Darksider advice please

[Vezelay]

I've been thinking about making a 'proper' quilt for ages and, since I don't need any more clothes, now seems like the right time to dive in. I made a cot quilt a few years ago but used a panel so I've no experience with piecing, making blocks etc.

Plus I specifically want to use up a bunch of my blue-toned fq's, remnants and scraps. So a relatively easy scrap quilt that looks good, maybe a double size since I think that would be the most useful, not sure. These are the 'scraps':
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My quilting friend has suggested this - she can supply the pattern - but to me it looks a bit ambitious for a first go and I'm not sure how it would suit my scraps: https://youtu.be/BteUqq1Cq7c
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I was looking at something more like this which looks more straightforward - or is it?
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I've looked at a lot of YT videos for scrap quilts, easy quilts etc but don't seem to have found what I want - too complicated, too basic, too small etc. I wondered about just starting with constructing some 9 patches from 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 inch squares and then seeing how they'll look when laid out. Or should I follow a pattern? 

Any thoughts, advice and design suggestions would be more than welcome!

[Ploshkin]

Look up disappearing 9 patch.  You make the 9 patches then cug them up and sew thd bits back together another way.  It is easy but looks deceptively difficult.

[Renegade Sewist]

Look up disappearing 9 patch.  You make the 9 patches then cug them up and sew thd bits back together another way.  It is easy but looks deceptively difficult.

I was thinking the same. D9P has turned into my favorite at this point. Fun, easy, effective, easy to scale up or down. My favorite method is to use the width of my 6 inch wide ruler for easy cutting and strip piece then cut. But it's simple to cut your squares,  lay out then sew.

I think I've done five now.

[Vezelay]

Thanks @Ploshkin (and @Renegade Sewist for the endorsement), I like those. The videos I watched on that topic all used 5" squares so with my smaller scraps I could join them up to make that size, assuming that won't spoil it? I was thinking of 9 x 2 1/2" but 5" will be better for a large quilt. I should iron the fabric anyway as a signal of intent

[Bjay]

I like the look of a disappearing 9 patch.

There is one on here (somewhere) I made called Aunty J's lap quilt

[Vezelay]

I found yours @Bjay, it's lovely. Now thinking that maybe a double is too ambitious this time, I'll wait and see how many 9 patches I can produce. Ironing in progress...

[Bjay]

Thank you@Vezelay

I've a Kaffe Fasset kit.A lot of his seem to be based on 9 patch and am wondering if I can tweek it to a disappearing 9 patch  :thinking:

Not yet though, havong a break from large items for now

[Sheilago]

Disappearing 9 patch is definitely a good one to start with or the second of the 2 you attached. The first looks quite a challenge for a first quilt.
I’ve never bought a quilt pattern: I just look for designs I like and then try to work out dimensions to suit what I’m making.
Your fabrics look lovely, I’m sure they’ll make a beautiful quilt.

[Iminei]

PLEASE .... Look at the TUT section of the Darkside ... Boring maybe but DO go through them

Simple is often beautiful both in piecing and quilting.

PLEASE do NOT cut all your pieces for a quilt at once ... You'll be left with a huge intimidating pile of pieces that will be fraying by the second.

Any questions ... Do ask

[Lowena]

I like to work with hsts. Windmills would look good

[Renegade Sewist]

What @Lowena said. I think those are pinwheels in the US. They make a delightful quilt, all alone or mixed with other blocks.

[BrendaP]

For your first quilt stick with something that's only squares and rectangles.  As soon as you start cutting on the bias things can start to stretch out, no matter how experienced you are with other areas of sewing it's still more difficult.

The first pattern you showed had blocks made of squares, but then they are rotated 90 degrees (on-point in darkside speak) which means that there has to be setting triangles around the edges and they are not easy to deal with!.  The other pattern looks good, and as others have suggested disappearing 9-patch, or one of the many variations of rail fence.

The secret to getting a good looking quilt is to get the right balance of lights, mediums and darks.  Look at that second pattern,  The sashing (the strips between the blocks)  is light with dark corner stones (the small squares where the sashing strips cross) are dark.  The nine-square patches are mostly medium values with a few darks, but the middle one is always light.  If you make each block with a different mix of colours it will look more interesting, and no possibility of getting a block "wrong" or running out of one of the fabrics for the blocks.

Your selection of fabrics looks good, especially for that pattern though you will probably need to buy yardage (meterage?) of the light/white for the sashing.

My rule of thumb to how much fabric is needed for a quilt top is to work out the total area of the quilt top and double it.
That takes care of the seam allowances and the inevitable wastage of a few tiny scraps.

[Vezelay]

Thank you all very much for your advice. I'm on with the cutting and will make some 9-patches while I decide what to do with them - after I have read @Iminei's excellent tut. No hsts for my debut  (I thought that was a typo, that's how much I know). Baby steps and I'll be speaking Darksidish before you know it .