At first glance, you may get intimidated by this quilt block by Carol Thelen on YouTube thinking it is challenging to make, but, you’ll be surprised by how easy this block is! Even beginners in quilting can do this project for good practice and guaranteed they will get it perfectly even on the first try. The step-by-step instructions are very easy to follow, too, so you don’t need to worry about messing up. Learn how now!
Materials:
- Jelly roll or 2½-inch strips
- Background fabric
- Marking pen, pencil, or chalk
- Ruler
- Scissors or rotary cutter and a cutting mat
- Needle and thread
- Iron, for pressing
- Sewing machine
- Pattern (Click here to download the pattern)
Directions:
Step 1
Pick the color of the fabric strips that you want to use, then get 1 strip for the accent, 1 for the background, and 1 for the frame. Get the strip for the frame, then cut off the selvage, and then cut the strip into 4 strips at 8½ inches and 4 strips at 12½ inches. Lay together the accent and background strips with their right sides facing and edges matching, and stitch them together. Press the seams open, then fold the strip set in half evenly, and cut off a bit of the fabric on the folded end.
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Step 2
Separate the strip sets, then lay them with their right sides facing up, and make sure that their colors are alternating. Cut them into 8 segments at 2½inches each, then pair them into 2, and rotate 1 segment from each pair so that their colors are alternate as shown in the video. Sew the pairs together and press the seams open, then stitch 2 units to each other to form the checkerboard block, and press the seams, you should end up with 2 blocks. Stitch the shorter frame strips on each side of the block, then stitch the longer frame strips at the top and bottom, and then press as you go.
*All these images are credited to Carol Thelen via YouTube. Give her channel a visit and subscribe for more!
How to Make a Checkerboard Quilt Block
