Chapter 3

Making Patchwork Blocks

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to piece several basic patchwork units to create blocks. We’ll begin with the traditional Log Cabin block shown on the cover to practice cutting squares and rectangles from strips and sewing them together. These are the most basic patch shapes, and you will use them in many other block designs. Making Log Cabin blocks will give you lots of practice with basic piecing.

Many of the most-used patchwork blocks are constructed with some combination of squares, rectangles, or triangles. After the Log Cabin block, you’ll find directions for making nine other basic patchwork blocks that use these shapes. You will also learn additional piecing methods, including two ways to cut and piece both of the most basic triangle units used in quilt blocks — half-square triangles and quarter-square triangles.

If you sew along as you read and learn how to piece each sampler block shown in the following pages, you will have nine different finished blocks to make the Beginner’s Sampler Quilt, see The Beginner’s Sample Quilt. You are sure to use the techniques you learn while making these units and blocks, again and again, in other quilt projects.

What about Pinning?

Pinning small patches together for stitching isn’t usually necessary, but if you feel better with patches pinned, use only one or two long quilter’s pins or flat flower-head pins per set of patches. Place the points toward the raw edges to be joined; be sure to remove them as you go or stitch very slowly when you reach them to avoid broken needles and pins, and inaccurate stitching. As you gain experience, you’ll probably find pinning isn’t needed for joining patches with straight edges. Quilters’ cottons tend to “grab” onto each other, so shifting while stitching is generally not a problem.

When joining rows of blocks, you will need pins to match up and secure seamlines, as well as when sewing the rows together and adding borders to complete your quilt top.

Basic Piecing

You can make most traditional patchwork blocks with basic piecing, following a block diagram to arrange the patches into the required block rows. Then it’s a simple matter to align the raw edges and sew the pieces together in each row, using the accurate ¹⁄₄"-wide seam allowance you learned about in Chapter 2 and pressing as directed in your block pattern or directions. (See How to Press Patchwork Units.) Next, you will sew the block rows together to complete the block — it’s as simple as that. As always, accuracy counts, so take your time to cut and sew carefully.

Alternate Piecing Methods

Some patchwork blocks and block units that feature triangles can actually be made without cutting and handling any triangles. The (Snowball block) is a good example in which you cut and use the folded-corner piecing method (here and here) to create the triangles instead. Both methods improve accuracy and speed up your work.

The directions for the nine sampler blocks in this chapter will give you practice with basic piecing, sandwich piecing (Sandwich-Pieced Quarter-Square Triangles), and folded-corner piecing.

Making a Log Cabin Block

Let’s begin with the classic Log Cabin block. It has a center square surrounded by rectangles that are added in either a clockwise or counterclockwise fashion. The center square of a traditional Log Cabin block usually was red to symbolize the hearth, the heart of the home, but you can use any color you like. The surrounding rectangles represent the “logs,” arranged around the square so they divide the finished block diagonally into light and dark halves. The size of the square and the width and number of surrounding rectangles varies, depending on the pattern you are following.

You can use one light print and one dark print for the rectangles in the two halves of the block, or mix it up with assorted scraps of fabrics that “read” light and dark in your chosen color scheme — for example, scraps of several different pink prints and several different brown prints surrounding a red or dark pink center square (see Chapter 1 or here).

Follow the cutting chart to make a single block of the desired size. See Easy Log Cabin Projects for ways to use your blocks.

Step-by-Step Log Cabin Block

Instructions

1. Sew the shortest light rectangle #1 to the center square and press the seam allowance toward the strip (see pressing arrows). Rotate the piece one turn counterclockwise and add rectangle #2. Press toward the strip as shown. (If you prefer, you can turn clockwise instead, and just keep going in the same direction for the entire block.)
2. Add the shortest dark rectangle #3, turn counterclockwise and add the next dark rectangle (#4). Press all seam allowances toward the strips after you add each one.
3. Add the remaining light rectangles and dark rectangles in numerical order, always turning counterclockwise.

Rotate the block counterclockwise to add each new rectangle.

Cutting for Log Cabin Blocks

Choose the desired finished size of the block and cut one each of the pieces listed in the chart for that size.

Easy Log Cabin Projects

Make practice blocks in the desired size for one or more of the projects described below. To make “scrappy” blocks, choose fat quarters (18" × 22" pre-cuts) of three different light prints and three different dark prints in the desired color scheme, instead of choosing only one light and one dark print.

A 9"-square Log Cabin block makes a great pot holder when you layer it with batting and backing, quilt it, and bind it as directed in chapter 5.

For a set of four 14¹⁄₂" × 18" Log Cabin placemats, make four 12"-square Log Cabin blocks following the chart. Cut and stitch 1¹⁄₂" × 12¹⁄₂" border strips in a coordinating color to the top and bottom opposite edges of each completed block. Press seam allowances toward the borders. Then cut and add 3¹⁄₄" × 14" strips to the remaining raw edges; press. Layer, quilt, and bind as you would a quilt (see Chapter 5).

Add strips to all sides for a placemat.
Make twenty-five 6"-square Log Cabin blocks and arrange them into five rows of five blocks each to make a 30"-square quilt top. Refer to Chapter 4 for directions on sewing them together and cutting and adding borders (cut fabric strips 3¹⁄₄" wide for a small quilt that finishes to 36" square). Log Cabin blocks offer lots of quilt design possibilities because you can twist and turn them, row by row, to alter the placement of the light and dark halves, creating interesting secondary patterns. For inspiration, look for Log Cabin quilt designs online or in books at your local quilt shop.

Chain Piecing

When you are making several blocks all the same size, you can use chain piecing to streamline block assembly. You’ll save time and thread with this method. Rather than finishing one block at a time, piece identical units for all blocks in one big batch — don’t stop sewing to clip threads, and remove just-joined patches or units from the machine before stitching the next one. This method is great for piecing several Log Cabin blocks at once. (Fourpatch blocks) are made of many two-patch units that you can chain-piece in a batch to speed up the stitching and pressing. You can also use chain piecing when joining units to complete blocks, for example when sewing sets of two-patch units together to make lots of Fourpatch blocks or units.

1. Align the raw edges of two patches and use a pin or two to hold them together. Prepare all other similar patch sets in the same way. Stack the units to the left of the presser foot with the pinned edges parallel to the presser-foot edge.
2. Stitch the first pair of patches together, stitching off the edge of the fabric for a stitch or two; this will make a tiny thread chain. Without lifting the presser foot, position the next set of patches and feed it under the toes of the presser foot and keep on stitching. Continue in this manner until you have sewn the seam in all the prepared units, making a little “clothesline” of patches.
3. At the ironing board, snip the thread chains to release each one. Press as directed in your quilt pattern.

Cut the paired patches apart at the ironing board.

Piecing Basic Triangle Units

Triangles are used in many of the most common patchwork blocks. The strong angled lines add visual interest and natural divisions for using a variety of fabrics in a block. The half-square triangle and the quarter-square triangle are the most-used pieced-triangle units. Refer to Chapter 2 for guidance on cutting the necessary pieces.

Piecing Half-Square Triangles

When making only a few half-square triangles, Method 1 is quick, but you must take care when handling and joining the long bias edges to avoid stretching. To avoid bias edges completely, use Method 2.

Method 1: Traditionally Pieced half-square triangles

Cut squares for this unit ⁷/₈" larger than the desired finished size. For example, if the finished unit or block should be 4" square, cut the squares for the triangles 4⁷/₈" × 4⁷/₈".

Instructions

1. Rotary-cut two squares of different colors to the desired size. Cut each in half diagonally.
2. Align the long bias edges of two triangles of different colors. Stitch together with a ¹⁄₄"-wide seam. Press the seam allowances toward the darker triangle in the finished unit and trim away the seam-allowance points that extend beyond the edges of the resulting square. Repeat to make two.

Method 2: Folded-Corner Piecing

It’s easy to make accurate units with this method, but there is some waste. For other ways to use this technique, see Cut-No-Triangles Folded-Corner Piecing.

Instructions

1. Cut squares from each of two different-color fabrics to the desired finished size plus ¹⁄₂" for seam allowances. For example, for a 3" finished unit, cut 3¹⁄₂" squares.
2. With a sharp pencil, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the lighter-color square.
3. With right sides together and raw edges aligned, stitch on the drawn line.
4. Trim ¹⁄₄" from the stitching and discard the cutaway triangles or save them for your scrap box.

Piecing Quarter-Square Triangles

With both of the following methods, accurate cutting, marking, and stitching are essential. With each method, you will have enough triangles to make two Hourglass units (below).

Method 1: Traditionally Pieced Quarter-Square Triangles

This technique may be easier for beginners. Cut squares 1¹⁄₄" larger than the desired finished size. Take care not to stretch the bias edges as you assemble the unit (or an Hourglass block).

Instructions

1. Cut an equal number of squares of the size specified in the pattern you are following and cut each one in half twice diagonally as shown here.
2. Sew triangles together in sets of two, press the seam allowances in opposing directions, and then sew them together, matching the intersecting seamlines. Handle the triangles carefully to avoid stretching them out of shape. Press and trim away the seam points.

Method 2: Sandwich-Pieced Quarter-Square Triangles

With this method, you avoid handling bias-cut edges. You will need a ¹⁄₄" presser foot for your sewing machine. For quarter-square triangles, the squares you will start with are cut 1¹⁄₄" larger than the desired finished size of the unit; when following a pattern, that amount has already been added to the desired finished size to determine the strip width to cut.

Instructions

1. Cut squares of the specified size in the pattern you are following from each of two fabrics. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the lighter square.
2. With right sides together, place a lighter square on a darker square, with raw edges aligned. Stitch a scant ¹⁄₄" from the line on both sides.
3. Cut on the drawn line, creating two half-square-triangle units. Press the seam toward the darker color in each one. Place the units side by side, with the colors and seamlines positioned as shown on the facing page.
4. Flip the right-hand unit facedown on the left one and nestle the diagonal seamlines together; if the seamlines are snugly nested, the raw edges around the square may not match precisely, but don’t worry about that. Draw a diagonal line across the seamline from corner to corner. Stitch ¹⁄₄" from the line on each side and cut on the drawn line for two quarter-square triangles units. Press.
5. Measure the finished unit. It may be a bit larger than the desired finished size, including ¹⁄₄" seam allowances all around. Carefully trim away the excess on each edge of the square, taking care to keep the X centered in the trimmed square. For example, for a 6¹⁄₂" square, trim so the center X of the block is 3¹⁄₄" from each outer edge.

Flip right unit onto left. Nest seams with colors opposing; stitch and cut apart.

Cut-No-Triangles Folded-Corner Piecing

Because of their bias edges and sharp points, triangle patches with bias edges are a bit challenging to match to other patches for accurate stitching. With the ingenious folded-corner-piecing method, you add small triangles to one or more corners of a square or rectangle without cutting any triangles; instead you use squares and a method similar to sandwich piecing (see here). It’s fast and accurate and avoids dealing with the stretch along bias edges. There is some fabric waste with this method, but its speed and accuracy make it a popular technique. You will use it to make several of the basic blocks that follow.

Easy Folded-Corner Piecing

Instructions

1. Cut small squares and a larger square or rectangle as specified in the cutting directions for the block you are making. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each small square.
2. Position the small square on the larger square with the drawn line in the direction shown. Stitch on the line and cut away the corner of both fabrics ¹⁄₄" from the stitching. Press the resulting small triangle toward the seam allowances (unless otherwise directed).

Making the Sampler Blocks

It’s time to practice making blocks. Choose two fabrics you love in two contrasting colors — a light or medium-light print and a darker one. (If you want to use your practice blocks to make a small quilt, choose and purchase fabrics as directed in the Beginner’s Sampler Quilt.)

Before you begin, prepare your sewing machine as directed in Chapter 1. Refer to Chapter 2 as you cut, sew, and press to make each block. Follow the cutting and piecing directions for each block. Make sure you know how to sew an accurate ¹⁄₄"-wide patchwork seam (here) and use it throughout the block and quilt-top assembly. Several of the blocks have multiples of a single unit; practice chain piecing when making them, to save time and thread.

Using the Sampler Blocks

Make the nine sampler blocks shown on the folowing pages to hone your quiltmaking skills and use them to make The Beginner’s Sampler Quilt. It’s the perfect size for a small wall hanging or table topper. Each block finishes to a 6"-square block (6¹⁄₂" square before joining into the quilt top). The blocks are joined in a straight setting (here) with rows of sashing and cornerstones between the blocks to frame them.

If you prefer, you can use your practice blocks for small projects (such as pot holders or placemats) or put them aside for reference when making other blocks. If you have a favorite block in the set of nine, make multiples of it to use in a straight setting with alternating plain squares for a quilt top (see Straight Setting Assembly).

Fourpatch Block

Instructions

1. Cut one 3¹⁄₂" × 8" strip each of light and of dark fabric. From each strip, crosscut two 3¹⁄₂" squares.

2. Make 2 two-patch units; press seam allowances toward the darker square in each one.

3. Arrange units with seamlines nestled into each other. Pin at the seamlines as directed in Matching Intersecting Seamlines. Sew the units together. Press seam allowances as directed.

Join 2 two-patch units.

Ninepatch Block

Instructions

1. Cut one 2¹⁄₂" × 14" strip each of light and of dark fabric. From the light strip, crosscut four 2¹⁄₂" light squares. Crosscut five 2¹⁄₂" dark squares.
2. Arrange the squares in three rows, checkerboard style. Sew them together in rows. Press the seam allowances toward the darker color square(s) in each row.
3. Join the rows, carefully matching the seams; use a pin at each set of intersecting seamlines to hold them in place (see Matching Intersecting Seamlines below). Stitch. Press the seam allowances as directed.

Press the seams in opposing directions, row to row.

Matching Intersecting Seamlines

When blocks are made of rows with more than one patch in the row, there will be seamlines to match when the rows are joined. For this reason, patchwork seam allowances are pressed in opposing directions from row to row to make it easier to position the seamlines that must match. With seam allowances pressed in opposite directions, it’s easy to align and pin them for stitching.

1. Nest the opposing seams and pin together by inserting a pin through each seam allowance. Place them perpendicular to the seamline as shown, or angle a single pin so that it catches each set of seam allowances.

2. Carefully stitch one or two stitches past the intersecting seamlines before removing the pin (counter to what you’ve been taught about sewing over pins), but sew slowly or use the machine’s hand wheel to avoid hitting the pins with the machine needle. Whenever possible, stitch with the seam allowances that are pressed toward you on the bottom so the feed dogs won’t push them out of position. You can prevent this by controlling the top seam allowances with the point of your seam ripper, a straight pin, or a bamboo skewer to keep the presser foot from moving them out of position. The pins also help control the seam allowances.

Two-by-Two Block

Instructions

1. Cut one 2" × 16" strip each of light and of dark fabric. From each strip, crosscut four 2" × 3¹⁄₂" rectangles.
2. Sew light and dark rectangles together in pairs to make four two-patch units. Press the seams toward the darker rectangle.
3. Join units in two rows of two each; press as directed. Sew together, carefully matching the center seam, and press.

Tam’s Patch Block (Variation)

Instructions

1. Cut one 2" × 14" strip each of light and of dark fabrics. Cut two 2" squares from each strip and two 2" × 3¹⁄₂" rectangles from each strip. Cut one 3 ⁷/₈" square from the light and from the dark fabrics; cut each square in half diagonally.

2. With right sides together and raw edges aligned, sew each light triangle to a dark triangle, taking care not to stretch the long bias edges while stitching. Press and trim as shown here. Make 2 half-square triangle units.
3. Make 2 two-patch units with the 2" light and dark squares; press seam allowances toward the dark squares. Arranging as shown, sew each unit to a 2" × 3¹⁄₂" dark rectangle to make 2 three-patch units. Press as directed.
4. Arrange the three-patch and half-square-triangle units in two rows as shown; sew them together and press as directed. Sew the rows together and press.

Snowball Block

Traditionally, you would need a template to cut the large center patch for this popular block, and you would cut two small squares in half for the four triangles. But that’s not necessary with folded-corner piecing (see here).

Instructions

1. Cut one 2¹⁄₂" × 12" light strip; crosscut four 2¹⁄₂" light squares from it. Cut one 6¹⁄₂" dark square.
2. Use a sharp pencil and a 6"-square acrylic ruler to draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each 2¹⁄₂" light square. Position the marked squares at each corner of the large square with the line intersecting adjacent edges.
3. Stitch on each line. Trim ¹⁄₄" outside each stitching line and press each small triangle toward the seam allowances.

Flying Geese Block

This unit is traditionally pieced by sewing two small triangles to a larger one, but use the folded-corner piecing method (here and here) instead for perfect “geese” every time!

Instructions

1. Cut one 3¹⁄₂" × 16" light strip; crosscut four 3¹⁄₂" light squares. Cut one 3¹⁄₂" × 14" dark strip; crosscut two 3¹⁄₂" × 6¹⁄₂" dark rectangles.
2. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each of the four light squares.
3. Position one square at the left-hand end of a rectangle. Stitch on the diagonal line and then trim ¹⁄₄" from the stitching (a). Press (b). Repeat with another light square and the remaining dark rectangle.
4. Repeat with the other squares at the opposite end of the two rectangles, noting the position of the line in the illustrations below. The result is a Flying Geese unit. Note how the point ends ¹⁄₄" below the cut edge of the unit so you can sew units together to make a Flying Geese block without cutting off the “beak of the goose.”

Square-in-a-Square Block

Instructions

1. Cut one 3¹⁄₂" × 16" light strip; crosscut four 3¹⁄₂" light squares. Cut one 6¹⁄₂" dark square.
2. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each small light square. Position two small squares in opposite corners of the larger dark square, with the drawn lines intersecting adjacent edges. Stitch on the lines. Trim ¹⁄₄" from the stitching and press the resulting small triangles toward the seam allowances.
3. Repeat in the other corners with the remaining small triangles. Note how the point ends ¹⁄₄" below the cut edge of the unit so you can sew units together without cutting points off in the seams.

Hourglass Block

Instructions

1. Cut one 7¹⁄₄" square each of light and of dark fabric. Layer the squares with raw edges aligned; cut twice diagonally for four triangles of each (see illustration here). You will have enough triangles to make two blocks.
2. Follow the directions for traditionally pieced quarter-square triangles here to complete the block.

Join 2 quarter-square triangle units.

Pinwheel Block

Making the half-square triangles for this block is easy. The challenge is in accurately joining the intersecting points (see Matching-Intersecting-Points).

Instructions

1. Cut one 3¹⁄₂" × 15" strip each of light and of dark fabric. Crosscut four 3¹⁄₂" squares from each strip. Follow the directions for folded-corner piecing here to make four half-square triangle units.
2. Arrange the units in rows of two, paying attention to triangle/color placement as shown in the illustration. Sew the units together in rows and press the seam allowances in opposing directions, so it will be easy to match seamlines.
3. Position the finished rows, again checking the color placement so a pinwheel forms. Turn the upper row facedown on the lower row. Snug the center seamlines into each other and pin the seamline intersection as shown in Matching Intersecting Points on the next page to avoid nipping off the triangle points in the seamline. Sew together.
4. Press the seam allowances in one direction or, if you prefer, press the center seam open for a flatter seam at the point where all four diagonal seamlines meet in the finished block.

Join half-square triangle units in 2 rows.

Matching Intersecting Points

Joining units with two intersecting points offers a piecing challenge that is easy to handle if you learn to “stitch for the X.”

1. Press so the seam allowances oppose each other. This might mean changing the direction that a seam was originally pressed — and that may create a twist in the seam on the wrong side of the unit. That’s okay.
2. To align the points, place the pieces right sides together and insert a pin at the seamline on the wrong side of the unit on top. Shift the lower unit so you can see the point of the pin and insert it into the bottom unit. Bring the point back through the top unit so the pinhead is against the top layer.
3. Insert a pin on each side of the matching point to securely hold the pieces in place while stitching. When you reach the pinned area, stitch slowly over the pin and across the intersection. Aim for the X formed by the stitching and err in favor of the point by stitching a thread or two away from it, in the seam allowance, so you don’t nip off the point in the stitching. Complete the seam.