One Block, Multiple Sizes: The Secret to Dynamic Quilt Design

Are you looking for an easy way to create a dramatic effect in your quilting?  Would it be helpful if it also helped you use up your scraps and stash?  If so, then I’ve got a solution for you.  Take a favorite block and make it in multiple sizes.  That’s it, one block, multiple sizes!  It’s easy.  Plus by making a quilt block in multiple sizes enables you to use scraps of all sizes.  Let me show you how this works.

One Block, Multiple Sizes Examples

First let me share Mountain Retreat.  Here I took the very basic half square triangle and made it in two different sizes.  Next I turned the blocks on point so they made mountains.  By combining the smaller half square triangles into blocks that would fit with the larger I was able to make mountain ranges.

Next I have Butterfly Kisses.  This was a charity quilt my quilting angels helped me make for a cancer patient.  Someone had generously donated a bunch of pink and purple fabric scraps.  We thought they would make pretty butterflies.  So we cut triangles of various sizes on the AccuQuilt and sewed up 3 sizes of butterflies.  Making sure that smaller butterflies could be combined to fit with larger butterflies.

Finally I’d like to share Bear Scraps.  I had a bunch of dark and muted color scraps from working with my sister, Julie’s fabric.  These are not my go to colors.  So I wanted to use them up.  I started by cutting them into strips, 1 1/2″, 2 1/2″ and 3 1/2″ in width.  Next I used this method to cut the strips into squares and half square triangles.  Once they were all cut I started making bear claw blocks.  After all the blocks were make I began arranging them into a quilt.

Bear Scraps was the result.  I have since made this quilt in my happy bright colors.

If you would like to learn more about using one block with multiple sizes.  I’m offering a complementary class.  Save your spot here.