Scrappy Double Hearts Quilt Block

We’re planning a Super Bowl Sunday Sew-a-Long over at the About.com Quilting Forum. One of the quilt blocks chosen for that event is Straight Patch Nine Furrows, a design that I’ve always called Split Nine Patch (it has other names, but don’t they all).

Misha, my Forum Hostess, suggested the block because it’s made with a combination of squares and half square triangle units — perfect for scrap quilts. So the ladies (we don’t have any gentlemen members right now) have been digging into their stashes to find already-assembled triangle squares (so much easier to type) and fabrics they’d like to use for both those units and the plain squares.

I’ve been fooling around with different layouts for those two patchwork shapes, and the Double Hearts quilt block is one result. And timely, since we’re getting very close to Valentine’s Day. The triangle square units are easy to make and squares are a cinch to cut. Grab your stash and look for patches you’d like to sew into a heart — they needn’t look like mine.

You’ll find cutting and complete instructions for four block sizes, from 6″ x 6″ to 15″ x 15″.

Make Scrappy Double Hearts Quilt Blocks

Country Roads is a quilt block pattern you’ll find on my About.com Quilting site. It’s super easy — all  straight-grain patches that are beginner friendly (but with enough layout variations to make the design interesting to quilters of all skill levels). Choose entirely different colors and colors values to change the design in any way that suits you, and go completely scrappy if you like.

Country Roads Quilt Block Pattern

Call them wonky or call them freehand, but not matter what they’re called these log cabin blocks are easy as can be to sew. No templates and no precise cutting… just grab a background and some strips of fabric and sew. Your blocks might look entirely different than mine, and that’s fine, the more unique the better. The log cabin blocks are sewn using simple string quilting techniques, and you’ll find the pattern at my About.com Quilting website.

Wonky Log Cabin Quilt Block Pattern

String quilting is a super easy technique that’s absolutely perfect for a scrap quilt.

Even though their fabrics vary, string layouts can be somewhat structured, like the block shown here, or sewn in an entirely random way. String blocks can also be cut into triangles (or other shapes) after sewing to create lots of variety when they’re re-assembled into a quilt.

The pattern for this quilt block is published on my other quilting web site, About.com Quilting, along with general instructions to help you create additional string projects. Give the technique a try the next time you want to make a simple, stash-busting quilt.

• Easy String Quilt Block Pattern
• String Quilting General Instructions