Granny Square Quilt Block Tutorial - Part 2

As outlined here in Part 1 of this tutorial, your intended layout and fabric selections will be used to determine how to make your granny squares quilt.

If your layout will be with sashing, you will make BLOCKS.

If your layout will be without sashing, you will make ROWS.


BLOCKS are made using any of these three methods:

• Individual Squares
• Strips Only
• No waste

ROWS are made using either of these two methods:

• Individual Squares
• Strips Method

MAKING BLOCKS:

These instructions will be using 2.5" squares or strips to make the blocks.  If you are looking to use up scraps, individual squares can be used.  Or you can use strips from a jelly roll or cut from yardage.

Use one of the following three methods to make blocks for a layout using sashing.


INDIVIDUAL SQUARES:

To make blocks using individual squares, you will need (12) 2.5" background squares and  (13) 2.5" squares for the rings.  Arrange the squares as shown. 

Sew the squares into columns, as shown below.

Sew the columns together and press the seams toward the outside edges.

Trim the block square, leaving 1/4" of background beyond the tips of the last ring of squares.

STRIPS:

Jelly Roll strips can be used or you can cut your strips from yardage.
Each width of fabric strip will yield one block.
So if your jelly roll has 20 strips, you will have 20 blocks.

Step 1 - Separate your 20 strips into two piles of 10 strips each; one pile for the inner and one pile for the outer ring.

Cut each of the inner strips into (1) 10.5" and (3) 5.5" pieces
Cut each of the outer strips into (3) 10.5" and (2) 5.5" pieces

Step 2 - Arrange the inner strips into 10 piles of (1) 10.5" strip and only (2) 5.5" strips.

Step 3 - Add to those piles all of the coordinating outer strips.



Step 4 - Now use the remaining (10) 5.5" inner strips to the piles.

Step 5 - You will also require yardage for the background strips.  To ensure there is ample fabric for squaring up the completed blocks, the background fabric is cut into 3" strips.

Cut (16) 3" strips of background fabric.
Crosscut into (40) 10.5", (20) 5.5" strips and (40) 3" squares.
  
Arrange your strips from one pile as shown and sew the strips into a set.  Press the seams.

Step 6 - Square up each edge and cut onto 2.5" strips, as shown.

Step 7 - Arrange your strips sets into two blocks and add (4) background squares to the sides.  Sew the strips sets together and press.  You should press all your seams toward the outside of the block, but I like to press my seams open.

Step 8 - Square up the blocks, ensuring that there is at least 1/4" of background fabric beyond the points of the outer ring.

Here are the results using this method.

NO WASTE:

For this method, follow the instructions for the strip method for Steps 1 to 4.
But for the no waste method the background fabric will be cut into triangles to avoid the waste.

For each of the ten piles of strips, you will require (4) squares cut into four triangles, to make 16 large triangles and (4) squares cut diagonally once, to make 8 small triangles.

But how big do the squares need to be?

For the large background square, take the size of the finished squares in your granny block.  Each will measure 2" square when finished.  Multiply by 1.414 and then add 1 and 1/4".
2" multiplied by 1.414 plus 1 and 1/4"
2" multiplied by 1.414 = 2.828
1 and 1/4 = 1.25
2.828 plus 1.25 = 4.078
4.078 (Rounded up) is approximately 4 and 1/8"

For the small background square, take the size of the finished squares in your granny block.  Each will measure 2" square when finished.  Divide by 1.414 and then add 7/8".

2" divided by 1.414 plus 7/8"
2" divided by 1.414 = 1.414
7 divided by 8 = .875
1.414 plus .875 = 2.285
2.285 (Rounded up) is approximately 2 and 3/8"

Cut (four) 4 and 1/8" background strips and crosscut each of them into 4 and 1/8" squares, for a total of 40 squares.  Cut these squares diagonally twice.

Cut (three) 2 and 3/8" background strips and crosscut each of them into 2 and 3/8" squares, for a total of 40 squares.  Cut these squares diagonally once.

Arrange your strips from one set, as shown below.  You will need to cut one of your 10.5" outer ring strips into (4) 2.5" squares.

In this photo, the incorrect amount of background fabric triangles are shown.  For each of the ten piles of strips, you will need (16) large triangles and (8) small triangles.

Sew the strip sets together.  Sew the large triangles to the sides of the 2.5" squares, as shown below.  Press all seams as you go.

Trim the strip sets into 2.5" columns.  And sew the small triangles onto the 2.5" squares as shown.

Sew (8) large triangles onto the ends of the 3 piece rows.
Sew (4) small triangles onto the ends of the 5 piece rows.

Sew the rows together to make the blocks.  Square up the blocks, ensuring that there is at least 1/4" of background fabric beyond the points of the outer ring.

MAKING ROWS:

These instructions will be using 2.5" squares or strips to make the rows.  If you are looking to use up scraps, individual squares can be used.  Or you can use strips from a jelly roll or cut from yardage.

Use one of the following three methods to make blocks for a layout without using sashing.

As you can see in this mock layout of granny squares used to make a quilt without sashing, the traditional block method results in a lot of unnecessary piecing between the blocks.

HOWEVER, if you will notice the darker lines drawn along the diagonal rows in the top left of this same diagram below, you will see that this quilt could be pieced using the individual columns made using the block method and some whole squares for the background squares between the blocks.

INDIVIDUAL SQUARES:

To make quilt using individual squares, arrange the squares as shown, in the block making method at the top of this tutorial.  Sew the squares into the diagonal rows.  Then sew the diagonal rows together.  Trim the entire quilt top square once complete.



STRIPS:

Jelly Roll strips can be used or you can cut your strips from yardage.
Each width of fabric strip will yield one block.
So if your jelly roll has 20 strips, you will have 20 blocks.

For this method, follow the instructions for the block making strip method for Steps 1 to 4, at the top of this tutorial.  Perform Step 5 without the background strips, and trim as in Step 6, making the strip sets of 5, strip sets of 3 and individual 2.5" squares.  Arrange these strip sets and squares as shown in the above layout. Add individual 2.5" squares of background fabric between the strip sets and at the quilt edges.  Sew the strip sets and background squares for each diagonal row together.  Then sew the rows together.  Trim the entire quilt top square once complete.


I do hope this tutorial will encourage you to make a granny quilt - of some kind!

Keep On Quilting On!