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| Carpenter's Square Quilt |
Learn The Traditional Elegance: An Introduction to the Carpenter's Square Quilt Block
Hey guys and gals, who loves fabric? Who loves fabric? I've spent as much time as anyone working out how to vary the fabric choices for my next quilt, so if that's you, you're in for a treat today. It's so comforting to be in a traditional block that has a lot of history to it. For today's post, I am focusing on a classic – the Carpenter's Square Quilt Block, beautifully and completely documented by the talented folks at Quilter's Cache – Marcia Hohn.
The Carpenter's Square is a beautiful geometric pay off–whether you’re creating a new sampler quilt or planning a colorful wall hanging or a mesmerizing, repetitive design for a whole bedspread. I was amazed at this pattern when I first saw it, because it looks like a labyrinth. The secret is in the cutting list, which may appear to be quite long, but the construction itself is quite simple, if you take it step by step.
Now let's discover all you need to know before you take your first cut and make your sewing session a relaxing one.
An overview of salient features of the pattern.
First we'll quickly recap all the technical details that have been given in Marcia's awesome tutorial on Quilter's Cache. These are the building blocks that are essential to making a perfectly square block.
- This particular pattern makes an amazing 11” block. It is an easy size to use for framing borders or sashing, and can easily be expanded, if using within a larger sampler project, into a standard 12" block.
- Make sure you have your rotary cutters and rulers in hand! All strips for this block are cut to 1-1/2". The exact uniformity is what makes the Carpenter's Square so distinctively woven.
- Marcia makes a point of stating that she always sews with the standard SCANT 1/4" seam allowance. This block requires several narrow strips to be assembled, so a difference of only a millimeter in your seam can result in a shrinkage, warping or loss of points when the block is finished. Before doing the actual stitch, look at you presser foot and do a test stitch!
The Key to Success: Organization and Fabric Selection.
This is a long pattern, but not a hard one as mentioned in the Quilter's Cache instructions. The key is all in the set-up of the pieces.
Since there are 3 different fabrics (Color 1, Color 2, Color 3), and many different strip lengths, preparation is a friend. I strongly suggest that you first cut all your Color 1 strips then lay them out neatly and label them by length. Do this for Colors 2 and 3. When you sit down at your sewing machine, you don't want to have to stop and measure.
The other key tip from the pattern has to do with your iron. When creating basic units, you will be pressing the seams into the darker fabrics. This washes-out the dark threads from your light fabrics, and it also keeps your seams flat and crisp as you press the block together.
As far as fabrics, this is a playground of three colors. A bold approach to reproduction prints will lend a very traditional feel, while the use of bright solids will add a contemporary flair.
Final Thought
The Carpenter's Square block is proof of the beauty of traditional quilting, of complex, stunning designs being nothing more than an interplay of simple shapes, precise cuts and a bit of patience. Marcia's tutorial here at Quilter's Cache is a great resource for this long process in bite size chunks.
Please be patient, arrange your strips and remember about the 1/4" seam, and have fun joining this historic block together. The end result will be an 11" masterpiece that is well worth the trouble. Happy Quilting and may your bobbins never be empty!
