Cotton spool block

This colourful block is ideal for using up scraps.  You could use 4 for a mini quilt or cushion, a couple for a pouch or lots of them to make a full size quilt.  The finished block is rectangular – 6 inches high by 7.5 wide but if you want a square just cut the background fabric strips ¾ an inch smaller length wise or trim to size after making it.

Fabrics

You only need small pieces/scraps of fabric.  You want 4 different colour co-ordinated fabrics for the thread part of the spool.  We used Tula Pink True Colours from Freespirit.   For other projects and tutorials featuring Freespirit fabrics please visit http://www.makeitcoats.com 

Either a brown fabric or wood print fabric for the spool part, we used a Dear Stella print but there’s also a great Joel Dewberry wood print in his Aviary collection.  For the background a pale subtle colour works well and doesn’t draw the eye away from the spool.

Cutting

Thread fabrics – 4 x 3.5 inches long by 1.5 wide

Wood fabric – 2 x 5.5 inches long by 1.5 wide

Background fabrics – 2 x 4.5 inches long by 2.5 wide

                                        4 x 2.5 inches long by 1.5 wide

Use a ¼ an inch seam throughout.

Piecing

Take your 4 thread pieces and join them together on the longest sides using a ¼ inch seam.  Press the seams.

Add the 2 background side panels sewing one on either side as per the photo. Press your seams.

Take your wood pieces and lie the smaller background pieces at right angles over the ends as per the image. 

Sew diagonally from the top corner to bottom inner corner on each side.  You can use chalk or a hera marker to mark the line before you sew.

Alternatively fold your fabric as show in the picture above and press, this will then give you a line to sew along.

Once sewn fold your fabric back over the line of stitching and press into place, this should give you a long strip of fabric.  Trip off the excess fabric triangle you will now have on the back either side of this strip where the fabrics join.

Add the strips to the top and bottom of the thread part of the block, making sure they are the right way up.  Sew into place and press.

Voila!  One finished spool block.  For quilting I did a wood grain style wavy lines on the wood part of mine and then straight lines in matching colours to the fabric in the thread part (not shown quilted in above pic).   How will you quilt yours?

To find other quilt blocks and quilting tutorials click here.