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WEEK 2 – RAIL FENCE QUILT – CUTTING & ARRANGING YOUR BLOCKS
RAIL FENCE QUILT
So now you have arranged your 2½” strips into your groups of four and sewn them together, it’s time to cut them into your blocks, and arrange them how you would like them for your quilt top.
Here’s what I want you to do: Watch my YouTube videos and read the notes, then get started on cutting and arranging your blocks for your Rail Fence Quilt.
VIDEOS TO WATCH | |
TO READ | Week 2 – Rail Fence Quilt – Cutting and Arranging Your Blocks |
PDF SUPPLIED | Print and cut out the “Column Number Cards” or write out by hand and cut to be the same |
TOOLS NEEDED | Ruler, self healing mat, rotary cutter (if using fabric off the bolt), pins |
SUPPLIES NEEDED | Your sewn together groups of 4, thread |
NOTES |
To get the best use of your blocks arrange them as follows:
Using 42″ wide Jelly Rolls
LAP QUILT – 6 blocks wide x 7 blocks long
LARGER QUILT – 8 blocks wide x 9 blocks long
Using 44″ wide Jelly Rolls OR Fabric Off the Bolt
LAP QUILT – 7 blocks wide x 7 blocks long
LARGER QUILT – 9 blocks wide x 11 blocks long
CUT YOUR SQUARES
You need to cut each of your sewn together strips into square blocks
In a perfect world, your sewn strips would all measure 8½” in width. However, with cutting (if you cut your fabric) and with three seams there is room for error and the possibility that they measure wider or thinner than 8½”. If they are wider or thinner you need to decide if the difference is going to hinder you when sewing your blocks together and nesting your seams. If some of your blocks are out by more than ¼” you may want to consider cutting them to the smallest size. This is a lot of work, and of course entirely up to you
Decide on the best width to cut your sewn together strips into square blocks
Cut all your sewn together strips into square blocks
ARRANGE YOUR SQUARES
Like all things with quilting, how you choose to arrange your fabrics is entirely up to you
You might like the random look, a pinwheel look or want to achieve the zig zag look
If you want to check your placement you can take a photo and have a look at your placement on your phone. Sometimes things seem to stand out a little more when looking at it from another perspective. You may also want to turn your photo in a black and white photo, this can help you see if you have placed your fabrics evenly, this is particularly useful for random placement because it will show you if some areas are darker or lighter than others
Print and cut out “Column Number Cards” OR write out and cut to be the same
Pin the number cards on the top row
Pin each numbered column loosely together OR if you prefer you can stack them
Carefully fold each column to prepare to sew
TASK | Sew our columns and rows together |
TOOLS NEEDED | Sewing machine, iron, ironing board/mat |
SUPPLIES NEEDED | Your cut & arranged blocks |
THESE COURSE NOTES ARE FOR THE EMAIL RECIPIENT ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR SHARE THEM. IF YOU HAVE A FRIEND THAT WOULD LIKE A COPY PLEASE ASK THEM TO JOIN THE QUILT CLUB BY SIGNING UP TO THE NEWSLETTER.
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