I have a great free pattern for you-my FREE Sweet Rainbow Love Quilt Block! As you may know, June is LGBTQ Pride month! A month-long beautiful celebration! There are all sorts of ways to celebrate! Here at Sugar Stitches Quilt Co, celebrations come with FREE block patterns plus a free tutorial, just to be extra! Take a look at my Sweet Rainbow Love Block! I hope you enjoy it!
Download the Sweet Rainbow Love Heart Quilt Block
Plus, the quilt block is so versatile, use it for any occasion and in any size! The quilt block finishes at 16″, so you can make a pillow or wall hanging. Want a bigger project, just use the quilt block pattern to make several blocks for a larger project or quilt!
Don’t forget to share with a friend and let me know what you make! #SweetRainbowLoveQuiltBlock
About the pattern:
This pattern is so easy and quick! It is made of simple 2½” squares and a few half-square triangles! The block finishes at 16″. So grab your favorite rainbow fabric bundle (fat eighths, fat quarters or scraps would be a GREAT option), and let’s get started!!
You will need 1/8 yard of at least 8 different colored fabrics to create the colorway shown (in my case, from the rainbow!). And you can use scraps as well! The pattern shows various mockups for other layouts.
What you’ll need:
In addition to your fabric and your sewing machine of course, you’ll also need a few basic sewing supplies:
Quilting rulers in varying sizes
Thread (I prefer Aurifil 50wtin White for piecing blocks)
Iron/ironing board (I love my Oliso Mini Project iron and my wool pressing mat)
Mechanical pencil/fabric marking pen (I use Frixon brand pens)
Scissors or rotary cutter (Love my Olfa 45mm Pacific Blue rotary cutter)
Straight pins and wonder clips
Seam ripper (you just never know)
Let’s get started:
First things first, iron your fabric. I have a big quilting pet peeve…cutting wrinkled fabric. If you do it, knock yourself out. But I just can’t! I’ve noticed a considerable difference in my cutting and piecing accuracy when I starch and iron my fabric well before cutting. I put Sta-Flo liquid starch in a nifty misting spray bottle and use it to prepare my fabric. There are lots of starch options out there. Of course, I have an upcoming blog article comparing the different types and tips on ironing, preparing your fabric, and pressing your blocks!
Look at this crisp, happy fabric ready to be cut!
Scrappy blocks ready to be sewn!
Half Square Triangles:
Let’s make our half-square triangles first. If you are an experienced quilter, you know there are a handful of ways to make your half-square triangles. Since we are only making a few, we are using the simple 2 at a time method. Want additional tips on making 2 at a time half square triangles, check out my tutorial!
You will need 6 HSTs that are trimmed to 2 ½”. I like to use a pencil or fabric marking pen (I use a Frixon pen) to draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on my squares. Pair these squares up and sew ¼” from the drawn line on both sides. Using your rotary cutter or scissors, cut along the drawn line to create two HSTs. Repeat with the remaining pairs.
You’ll notice, I have allowed extra room for trimming. Yaaa for trimming! Everything will be nice and neat for you! Trim each half-square triangle to 2½”. There are so many ways to trim half-square triangles and so many tools out there. I’ve bragged about the Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers by New Leaf Stitches before. As I mentioned, I like making my half-square triangles a bit larger to have room for trimming. They turn out so much nicer and just….PERFECT before I move on to the next step in my piecing! The Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers also trims off the dog ears, what a plus! If you are using the Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmer, trim each HST to 2½ ” square, press seams to set and then press to the open or to the darker fabric. If you are using another trimming method, press seams to set, press to the darker fabric and then trim each HST to measure 2½” square.
Want extra tips and help with making half square triangles? Check out my Ultimate Guide to Half Square Triangles! So since we have survived the HST part, the rest is a breeze! Gather up your beautiful 2½” squares and let’s lay out our full block for sewing.
Assembling our quilt block:
Working row by row, place each block right side together with the next and sew until each row is complete. Press each row in opposite directions so that you can nest your seams together when you sew your rows together. All of your points will line up perfectly! In a perfect world, right? If they don’t, it’s OK!! It doesn’t have to be perfect; accept your creative juices and go with it! I have a few tips and an upcoming blog article about proper pinning of your intersection seams. So stay tuned for that! Sew each of your rows together until your block is complete! Viola!
I encourage you to play with the patchwork and have fun. Whether you choose a fabric bundle or scraps, it’s your project…make it your own! You can mix and match the layout of your colors as you want! I see myself making more of these in the future for different purposes and occasions! Such an easy, fun block!
This free quilt block pattern makes a 16″ block. It’s up to you what you do with your block next! You can make a pillow cover, a mini quilt, whip up several blocks, and make a quilt!
With another block I made, I turned my block into a pillow cover and added cute rainbow-striped binding! It made a 16″ pillow cover. Isn’t it cute?
Make multiple blocks and make a full quilt!
I’d love to see what you make, so make sure and tag me on social media! Use the tag #SweetRainbowLoveQuiltBlock so I can see what you create!
Don’t forget to share this pattern and tutorial with a friend!
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