are you ready to go on an adventure in your sewing room? We are going to create and preserve memories all at the same time! Creating ScrapBlocks out of your photos and fabric, not paper!

Why we love ScrapBlocks and what you can do with them!

Read on to see what all you can do with your Photo Memory Mini Quilts, aka SCRAPBLOCKS!

🧵 Transform your cherished memories into beautiful, handmade quilts, pillows, wall decor, and more! Each ScrapBlock mini quilt is a unique piece of art, perfect for DIY gifts and keepsakes.

📸 Sew Your Memories: Capture those special moments and sew them into a cozy quilt that tells your story. Perfect for family memories, travel adventures, or cherished friendships.

🎁 Gift Ideas: Looking for a heartfelt gift? ScrapBlock mini quilts make the perfect presents for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Handmade with love, they’re gifts that keep on giving.

🏠 Home Decor: Brighten up your space with personalized wall decor and pillows. Add a touch of nostalgia to your home with quilts that feature your favorite photos and memories.

💡 DIY Fun: Dive into a creative project that blends the best of scrapbooking and quilting. Our patterns make it easy for you to craft something truly special.

📌 Follow us for more inspiration and ideas on how to create your own ScrapBlock mini quilts! Let’s sew our stories together. 🧡

May ScrapBlocks Instructions and Tutorial

1. Choose Your Photographs to Print

You will need 3 focal photos for this layout, and two images to use as accents.

BEST VALUE: If you would like to order a fat quarter of 4×6 photos here is a link to do that here.

If you would like to order them individually, you can do that here.

2. Choose Fabrics to Match Photo Quilt Blocks

Now comes the fun part: choosing fabric! 🎉 This is my absolute favorite step. I always wait until the photos are printed before selecting the coordinating fabrics because you never know exactly how they will turn out. Being a matchy-matchy person, I like everything to be perfectly coordinated. 🎨 However, if you’re going with a themed fabric like ocean, pets, or something you know your recipient will adore, you can pick your fabric while waiting for your Photo Quilt Blocks to arrive—they typically ship in less than 3 business days! 🚚✨

3. Optional: Create Plastic Templates to Center and Cut Photo Quilt Blocks.

I use this plastic template material for so many things! It can be cut with your Brother Scan n Cut and makes amazing templates. You can get EZ Quilting Template Plastic on Amazon here!

To keep the template from sliding around, I spray the back of the template with Grippy! This is also perfect for all your quilting rulers! I just don’t have the hand strength to hold my rulers in place. When I try, my fingers start swelling and then that’s a real problem! This has saved my life!

You can get Grippy Spray here on Amazon!

Now you have perfectly centered and sized Photo Quilt Blocks!

4. Cut Out Your Photo Quilt Blocks to Size

Here is a little tip about Photo Quilt Blocks. Depending on shrinkage, the photos should actually print a little larger than the stated size. So if it says 4 inches, it should print 4 1/8 inches (depending on shrinkage). PLUS, there are 1/4 inch seam allowances. This way you have a little wiggle room when sewing so the white seam allowance doesn’t show!

Cut out your three focus photos to 4 1/2 x 6 1/2.

5. Choose 7 Fabrics for Your Background Strips and Cut.

We are going to choose 7 strips of fabric to create our background. I cut them 2 1/2 inches wide by WOF as I plan on doing some more of these ScrapBlocks. If you just want to do one, you can cut your strips out 14 inches long. We will be cutting a 14 inch circle out of the strips once we sew them together.

After you have your 7 strips cut out, start sewing them together in the order you would like them in your circle. I sewed a scant 1/4 inch so that my final piece sewn together will be a little larger than 14 inches.

See below how the scant quarter inch (sewing just a little less than 1/4 inch seam allowances), makes my final strip of fabrics be just over 14 inches!

Press all your seam allowances open as shown. This will make your circle lay a little more flat.

6. Cut 14 inch Circle Out of Your Fabric Strips.

If you have no way to draw a 14 inch circle, that’s ok! You can print one off here! Print the page four times, cut out, and then tape together to form your 14 inch circle.

On the left, I have cut out my 14 inch circle.

On the right, I am cutting out a sheerweight non fusible interfacing the same size.

7. Seam the Interfacing and the Fabric Circle Together

Seam the interfacing and the fabric circle together around the outside edge with a scant 1/4 inch seam.

Trim off the excess interfacing if you didn’t cut it exactly to size in the beginning. I went the lazy sewers method and just trimmed it to size after I sew it together.

Now you are going to make little snips from the edge of the circle almost to the seam. This will allow the circle to turn and lay flat.

This little video walks you through the turning process.

8. Cut Out Background for Your Block.

The first thing I do is start auditioning fabrics to see which color makes my circle and photos pop!

The black was the clear winner in my eyes!

I cut out a 20 inch square for my background. This way I can make it into a pillow cover, center of wall quilt, or table topper. I haven’t decided yet!

9. Center and Pin Your Circle to Your Project.

Center the circle onto your project or block and then pin around all the edges and through the middle along each seam as we are going to be quilting this next.

Now you are going to layer some batting under this if you would like. I want mine to be a little puffy and look quilted so I layered some batting under the block.

Gather the thread you would like to quilt with. I used Superior Thread

I love quilting with the clear thread! You can learn more about threads to quilt photos with here!

You can purchase this thread in my shop here!

You can purchase it off Amazon here!

10. Frame Out Photos

I love giving my photos a little border around them. It really makes them pop! Let’s walk through that now!

When you are done, you will have all three focus photos framed!

11. Pin and Stitch Down Your Photo Blocks.

Now it is time to arrange your photos on your block and stitch them down.

12. Time to Make Embellishments

Now we are creating the circle embellishments portion of our ScrapBlock! You can get really creative here!

I purchased these round tags from the scrapbook section of Hobby Lobby.

You can find them on Amazon here!

You can also get your Mod Podge from Amazon here!

Step 1: Cut an accent from your photo block out about 1/8-1/4 inch smaller than your wooden tag.

Step 2: Put a layer of Mod Podge on your wood tag. I used a foam brush.

Step 3: Press your photo image onto the wood tag.

Step 4: Put a layer of Mod Podge over the top of the fabric photo. Be careful to go with the grain of the fabric so you don’t have wispys on the edges.

Step 5: Let dry.