This Checkerboard Block is a Quilter’s Favorite The Nine-Patch block, consisting of nine squares arranged in a checkerboard pattern, is one of the mainstays in any quilter’s block repertoire. Here’s how to make them. Easy and endlessly versatile, the Nine-Patch block consists of nine equal-size squares. It may look fussy to sew, but strip-piecing makes […]

This basic quilt block is made of nine small fabric squares arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Strip-piecing techniques make nine-patch quilts easy. Nine-patch is one of the fundamental quilt blocks every quilter should know how to make. Its checkerboard pattern of light and dark fabrics adds interest to many different quilt patterns. While nine-patches may

Choosing Fabrics for Contrast in Your Quilting Project Quilts can be striking or bland, depending on the fabrics used. Fabrics high in contrast or in different values can make a quilt beautiful. Many quilters struggle to choose fabrics to make unforgettable quilts. Some quilters resort to sewing precut kits rather than risk choosing fabrics with

Step by step instructions for using strip piecing techniques to make a whole quilt’s worth of 6½”, 9½”, or 12½” Windmill blocks in a very short time. The Windmill quilt block is an easy quilt block made from two fabrics, one light, and one dark. It is a good project for quilters just starting out,

Use the Color Wheel, Value, and Intensity to Work with Fabrics Learning the basic concepts of color theory helps sewers and quilters understand which fabric colors work best together, and how to choose pleasing color combinations. Why do some color combinations look just right together, while others look garish, muddy or just plain ugly? The

Make Dramatic or Subtle Quilts with Fabrics from One Color Family Using a monochromatic color palette can produce quilts of great visual power and sophistication. The secret is in the way light and dark fabrics are combined. With fabrics of all colors piled high in every quilter’s stash, why should a quilter choose to make

Make Pleasing Color Schemes by Mixing Fabrics with Different Values Learn how using a mixture of both light and dark fabrics helps create quilts with color combinations that please the eye. Understanding the concept of color value can help quilters learn to combine fabrics to make quilts with a satisfying sense of visual balance, a

Four-Patch, Nine-Patch, Rail Fence, and Windmill If you’re a time-challenged quilter – or a beginner who would like to start with a quick and easy quilt – here are four basic blocks you can make fast with strip piecing. The four blocks shown here are popular favorites because they are so easy to assemble. There

Make this Easy Block Fast with Quilt Fabric Strips and Rotary Cutter Quick strip piecing techniques and quilt fabric strips help quilters make a whole quilt’s worth of Four-Patch blocks in a very short time. Every quilter should know how to make the versatile four-patch quilt block. A basic four-patch block consists of just two

Sew Quilt Blocks Faster with Easy Speed Piecing Techniques Quilters used to make every quilt block the slow way, laboriously cutting out and sewing on one piece of fabric at a time. Strip piecing speeds up and simplifies piecing for many quilt blocks by replacing the old one-at-a-time method with a production line based on

Use quilt fabric strips and simple strip piecing techniques to make a whole quilt’s worth of Rail Fence blocks in a very short time. Because the Rail Fence quilt block is so simple, it is one of the easiest of all blocks to strip piece. This makes it a great choice for beginning quilters, or

Piece Quilt Blocks Faster, More Accurately with Simple Techniques Strip piecing can dramatically cut the time it takes to sew together many pieced quilt blocks. Try these tricks other quilters use for strip piecing success. What is strip piecing? It’s an assembly-line technique that speeds up the process of cutting and sewing pieced quilt blocks.