3 Layouts for Lucy’s Leftovers

I’ve always been fascinated by Lucy Boston’s Patchwork of the Crosses ever since I saw a block of English Paper Piecing using this pattern.

Having a background and preference for machine piecing, this led to making blocks of a larger size suitable for ‘American’ hand piecing.

After having a go at making blocks, it was an ‘Ahh ..’ moment, I became hooked and still am!

But what to do with the left over patches? Throw them out, give them away to a kindergarten, or maybe ‘recycle/reuse’ them.  After all, they took time to select, cut out, and consider.

During  the creation of a Pinterest board,  dedicated to collecting the fabulous variations of Lucy’s block, these three ideas have emerged – with thanks to the mathematically minded!

Have you, like me, put aside those single patches, with a feeling of ‘just can’t quite throw it out yet!’

Try this idea:

Make a scrappy quilt with the single patches …

When there are pairs left over, try this layout …

Odd numbers of three patches make a lovely swirly block …

I think Lucy would like the idea of using up left over patches.

Perhaps these could become the hand-piecing version of Bonnie Hunter’s machine pieced scrap quilts!