Grace's Spools Quilt Pattern
Here's a small quilt designed with fabrics reminiscent of textiles available to quilters in the 1930's. In honor of Aunt Grace, the original brand of 1930's reproduction fabrics designed by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics, the Grace's Spools quilt is made with sixteen 6-inch traditional Spool blocks that are flip-flopped from side to side in their horizontal rows to help create movement across the quilt.The quilt makes a nice wallhanging -- increase the number of blocks to sew a larger quilt. Spool blocks make perfect scrap quilts -- yardages for the prints used in blocks reflect that type of layout.
Finished Block Size: 6" Square
Finished Quilt Size: 36-1/2" Square
I've included instructions for a miniature quilt that finishes at 18-1/2" square.
Materials & Cutting - 36-1/2" Square Quilt
Spool blocks can be assembled in more than one way, but we'll use a combination of squares and half-square triangle units to put them together. References to 42" strips refer to strips cut across the fabric's crosswise grain, from selvage to selvage. Do not trim-back longer strips.
Assortment of sixteen thirties prints for quilt blocks, each scrap measuring about 6" x 8". From each scrap, cut:
- Cut two 2-7/8" squares
- Cut three 2-1/2" squares
Neutral background, cream or white, 1/2 yard
- Cut two 2-7/8" x 42" strips and one 2-7/8" x 6-1/2" strip; cut thirty-two 2-7/8" squares from strips.
- Cut two 2-1/2" x 42" strips; cut thirty-two 2-1/2" squares from strips.
Dark inner border, 1/4 yard.
Medium print for wider border, 3/4 yard for crosswise strips that are not pieced, or 1-1/8 yard for lengthwise grain strips
Dark binding, about 165 running inches for applied binding (binding strip instructions).
Backing, 1-1/4 yard
Batting, about 42" square
