Snuggles Quilts

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Welcome to Block of the Week!

Welcome! It’s time to start the 2022 Block of the Week project. If this is your first time visiting my blog, my block of the week project (or BOW as I call it) is made up of nine 6 1/2 x 6 1/2″ blocks. I release one each week for the next several weeks, starting today. You will get a link to the PDF instructions for free for each block. On the tenth week, I will provide free instructions for a setting for the blocks to make a wall hanging. You can use my idea to set the blocks or feel free to use your blocks however you like. I will also share some quilting tips that will be useful when making these blocks. So, how about we get started?

2022 BOW Block 1 – The Railroad

The instructions to make the block are found here: 2022 BOW Block 1. The block is made up of half-square triangle squares and four-patch units. Fairly simple units to piece even if you are a beginner.

Like a lot of traditional quilt blocks, this one also has been known by other names. Some of the other names for the block are the Underground Railroad, Jacob’s Ladder, Stepping Stones and Wagon Tracks. This block pattern dates back to the 18th century but was first officially published in 1884.

Tip of the Week – Strip Sets

Four-patch blocks, like those in the Railroad block, are one of the block types that can be pieced by starting with strip sets. What are strip sets? Strip sets are made from joining two or more long strips on their lengthwise sides. You can use width of fabric strips (40-44″ long) if you need a lot of pieces cut for your project, but I prefer to cut those in half to 20-22″ long. It’s easier for your strip sets to distort if you are using longer strips. The strips in this week’s pattern are 17″ long. 

To make a strip set, start by laying two strips right sides together and pin in a few places:

The when it’s time to stitch, do not pull on them or push them through the machine as you are joining them with the 1/4″ seam. Just gently guide them along. Doing otherwise can distort your seam.

Finally, press the joined strips open. Make sure to press and not iron. It is important not to distort the seam of the joined strips. If you iron along the seam instead of pressing, you run the risk of stretching the fabric or the seam or both.

If you are joining more than two strips together, alternate which end you start at when stitching. This also helps to limit distortion of the whole strip set. The diagram below shows what I am talking about:

To be safe, after adding each additional strip to a strip set, finger press open and measure to be sure your seams are accurate and the size of the strip set measures correctly. For example, if you are joining two 1 1/2″ wide strips, when pressed open, the strip set should then measure 2 1/2″ wide. Adding another 1 1/2″ strip on will then make the set measure 3 1/2″ wide. It’s important to keep the width size accurate, otherwise the segments you cut from the strip set will not measure correctly.

So that’s block 1 of the 2022 Block of the Week and the tip of the week. I hope you enjoyed this and will join me in the following weeks!

Comment or ask questions throughout this series. At the end, I will have a grand prize giveaway. This will include my book, two of my newer patterns, some fat quarters and sewing scissors!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Making Blocks & More from Strips

In January, I did a post on scrap quilting and stash building. In that post I talked about how I like to collect 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips. I was asked “what do you do with all those strips?” I thought it would be fun to show you some simple blocks that can be made with strips. I also use strips to make borders when I think my quilt looks just a little too plain and I use them for scrappy bindings. Let’s take a look at some of the blocks I make with strips. These are only some of the many, many blocks that can be made with strips. You are only limited by your imagination!

Blocks

Block #1 – Rail Fence

Let’s start with some of the simplest blocks from strips, the Rail Fence. This block is very versatile because it can be bigger or smaller based on the length, width and amount of the strips. Below, I used 4 strips that are 1 1/2 x 4 1/2″:

Stitch these together to make a unit. Join 4 of these units together and you get a Rail Fence block! I made two of the units from different color strips to add to the scrappiness.

Block #2 – Four-patch

Here’s another really easy block made from strips. The Four-patch block:

And, no, you don’t have to cut out and stitch together individual squares to get this block. You can do it with strips! Here’s how. First you make what we call a strip set. Take 2 strips and sew them together lengthwise.

Then, cut the pieces you need from the set and sew them together to make a Four-patch block.

Block #3 – Nine-Patch

The strip set method can also be used to make the Nine-patch block. You will need 3 strips in your strip sets and you will need 2 different kinds of strips sets so the same colors are not next to each other. The illustrations below show what you need.

The above strip sets make a two color nine patch. If you want a scrappier block, you can use 6 different color strips, or if you want some tan or other neutral in there you can do that too.

Block #4 – Log Cabin

This one is my absolute favorite because it’s easy to make and there are many variations. The traditional Log Cabin has a center square with “logs” added on alternating sides. Cut the center square from a 2 1/2″ strip and the logs from 1 1/2″ strips.

Very easy stitching there. Here is another variation called Courthouse Steps:

These blocks allow me to sit by my strip containers and just pull out what I want. This is my favorite scrappy block.

Borders

Sometimes I get done with a quilt top and think it needs something else, either to bring out the design in the top or to simply make the quilt bigger. It’s a bonus when it helps you use up extra fabric from the project! Here are some of the borders I have done with strips:

The border above is called a piano key border. Really easy to make. Just choose a length and width for your strips that fits the size of your quilt top and you end up with the perfect frame. Here are a couple of variations on the piano key border by adding in flip & sew corners:

Finally, you can just add a simple checkerboard border or even just strips.

Binding

Finally, I use strips sometimes to make a scrappy binding. Just cut an assortment of strips from the leftover fabric from your project. I think it adds a bit of whimsy to my quilts when I do this.

Speaking of binding, next week’s blog post will be about how to make binding, both single-fold and double-fold. I will also demonstrate adding binding to a quilt, including how I make corners.

So that’s it for this week. Leave a comment on using strips, whether you use them now or not. I will choose a winner from the comment who will receive my pattern, Seaside Cottage.

I used a lot of 1 1/2″ strip sets in this one! It will give you some great practice. The drawing will be on Monday, March 8th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Janice Kohnke!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Quilting with Strips

If you have followed me awhile you will know that I identify myself as a scrap quilter and I achieve that often by using lots and lots fabric strips. This week I’ll talk about building a fabric strip stash for when you want to whip up a “strippy” quilt and other things you can do with these strips.

Collecting and Storing Fabric Strips

Since I generally buy more fabric than a project calls for (to account for errors in cutting, etc), after I am done cutting out a project’s pieces from large pieces of fabric I am often left with a narrow strip (narrower than 1/8 yard). What do I do with those? I cut them into usable strips for later projects! My favorite size strips to cut are 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips.

I chose these sizes because these are the width of strips I cut pieces from the most often. Whether they’re used for log cabin blocks, nine-patch blocks or for binding, it’s great to have them on hand. Early on in my collector days, I used to store my strips rather haphazardly.

The problem with these “storage” systems, over time the strips became a giant jumbled mess. Frayed and tangled, some of them were even unusable. So, my solution is the Sterilite tubs you can find at any big box store. Here’s what some of my bins looks like:

It’s a great way to keep my strips separated by color and width. I cut some pieces of acid free cardboard to fit in between as dividers. Now when I am working on a project I can easily find the size and color strip that I want without rummaging through a tangled mess.

Using the Strips

Making Blocks: I was inspired to write this post on using strips this week because of two projects I am working on right now. Here is one of them:

Of course! Use the strips in classic blocks like the Log Cabin. Using strips this way does not involve too much cutting. 

You can also make strip sets and make Four-patch or Nine-patch blocks:

Next, you can cut units from your strips to make flying geese and use those in a star block or the Dutchman’s Puzzle block:

I’m sure if you search through a catalog of blocks, you will find that there are many, many more types of blocks that can be made using pieces cut from these size strips.

Creating Unique Borders: I like to create unique borders for my quilts using strips. Especially if I have strips leftover from the project itself. Here’s the border from my new project I’m working on:

It’s basically a traditional piano key border with flip & sew corners of tan fabric to create the sawtooth. I started out with units like this:

Then I took a set of two of these 3-strip units and did flip and sew corners, going in opposite directions, and then joining those two units together to get the finished border unit:

Other creative borders include checkerboard style and plain piano key borders.

Or just simple strips combined with some plain borders in between:

Making these creative and unique borders are also another way to make a quilt top bigger if you want to.

Binding: Finally, I use the 1 1/2″ strips to  make single-fold binding and 2 1/2″ strips to make double-fold binding. You can even combine many different colors together to create a scrappy binding!

So that’s it for now. I hope this talk of strips has inspired you to start your own collection of strips and use them creatively. Comment on this post and be entered into a drawing for my patterns Rail Fence Blooms and Twinkling Log Cabin to make use of those strips!

The drawing will be on Monday, November 16th!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Finishing Time!

We made it! You have completed the nine blocks. Now if you want to, you can assemble those blocks into a cute wall hanging like mine. If you are just finding my blog, here are the links to the previous blog posts for each of the blocks: Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, Block 4, Block 5 , Block 6 , Block 7 , and Block 8, and Block 9. Also in this post, I will share some tips on sewing strips for strip sets.

Here’s the finished wall hanging:

It’s a fun sampler! Here’s the pattern for the finishing instructions: Block of the Week – Finishing.

Sewing Strips for Strip Sets

Using strips sets is one of the easiest ways to make some popular quilt block units and has the added bonus of using up fabric scraps! Making successful strip sets is easy, however, you need to sew the strips together in a way to keep them from distorting. If your strips get stretched while stitching, you will have difficulty cutting units from the strip sets that measure correctly.

Tip #1 – Use shorter strips if you can. Strip sets are made from joining two or more long strips on their lengthwise sides. You can use width of fabric strips (40-44″ long) but I prefer to cut those in half to 20-22″ long. It’s easier for your strip sets to distort if you are using longer strips. The block of the week finishing pattern uses 22″ long strips.

When making a strip set, lay your strips right sides together and pin. I recommend pinning to keep the edges of the strips matched up. This helps keep your strips the correct size when stitched with a 1/4″ seam.

If you want to use a scant 1/4″ seam you can. That way you are assured your sub cut units won’t be smaller than needed. However, the scant 1/4″ can only be used in strips sets of two strips. If your strip set is made up of more than two strips, you need to use an accurate 1/4″ seam.

Tip #2: When stitching the strips, do not pull on them or push them as you are joining them. Just gently guide them through your machine making sure to to keep the 1/4″ seam. Use a light touch!

Tip #3: After stitching the strips together, you need to press them open before sub-cutting them into the units for your block. Pressing is another step where strip sets can become distorted. That’s why you use the pressing versus ironing technique I discuss in a mini video tutorial I did last year:

If you iron along the seam instead of pressing, you run the risk of stretching the fabric or the seam or both.

Tip#4: If you are joining more than two strips together, alternate which end you start stitching your next strip on. It’s best shown in this diagram:

Alternating the ends you start on for each strip added is another way to avoid distorting the strip set.

Hopefully, these tips have been useful and will help when you are making anything that needs a strip set. The block of the week wall hanging uses strips sets to make the checkerboard inner border.  This will be good practice for future projects!

As we say goodbye to this series, I want to have one last drawing. Leave me a comment below on techniques or other quilting subjects you would like to see covered in a future post. One lucky person will win a copy of my book, Blooming Patchwork!

The drawing will be on Monday, June 22nd. You only have 1 week to enter, so hurry! **We Have a winner! Congrats Barbara Blair!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Do You Collect Fabric Strips?

When I am cutting out a project and I have left over yardage that is less than 1/8 of a yard, I like to cut strips to save for other uses. My favorite size of strips to keep are 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″. Those are sizes I use the most in my scrap quilting and also for bindings. Because of this strip saving habit I have a lot of strips in all colors! In this post, I will talk about storage to keep them organized and what I use these strips for. Maybe it will inspire you to start a strip collection of your own.

Storing the Strips

When I started quilting, I used to just throw strips and scraps into a big bin and rifle through it when I needed one. Let me tell you …. big mistake! Over time, that pile of strips became a giant jumbled mess. The fabric was fraying and the strips were getting so tangled together they became unusable. My first attempt at organization was Ziploc bags of strips.

As you can see, this was OK at first, but looking closer you can see the strips starting to jumble together. Plus I didn’t separate them by color. My newest solution is the Sterilite tubs you can find at any big box store. Here’s what some of my bins looks like:

I made dividers from acid free cardboard cut to fit. Then I organized strips by color and size. Now, when I am looking for a strip of a certain width and color it’s easier to find it. And since they are carefully folded and stacked, they are less likely to get tangled or jumbled up.

Using the Strips

Binding: So, what can be done with strips? So many things! As I mentioned above, by having this stash of strips I always have fabric for binding! I like scrappy binding on my scrap quilts so this is an ideal use. I use the 1 1/2″ strips for single-fold binding and the 2 1/2″ strips for double-fold binding. Here’s some of my projects with scrappy binding.

Borders: Have you ever completed a quilt and thought it was not big enough or that it was missing something? Strips can help you with that! One of the easiest borders to do with strips is a checkerboard border.

Another easy one is a piano key border:

You can even use your strips just randomly like in this quilt border:

Making Quilt Blocks: Finally, these strips can be used to make all kinds of quilt blocks. One of the easiest is a four-patch or nine-patch block. Using 1 1/2″ strips you can make tiny 2 1/2″ four-patch blocks or 3 1/2″ nine-patch blocks. 2 1/2″ strips will make 4 1/2″ four-patch blocks or 6 1/2″ nine-patch blocks.

Bonus! you can make a lot of these blocks by using a strip piecing method I talked about in a blog post from last year: Strip Piecing Tips and Techniques.

Another type of unit used a lot in blocks that you can make from strips is a flying geese. Simply cut a 1 1/2 x 2 1/2″ rectangle from one fabric strip and then cut two 1 1/2″ squares from another fabric strip. Use the traditional stitch and flip method to make a geese unit that measures 1 1/2 x 2 1/2″!

If you use 2 1/2″ strips for your flying geese pieces, you need to cut a rectangle 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ and two squares 2 1/2 x 2 1/2″. Then you will get geese that measure 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″. You can use these in all kinds of blocks like Evening Star and Dutchman’s Puzzle blocks. I’m sure you can think of others.

And then there’s my favorite block: the Log Cabin. Use the 2 1/2″ strips to cut your center square and the 1 1/2″ strips to cut your logs.

As you can tell… there’s a little applique I did on this quilt that shows in the right hand corner, but you get the idea! There’s also other versions of the log cabin block that can be made from strips like the courthouse steps (with or without cornerstones), a traditional log cabin with cornerstones and a star in the middle (also made with scrap strips!) and even a pineapple style.

So many blocks can be made from just strips that there’s too many to list here. What are some you can think of? Share in the comments and you will be entered in the ongoing drawing for my pattern Season of Joy!

The drawing will be on Monday, February 10th!

Happy Quilting & Strippin’
Deanne

Strip Piecing Tips and Techniques

Hi everyone! I’m writing today on a very cold, blizzardy (is that a word? LOL!) day in north Iowa. So, I thought it would be fun to talk about strip piecing tips and techniques and how strip sets are used to make some easy quilt blocks that can make a stunning scrap quilt. The following tips are how to stitch strips together without distorting them.

Strip Set Tips:

Tip #1: Making strip sets is the first step in strip quilting. Strip sets are made from joining two or more long strips on their lengthwise sides. You can use width of fabric strips (40-44″ long) but I prefer to cut those in half to 20-22″ long. It’s easier for your strip sets to distort if you are using longer strips.

Lay your strips right sides together and pin in a few places:

Tip #2: When stitching the strips, do not pull on them or push them as you are joining them with the 1/4″ seam.

Tip #3: Now, press open the strip set. This is where my Pressing Vs Ironing video, found in this blog post, comes in handy. It is important not to distort the seam of the joined strips. If you iron along the seam instead of pressing, you run the risk of stretching the fabric or the seam or both.

Tip #4: To add to the strips set above, the next tip is to start the next strip on the end where you stopped stitching the first two together. So you are basically beginning your stitching on opposite ends for each strip you add to the strip set. If you join all the strips starting at the same end, that can lead to strip set distortion.

To be safe, after adding each additional strip to a strip set, finger press open and measure to be sure your seams are accurate and the size of the strip set measures correctly.

Blocks You Can Make!

Now, what can you make with strips set? There are so many possibilities! I will show a few of the blocks I make with strips sets. You can make an entire block or you can use strip sets to make units within a particular block design.

First, from the strip set you will cut segments the size required for your block or unit you are making. Here’s an example below of segmenting a strip set:

So now, what kind of units or blocks can you make from strips sets? Here is the simplest: the Four-Patch block:

This block is made from segments of 2 strips joined together:

Next block is the Nine-Patch:

For this block you will need two strip sets. Then you’ll have 2 segments cut from one of the sets and 1 segment cut from the other. Here are the steps in a diagram:

Here are some other blocks that can be made from strips sets:

Rail Fence
Double Nine Patch

Many, many other things can be done with strip sets! You can make borders with strip sets, like a piano key border or a checkerboard border.

Google quilt blocks and quilts you can make with strip sets. The possibilities are endless! Here’s a pattern of mine where I used strip sets: Country Dance

The setting blocks used with the Churn Dash blocks to make this quilt top are created using strip sets!

So, share with me your experiences with strip sets or any questions you may have and I will enter you into a drawing to win the Country Dance pattern! **We have a winner! Congrats, Barb Mapes!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne