Saturday, August 31, 2013

Rugby Stripe Block - a tutorial

One of my scrap management techniques is to cut 2 1/2" strips from scrap pieces of fabric.  The strips have been piling up, awaiting the right project, so when I saw this lovely photo by Samantha of Always Making Life Prettier, my mind went immediately to that box of jumbled strips.  Samantha was kind enough to allow me to use her idea as the inspiration for a new quilt and this tutorial (and believe it or not, her blocks are only a starting point for a much more elaborate design).
The Rugby Stripe block is extremely simple.  It is totally achievable for even a beginner, but it's also a great stash buster or way to use scraps for any quilter.  It's always nice to have a quick block for those fat eighth or fat quarter bundles or jelly rolls that doesn't require you to purchase a background fabric.
You can make a single Rugby Stripe block from two jelly roll strips, or simply use 2 1/2" strips cut from yardage, or scrap strips as I did, to create these 7" x 14" blocks.  You will need 45 blocks for a 63" x 70" throw quilt or 21 blocks for a 35" x 42" baby quilt.

To make a Rugby Stripe block:
1. Cut the fabrics

    Fabric A:
    1 strip 2 1/2" x 23"
    1 strip 2 1/2" x 7 1/2"

    Fabric B:
    1 strip 2 1/2" x 23"

2. Sew the 2 1/2" x 23" strip of Fabric A to the same size strip of Fabric B.

3. Press the seam as desired and sub cut the strip into 3 rectangles 4 1/2" x 7 1/2" each. I allowed an extra 1/2" wiggle room to trim away for perfectly straight edges.

4. Sew together the three rectangles created in  the previous step, alternating Fabrics A and B, and add the final 2 1/2" x 7 1/2" strip of Fabric A.

That's it!  These blocks sew up so quickly.  Of course, if you don't have strips or want to use fat eighths or fat quarters or smaller scraps, simply cut 4 rectangles of Fabric A and 3 rectangles of Fabric B, all 2 1/2" x 7 1/2" to make a single block. (FYI, if cut this way, two fat eighths will yield two blocks). Hope you enjoy the simple tutorial.  I'll be finishing up the blocks for my throw to show soon.

7 comments:

Leanne said...

I need a scrap management plan. These blocks look like fun and I am looking forward to the quilt you make.

Amanda Jean said...

I love these blocks. I've had stripes on the brain for weeks now, but haven't had a chance to do anything with it yet. This just may be the push I needed. Thank you! Can't wait to see your quilt!

Carla said...

I'm looking forward to seeing your setting for these, Alex. I love having another pattern for using my 2.5inch scraps.

Samantha said...

Looking forward to seeing how you put theses all together! Yay! I am almost done my project just stuck on the quilting...

Ginny said...

Love these, seen these on IG, can't wait to see both you and Samantha's final designs!

Anonymous said...

Is there a picture of a finished quilt with this pattern?

teaginny said...

Yes, there are two. A throw sized quilt and a baby quilt. Search the blog for rugby stripe quilt and both posts should pop up for you.