Do you want to save thread? Keep your fabric from getting pushed down in the needle plate? Get free quilts? If you said yes to any of these questions then leaders and enders is a method you will want to use.
What are leaders and enders? They are pieces of pre-cut fabric kept at your machine to begin and end your chain piecing. What blocks make great leaders and enders? Four patches, nine patches, rail fences, and half square triangles all lend themselves well to this methods. My patterns that use these blocks and would be perfect for your next leader and ender project are; Gradation, Sunshine on a Cloudy Day, Spin Cycle, Floating Boxes and Mountain Retreat I also have a few tutorials that you could use with this method. They are; Charm Friendly Rail Fence, Rail Fence Twist, and 4 Ever Scrap Busting Block. Plus any of my HST block series. Receive these by signing up for my Scrappy Bits and Tips. Sign up on the side bar and home page.
I like to keep mine in a little bin next to my machine. This makes it easy to grab two pieces and feed them through as I chain my current project. One at the beginning and one at the end. Slowly these little pieces add up and before you know it you have enough for a quilt. Easy Peasy!
My latest YouTube video show how. Let me know if you have any questions. Be sure to share your free quilts with me. I like to see what you’re up to and cheer you on.