Olympic Sewing -- World's Fastest Rail Fence Tutorial

(6-16-2015 Update: Wow! This post is popular! Please let me know if  you have any questions! Don't forget to follow Little Bunny Quilts -- lots of options over on the sidebar! -- Alison)

World's Fastest Rail Fence:

What you need:
5 - 2.5" x WOF strips of green print (center strips)
10 - 2.5" x WOF strips of white and tan print (inner strips)
10 - 2.5" x WOF strips of brown print (outer strips)

What you do:

Sew one tan strip to each of your green strips. Press.

Sew the other tan strip to the other side of the green strip. Make sure to sew it the same way that you sewed the first one on (ie. green on top vs. tan on top -- this will help prevent you from ending up with a wonky strip set). Press.

Sew brown strips to the outside of your strip sets as above. Press.

Your strip set should end up 10.5" wide. You should make 5 strip sets.
Cross cut each of the 5 strip sets into 4 blocks each at 10.5" wide.

NOTE: cutting 4 squares out of your strip set WILL BE TIGHT -- your fabric will need to be at least 42" wide. If you can only get three 10.5" blocks per strip set, you will need seven strip sets instead of 5.

If necessary, make sure that your cuts are perpendicular to the seams of the strips by squaring up the end before you cut.

You should end up with 20 blocks that are 10.5" square. Sew together in an array of 4 blocks by 5 blocks. Layer with backing and batting and quilt as desired.

Recieved July Bee Blocks

These are the three Nubees swap blocks that I have recieved so far, as well as the one that I made.

The tutorial for the Broken Herringbone block is here (upper right hand corner). Happy Friday!

Scrap Management

I've been working on trying to reorganize some of my fabric and scraps and use them productively.

I've been cutting my small pieces into 2.5" strips and squares, 2" squares for mom's scrap quilts, 1.5" strips for mom, and 1.25" strips and squares for me.

I've been using some of my 2.5" strips and squares to make these scrappy baskets from the Scrap Basket Sensations book.

How do you organize your scraps?

Tackling paper piecing

This weekend, I started and completed a paper pieced block!

Of course, I had to pick the flying geese in a circle that everyone has been doing lately! And I did it in a rainbow as well. 

Ta da!

Although, silly me didn't think to double check the scale marker on the paper after it was printed and it ended up 11.75 (approximately) instead of 12.5 inches. Oops. I'll have to remember that next time. I think it might get made into a pillow. Or a gigantic hot pad.

I also made a block for myself in the same pattern that I used for my hive mates over at the NuBees swap. 

What are you working on today?

Have you seen this?

Paper piecing has long been on my list of things to learn. My mother is a paper piecing queen (so much that the ladies in her quilting group tease her about it all the time) and it makes such beautiful blocks!

So I googled "paper piecing tutorials" and this is what I found.

I think I finally am ready to start paper piecing. Thank you Crafty Gemini!