Spool Quilt Block Tutorial. Block 1 ~ DIY Tutorial Ideas!

How to Make the Spool Quilt Block. Fabrics Quilting Tutorials.

The spool-along is here! An entire year of easy, fun spool blocks, a new one each month. Twelve months from now we’ll sew them together into whimsical, scrappy spool quilts, a perfect gift for yourself or your BQF (best quilty friend).

To make one block:

Cut the following (great for using up scraps!):

Light/neutral background fabric: (1) 6-1/2″ square and (2) 1-1/4″ x 5″ rectangles
Striped “thread” fabric: (1) 5″ square
Contrasting “spool” fabric: (2) 1-1/4″ x 6-1/2″ rectangles

Instructions:

(all seams are 1/4″)

1. Sew a 1-1/4″ x 5″ background rectangle to each side of the 5″ thread fabric. Make sure the stripes are going the correct direction as shown at right. Press toward the thread fabric. This unit will measure 6-1/2″ x 5″.

2. Sew a 1-1/4″ x 6-1/2″ spool fabric rectangle to the top and bottom of the unit as shown. Press toward the spool fabric. It will now measure 6-1/2″ x 6-1/2″.

3. Sew the 6-1/2″ background square to the top of the 6-1/2″ unit and press toward the spool fabric as shown in the completed yellow block above. The final size is 6-1/2″ x 12-1/2″ unfinished, 6′ x 12″ finished.

To make four identical blocks:

Cut the following*:

- Light, neutral background fabric: (1) 6-1/2″ x 28″ strip and (2) 1-1/4″ x 21″ strips
- Striped “thread” fabric: (1) 5″ x 21″ strip with the stripes going across the 5″ side as shown at right.
- Contrasting “spool” fabric: (2) 1-1/4″ x 28″ strips
*includes a little extra fabric “insurance” for trimming errors.

Instructions:
(all seams are 1/4″)

1. Sew a 1-1/4″ x 21″ background strip to each side of the 5″ x 21″ thread fabric strip as shown in A. Press toward the thread fabric. This will give you a unit 6-1/2″ x 21″. Subcut into (4) 6-1/2″ x 5″ units as shown in B.

2. Sew the bottoms (one of the 6-1/2″ sides) of all the units to one of the 1-1/4″ x 28″ strips, assembly-line log cabin-style: Place the strip face up and one of the units face down with the 6-1/2″ side lined up along the long edge of the strip. Feed them into your machine as shown in C.

When you sew past the end of the first unit, repeat three more times as shown in D to finish all four units. 28″ gives you 1/2″ space between units. Press towards the spool strip, picture E.

3. Sew the remaining 1-1/4″ x 28″ spool strip to the 6-1/2″ x 28″ background strip to make a 7-1/4″ x 28″ strip unit. Press towards the spool strip.

4. Sew the tops of the units to the spool side of the background-spool strip unit in the same assembly-line log cabin-style as in step two/picture F. Press toward the spool fabric, picture G.

5. Subcut into (4) 6-1/2″ x 12-1/2″ blocks by first trimming one side of all the blocks, picture H. Then trimming the other side of all blocks, picture I. The final size is 6-1/2″ x 12-1/2″ unfinished, 6″ x 12″ finished.