Over 100 quilters are sharing their blocks and ideas! A few each day during the first part of July! The complete list can always be found by clicking the button on the side-bar of Jane's Fabrics! Please take a peek at all the inspiration posted by everyone!
4-Patch Blocks
I decided to share a fabulous technique for making 4-patch squares. This is such a versatile block, one that can be resized as you'd like, and can either be the main focus of the quilt, or a wonderful sashing or border.
I remember thinking how clever it was to sew two long strips of fabric together and then cutting them, rearranging and sewing to get a 4-patch. It seemed so much easier than cutting little squares - but if I wanted a more random look it always seemed that the little squares were the way to go. And little squares are just not appealing to me to work with on a grand scale.
Billie Lauder, has figured out a terrific way to make 4-patches, and she has shared videos for making two fabric 4-patches and super scrappy 4-patches. These are really fun to put together..... I used the Super Scrappy 4-Patch Method...
1: Pick your fabrics and end size. You will cut some squares one inch larger than what you want them to finish and then cut some strips that are half the width of the squares. |
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2: Put the fabrics together. You can sew squares together, or two strips to a square. Pick either squares or strips to sew onto a square. Sew 1/4 inch seams - sew the strips with one seam, the square with two seams (to make a tube). |
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3: See the seams for how you sew the parts together! Just two seams for each part for now. |
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4: Without cutting the seams you have just sewn, cut the square in half. Press the seams. |
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5: Trim the ends if needed, then arrange the pieces so they are all next to each other. In my case I just looked to get it so the same fabric was not next to each other in either direction. The photo shows two columns of the blocks, the column on the left will be sewn to the column on the right. |
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6: Fold the first square in half, use that as your cutting line. After the first cut flip over the next seam and cut... |
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7: If you use the ruler to measure your cuts, the unfinished block will be exactly the size you want. (I found it's easier to use the folding method.) |
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8: In a really short time, you will have a lot of 4-patch blocks! Here are just a few examples of how you could arrange 4-patches so they are the highlight of your quilting project: |
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| Eight B |
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| Eight C |
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| Eight D |
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| Eight E |
I hope you will try this technique for making 4-patches - it's a lot of fun.
I added strips to make my 10.5 inch blocks. That way I'll have plenty of room to do the Leah Day Free Motion Quilt Along!
I'm releasing this post at midnight. Check back later to see my progress as I make these blocks into a baby quilt!
Thanks for visiting - now please go on and visit the other quilters who are sharing:
Today's Contributers are:
July 7th
QuiltQuest (That's me)
See the list of all the blogs participating, click on the button on the side-bar of Jane's Fabrics!
