Fast Quilt Piecing Method Tutorial

I love using this method for simple block quilts. It even works for 9 patch and 4 patch blocks if you're using several that have the same fabrics in the same order. For a simple single block quilt, start by figuring your block size, then how many blocks you need. For my quilts, I normally assume the width of fabric (WOF) is 42", and 42" divided by 7=6 exactly. Halve 7, and the amount of blocks you get doubles. From 42" wide fabric, you can get 12-3.5" squares. 3.5" was too small for this fabric to me, so I went with the 7" unfinished block size. I could also have chosen an unfinished block size of 6" to get 7 blocks, but I wanted the largest possible square to show off the fabric.

My finished block size would end up o be 6.5", so 6.5" times the number of blocks I would be getting from one 42" row, which is 6, plus sashing between the blocks equaled the size I wanted the quilt to be. I wanted the rows to be 6 blocks by 5 blocks, so I cut out 5-42" x 7" strips, and for sashing I cut 7-42" x 2" strips.

If you need your quilt to be wider, no matter what your block size you will need to cut more strips and have multiple sets of strips. Say I wanted mine to be 5 x 12 instead of 5 x 6. I would have had to cut 10-42" x 7" strips and 14-42" x 2" sashing strips and sorted them into two sets, and sewn the sets together separately.

Sew your strips together along the 42" sides like in the picture below.

Next, if you want to cut out your pieces twice as fast, iron your strips in half. Make sure you align the edges of each piece and the seams as closely as possible.

Cut apart your strips in sections as wide as your unfinished block size. I cut mine 7" wide.

You need to make long sashing strips that are the same length as each of your block strips. Sew those long strips to the block strips.

Keep doing this until you have used up all your block and sashing strips. Make sure your block strips line up!

Hooray! You have just quickly sewn together squares with sashing!!! 

You can definitely play with this method by using a different fabric for each block, or maybe even different colored sashing.

White sashing is great for showing off quilting. I just love how this quilt turned out!!!

Those swirls were so much fun to stitch!

Thanks for reading and have fun making simple square quilts!