A Finished Scrappy Checkered Garden Quilt 

Well, this certainly came together fast! I started and finished my scrappy Checkered Garden quilt in under a month (which is pretty darn quick for me). 

Pattern

I know that when you see my scrappy Checkered Garden quilt, the first question you’re going to ask is “where can I get the pattern?” Great news: it’s a FREE tutorial that is hosted on the Film in the Fridge blog. 

Pop over there for all the cutting instructions and assembly method. 

Scroll down further in this post if you want to pick up a copy of my FREE pressing guide, which will ensure that all of your seams nest perfectly when it comes time to assemble your quilt top.

Fabric Pull

At the time that I made this quilt, my scrap bins were overflowing. Relatable, hey? So I decided to make a scrappy version of this quilt. 

I chose a 5 x 5 block layout for my scrappy Checkered Garden quilt, and each block has five different colours in it, so in total I cut up 125 (5 x 25) different bits of fabric.

You can check out this blog post if you want to see how I went about choosing the fabrics for each individual block. It’s an interesting discussion on colour value (if I do say so myself). 

Block construction

The pattern is a breeze to follow - Ashley has you use strip piecing and other time-saving techniques that make these blocks come together in a snap!

My only gripe with the pattern was that it didn’t include instructions to make each block and seam nest together. So I changed that! 

I created a free pressing guide that will help you make your blocks quickly, and most importantly, so that they will nest together perfectly. No stress, no mess!

Click on the image below to download your free copy of the pressing guide (and be added to my popular weekly newsletter list). 

I cannot tell you how excited I was to see these blocks coming together. They’re soooooo cute!!

Block Layout

Because of the way I constructed them, it was a snap to lay out all of my blocks as I was making them. 

Even when I had as few as nine blocks on my “temporary” design wall, I was feeling that it would be a beauty when the whole thing came together. 

I used my usual webbing technique to sew all of my scrappy Checkered Garden blocks together, and they came together in a flash. 

Backing fabric

Before I could quilt my scrappy Checkered Garden quilt, I had to choose a backing. Because every single piece of fabric had come from my scrap bins, I wanted to use fabric that I already had on hand. 

I did a little dive into my backing fabric collection, and found a really wild Anna Maria Horner print. It was exactly the right size for this project, so I decided it was fate. 

Plus, the front of the quilt feels a little chaotic, so I felt like the two were a good match. 

Since this quilt has a summery vibe, I wanted to keep it lightweight. I chose an 80/20 (80% cotton, 20% poly) thin batting from Quilters Dream. 

Quilting

I wanted a pantograph that was both pretty but not distracting. And since the blocks have so many squares, I wanted a quilting design that had some curves. I sorted through my options and quickly landed on Laurel.

Laurel is a pattern that was designed by my Mum, and I quilted it while she was here visiting from out of province. It was fun to watch her watch the machine stitch out her design!

I love the irregularly shaped leaves, and think they add lots of nice texture without pulling focus from the piecing. 

Binding

When it came to the binding for my scrappy Checkered Garden quilt, I turned once again to my stash. I had plenty of options available to me (now more than ever since I’ve started purchasing more 0.5 and 1.0 yard cuts when I buy fabric). 

For the binding, I chose a cute pink gingham print, and decided to attach it entirely with a machine (because I just wanted to get it done so I could USE it!)

I started by sewing the binding to the front of the quilt, and then I wrapped the fabric around to the back. I glue basted it in place, and then stitched in the ditch on the front of the quilt (catching the binding on the back of the quilt as I went). 

This is a method that works really well for me every time I try it. I think it gives a nice, clean finish, and I love how FAST it is. 

Finished Quilt

Now that my scrappy Checkered Garden quilt is finished, it’s in heavy rotation on the couch. I love how it turned out, and it’s such a fun summer quilt. 

Have you ever made one of these quilts before (or are you going to now)? Let me know in the comments below! 

Or, if you’re a visual person and would like to follow along as I make one of these blocks, you can watch my YouTube tutorial below!