FITF: two by four – a quilt block tutorial

So, it seems there’s interest in the measurements for this block (It wasn’t actually a trick question – I really did want to make sure there was enough interest before taking the time to put together a tutorial! And, well, it got a lot of you to comment, so there’s that…)

I hope you’ll enjoy this tutorial and will pull out some fat quarters to give this block a try! It’s fun to make and goes together quite quickly!

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Block size: 9″ x 10 1/2″ (unfinished)

A few points to keep in mind:

*measurements provided are ideal for fat quarters, but yardage could be used as well
*non-directional prints work best — directional prints can be used of course, though keep in mind that the design will be upside down on half the block
*each pair of fat quarters yields 6 blocks (I used 18 fat quarters included in Melissa Ybarra’s Blush & Bloom line, along with a few extra solid strips, for a total of 56 blocks arranged in a 7 block by 8 block layout)

ready, set, go!

From each fat quarter, cut 3″ strips along the long (22″) edge of the fat quarter. You can cut 6 – 3″ x 22″ strips from each fat quarter.

Pair each strip with a strip of a different fabric (I think they look great when they’re coordinating, but have different values so you can see the checkerboard look – I mostly paired a print fabric with a solid or near solid, but play around with it to see what you like best!)

Sew the two strips together along the length and press the seam

Cut in half – I cut my pieces into roughly two 10 1/2″ sections.

Sew these two pieces together, repeating the pattern (print, solid, print, solid, for example) and press

Trim one edge, then cut two sections measuring 4 3/4″ (look – very little waste!)

Flip one section and sew together. Pin at each seam, or keep an eye on the seams as you’re sewing to make sure they’re aligning correctly.

Note: Keep in mind that how you flip and sew your sections will determine the look of the final block – above you’ll note that I kept the print at the top left, and if you were making a quilt with alternating prints and solids and wanted to keep that pattern across the quilt, you’d want to make sure to keep it the same for each block (ie – always keep the print in the top left when sewing these sections together).

If you flip it the other way, the solid will be in the top left.

[In my quilt I decided to sew my blocks randomly, so you’ll see sections where the blocks are put together and prints are aligned with other prints, rather than always alternating with a solid]