I love fat quarters and I find Jelly Rolls very convenient when I want to grab something and start sewing although many times I find they need a background fabric or some stash mixed in to work well. I’ve got a few Charm Square patterns that I really like, but Layer Cakes … UGH!! I’m glad I have never collected them because I find them very hard to use.
Our Precut challenge for September is to use a Layer Cake and luckily I have just ONE left (and I won’t be buying any more).
My layer cake has a mix of light and dark squares so I can’t just pull a background fabric to use with it. I decided that this Modern Layer Cake Square in a Square pattern would be my best use of it. On one hand, I like the off center squares. It’s similar to a quilt I made for Keith years ago but I have to pay more attention than I’d like to my cutting because there are a number of directional fabrics in my Jelly Roll.
I have a rotating mat at home which would make the cutting easier but luckily, Amazon had a Friskers rotating mat that was actually very reasonably priced and I was able to have it shipped here quickly. It’s also great for carrying the cut pieces from the cutting table to the sewing machine.
This is a pretty quick and easy pattern to sew and I made a good start today. Blocks will be moved around as I make more blocks and get more variety.
Do you have a pattern for this cute quilt!
I’m not a fan of layer cakes and find I waste a lot of fabric when I try to use them.
I looked at your design wall and started moving squares in my mind. I love the fabric!
Make you a deal… you buy the charm squares & I’ll buy the layer cakes. They’re my very favorite! So many quick, easy pattern for them (like the fabulous one you’re using for yours). Plus, a couple of slices with your rotary cutter & they turn into charms! I love your layer cake quilt & can’t wait to see it done. That fabric is fabulous!
i love layer cakes. As Rebecca said, they can turn into charm squares and Ifind them useful for many things, including applique. Sometimes I purchase a layer cake when I really like the fabric but not enough to spring for a FQ bundle. Missouri Star Quilt Co has many tutorials using layer cakes, but we each have our preferences. Thanks for sharing the square in a square pattern. It looks fast and fun.
I’m not a fan of most precuts mainly because they make the price of fabric so much more expensive. But I really like what your doing with yours. (Cool fabric helps). And thanks for the pattern link. I need to save that for future use. Or just cut enough 10” squares to do the block.
Another great use of a precut. I haven’t purchased very many layer cakes, but I did use one last year for a Christmas quilt. I think there is just one hiding in my stash currently. I may need to find that and plan a use for it.
I agree with you about layer cakes. I get the appeal of jelly rolls and charm squares but layer cakes are a bother. I used one once and that was the last one.
I like this a lot! I buy and use layer cakes because they (usually) have an entire collection, and not too much of it. Since I do a lot of small piecing, that “not a lot” works for me. I’ll be trying out this pattern — it looks fun and easy. Thanks, Mary!
Thanks for sharing the link to the Modern Layer Cake Square in a Square pattern! It looks like a easy and fun way to use a layer cake. The quilt is a great size to give as a gift or charity donation. It will also be a great way to practice my machine quilting. I have three layer cakes that I’ve picked up along the way. I hope to start using one soon after I finish making another round of face masks.