What's your favorite quilt block?
I have quite a few favorite blocks, actually. Maybe you do too.
Most of the blocks that I am a fan of are quick and easy to make. I really love quick and easy because then I can spend more time playing with my fabric.
I thought it would be fun to show you some of my favorite blocks and how to make them along with a few ideas on using them in your projects. AND I will turn my favorite blocks into a SAMPLER QUILT so hold on to your blocks until the end of the series for a fun Sampler Quilt setting.
I LOVE the Shoo Fly block.
When I was a new quilter, I cut out bunches of squares and triangles and hand-pieced them, eventually having enough to make a twin-sized quilt. To be honest, the quilt didn't turn out very well because I didn't know then what I know now about quilting, but the important thing was that it got me excited to make MORE QUILTS.
According to the website Quilting in America, the block was "named after a wild plant with domed flowers called clover broom or shoo-fly, this
9-patch block originated around 1850 and became popular in the late 1800s." For more history of the Shoofly block, visit Quilting in America.
Let's make a 12" finished Shoo Fly block!
What you need:
Medium/Dark fabric -- 2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8" and 1 square 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
Light Fabric -- 2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8" and 4 squares 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
Here's what you do:
1. Layer a 4 7/8" medium/dark square right sides together with a light 4 7/8" square. Draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner diagonally.
2. Sew 1/4" away from both sides of the drawn line.
3. Cut apart on the line. Voila! You have 2 half square triangle blocks (HSTs).
4. Repeat steps 1-3 to make a total of 4 HSTs.
Now here's the easy part -- the Shoo Fly block is simply a 9 Patch block in disguise! Tehehehe!
Here's what you do:
1. Layer a 4 7/8" medium/dark square right sides together with a light 4 7/8" square. Draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner diagonally.
2. Sew 1/4" away from both sides of the drawn line.
3. Cut apart on the line. Voila! You have 2 half square triangle blocks (HSTs).
4. Repeat steps 1-3 to make a total of 4 HSTs.
Now here's the easy part -- the Shoo Fly block is simply a 9 Patch block in disguise! Tehehehe!
5. Sew a light 4 1/2" square between 2 HSTs as shown. Make 2 rows.
7. Sew the row from step 6 between the rows from step 5, flipping the unit on the bottom to make a Shoo Fly block.
