I have used "leaders" for a long time. For some reason, my Brother sewing machine isn't good at grabbing the fabric when I start sewing. I end up with a big thread nest at the start, or worse, the fabric edge gets punched down under the feed dogs. This can happen even with a nice sharp new needle. This is especially true if I am sewing points of triangles, or diagonals. I have learned to use a scrap, start sewing somewhere around an inch or so from the edge, and sew to the edge. When you get to the edge of the leader scrap, you slide your real block unit under the feed dogs next to the needle at the quarter inch and continue sewing off the leader and onto your block. The thread nest stays on your leader, and later, you just snip off the leader and use it again. This also gives you something to hold onto as you pull your quilt block unit into the needle. And you use less thread this was as well. Here is a picture of one of my well-used leaders, and how it is about to sew onto a block unit for a current quilt.
An "ender" is also a scrap that you slide under the feed dogs at the needle when you get to the end of sewing your block unit. This ender then becomes a new leader, I end up using the same scraps for leaders and enders over and over. Eventually, I throw them away and begin again with a new scrap. I have no limit to scraps for this purpose!! Here is a picture of the scrap being used as an ender:
Some people, however, use leaders and enders but don't use scraps. They use another quilt block unit as the leader and ender. Let's say they need 600 four-patches with back and white squares for an Irish Chain quilt. They would sew 2.5" squares together to make a 2-patch unit. If you cut the black and white squares, and kept them close to the sewing machine, you could be making 2 quilts at the same time, using the 2.5" squares for your 2-patches as leaders and enders. Sew a black to a white (the leader), sew your current quilt unit, cut off the leader (the now sewn 2-patch), slide another pair of black/white squares under the feed dogs as your ender. You have just sewn two 2-patches for your Irish Chain quilt, enough for a 4-patch! All while working on your current project. Cut them off, put them in a pile, save them up until there are enough for a quilt! It takes a long time to get what you need, but it's a secondary project, and you're not REALLY working on it, it's your "leader and ender" quilt! Your current project gets put together, and you end up with a pile of 4-patches, without any noticeable effort or time!
My Irish Chain Rainbow quilt will have scrappy colored squares paired with scrappy white squares as my leader and enders. I will precut all the 2.5" squares and keep them handy. When I need a leader, I will grab a white and a color, match their edges, and sew them first. Hmmmm. I wonder if I will need a "leader" for my leader!
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