Block 6 - Railroad
We are in Week 6 of The Spicerack Sampler! And this week our block is called Railroad!
Click the picture to download the pattern.
I flipped through several Civil War quilt sampler books in my search for classic quilt blocks. I found this one in one of them. I knew I wanted to include this design because it checked off certain boxes in my mind. When I think of classic designs, I think of stars, pinwheels, flying geese, log cabins, and the Jacob's Ladder design. This block is very similar to a Jacob's Ladder. But I also knew that with this set, I'd be only using two solid colors, so I didn't want any of my designs to be too simple. This one adds just the complexity I was looking for.
And it's an easy block!
I said in the beginning of this series, that I'd be teaching you several skills as we go along. So far we've learned strip piecing and HSTs (four-at-a-time). This block combines both those skills we've already learned.
Click the image below to see me assemble this block on YouTube.
And here are some mock-ups I made in EQ8 to show you what you can do with this block.
This first one, I just repeated the block throughout, all facing the same direction. I really like the diagonal lines!
And then for this one, I rotated several of the blocks to create a zig-zag look. I like this one, too!
And finally, for this one, I just rotated other blocks to create this diamond design. I like them all! And this is ALL the same block, made the same way, just rotated in different directions. Since it's a square block, you can rotate it and be fine.
What do you think? Which one do you like best? Let me know in the comments below!
As I mentioned above and throughout this series, I whipped up these mock-ups in EQ8. Do you use EQ8?
And of course, there's so much you can do with this block in regards to color, too! I think the first design could be cool with varying shades for the background color. You could do ombre across the diagonals, or rainbow colors, or any palette, really! The possibilities are endless!
This block marks my half-way point! I've got just SIX more blocks to make and then I'll start putting this top together.
If you're just now joining me in this series, here is a picture of the complete set. These 12 blocks I'm calling The Spicerack Sampler! They're all classic quilt blocks, but I'm attempting to put a modern spin on each one. I hope you join me in making these! They range from easy to more challenging, but they're meant to be a skill builder. I'll walk you through each step and help you add a number of skills to your repertoire! And these are all traditionally pieced. No Y-seams, paper templates or foundation paper piecing.
A new block releases every Monday!
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