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5 Quilt Blocks Made from Strips

 

It's great fun to make quilt blocks using strips of fabric. One of the things that makes it fun is that it is easy.

Below are 5 different block designs using simply strips of fabric. Each block is simple to make. Just sew strips together, cut them off to the correct length, and then sew them together as patches to make the block.

Each block is defined as a four-patch, five-patch, or nine-patch, and the widths of the strips to sew and square patches to cut are written below the block.

 

 

 

 

 

While it's fairly straight-forward to sew two or three strips together and then cut them off into shorter units, when you start sewing several strips together, there a few things to keep in mind:

• Make sure you check the accuracy of your seam allowances before you begin - as you can imagine, if you are just a little bit off in each seam, by the time you have the whole unit sewn together, you could be off by a measurable amount
• Check the pressing of your strips - if you are anything like I am, sometimes, I iron a fold in the strip that is not on the seamline. This decreases the accuracy of your final piece.
• If you are sewing more than about 4 strips together, occasionally begin your stitching on the opposite end of the strip. If you sew several strips together always starting at the same end, your strips may tend to migrate down, and you will have a piece that looks like it has been stair-stepped. By flipping it around and starting to stitch on the other end, this will even out.

When I sew strips together, I rarely cut off the selvedges before I sew. Maybe it is because I am a little lazy, but I haven't found a need to do that. Be sure you cut them off before you start cutting the pieces for your patches or blocks.

Often you will end up with uneven lengths of fabric strips. This is because not all fabric is exactly the same width. Depending on how you will use the strips and how much fabric there is on the end, you may be able to attach a new strip onto the bottom of the strip that is extra. I tend not to do that, and I trim the ends off and save them for another project.

 

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

Penny is a quilter of more than 27 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

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©2006, Penny Halgren