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Using a 60-degree ruler to make a Baby Blocks quilt with no Y seams

Baby Blocks Quilt Top

I saw this technique demonstrated in a guild meeting and decided to try it – with a little help from my friends:-)) I took pictures of each step so you could follow along. MUCH later, I discovered there was a video that explained all this. It is at the bottom of this page.

Using a 60 degree ruler to make baby blocks

I started with six strips cut from the width of the fabric.

(2) 3″ wide lights,
(2) 2 1/2″ wide darks and
(2) 2 1/2′ wide mediums
(plus (4) strips of 3″ wide border fabric)

Strips for Making Baby Block Quilt Blocks

I sewed them together as shown in the picture and pressed them to the darker color.

Step 2 of Making Baby Block Quilt Blocks

How to use a 60 degree ruler

I cut them as shown, using the Super 60 ruler. I like this ruler because it has a 60-degree angle on top and a 120 on the bottom. Very useful for Grandmother’s Flower Garden Blocks.

Using a 60 degree ruler to make baby blocks

When you buy this ruler, it comes with a little instruction packet sheet, too.

Step 8 of Making Baby Block Quilt Blocks

I cut strips on an angle, every 2 1/2″. It’s important to double-check your angle every so often. It slides off 60 degrees after a few cuts. (Ask me how I know…)

Step 9 of Making Baby Block Quilt Blocks

I cut them in half through the center, matching opposite corners.

Using a 60 degree ruler to make baby blocks quilt units

If your strips aren’t a true 60 degrees, you won’t be able to cut corner to corner on a 60-degree angle.

Step 12 of Making Baby Block Quilt Blocks

Here is how your boxes go together. When you layout your top, you will be sewing your boxes in columns. Put all your boxes together, then stand back and look at it. Your edges will be jagged.

Step 13 of Making Baby Block Quilt Blocks

You will be filling in the blank area with the border fabric, so it looks like your boxes are floating on top of the border when you get done. The picture below was taken after the top was finished.

Edge Piece of Baby Blocks Quilt Top

Because I was working without a pattern, I had to guess at the edge pieces. First I measured one of the blocks (below left) then I cut some edge pieces to match. (below right)

Using a 60 degree ruler to make baby blocks quilt units
Using a 60 degree ruler to make baby blocks quilt units

The orange plastic tape you see is actually Q-Tools reusable vinyl edge strips. These are guides that you place under your ruler so your fabric can butt right up next to it. I used it to identify the size of the piece I needed without cutting a template.

Using a 60 degree ruler to make baby blocks quilt units

Turns out I didn’t think it all the way through. That was fine for the sides, but the top and bottom needed to be 120-degree blocks. To do that, I had to remove and replace the light triangles at the end of the columns. I recut them from the 3″ wide border (remember, the light was a 3″ wide strip) and replaced the end triangles with the border triangles. The end strips are shown below but before you copy this picture, read my note at the bottom of the page.

Sewing the Baby Blocks Rows

That’s Best Press in the upper left-hand corner of the picture. Trust me, you will need some sort of spray starch before you are all done. Those edges stretch!

Layout

Lay these out in columns, then sew your columns together. Notice the odd angle that happens when you sew your pieces together. When pressing, always press the light seams over the dark block and the medium seams over both light and dark. In other words, press the seams of the dark IN and the seams of the medium OUT. This will make a difference when you sew your columns together.

Step 10 of Making Baby Block Quilt Blocks

Sew your columns together. Because of the way you pressed your seams, the intersections should just nestle. If you have a problem, try placing a pin at the point of the triangle and matching the same position on the other column. Or you can just ease to fit. (It’ll quilt out:-))

The end of a baby blocks row

It looked like the picture above before I pressed it. I laid the ruler on the top, putting the 1/4″ line along the bottom of the boxes. That’s to preserve your seam allowance.

Squaring up the Baby Blocks Quilt Top Edge

Finishing

I wasn’t very exact! I didn’t catch that until I saw the picture. I pressed the heck out of this top, using lots of Best Press. I pressed the columns in opposite directions. I measured through the center in several places and discovered it averaged about 34 1/2″ wide. I think the variance was caused by the fact more than one person worked on this top on more than one machine. Plus I wasn’t as careful as I should have been. I really was just trying to teach myself the technique.

I cut two 3″ wide border strips 34 1/2″ long and sewed them to both sides, easing to fit. Then I repeated the process with the top and bottom. Matching border strips like this is a tried-and-true method of making your quilt top square. My top ended up 34 1/2″ x 40″. I discarded several miss-cuts along the way, so yours may end up larger.

Looking closely at the finished top at the top of this page, I see that the first row doesn’t make a lot of sense. I should have added another half block. The next time I make this, I will plan a little better. If you decide to try this, send me a picture, please. I would love to see how you did.

Here’s the video I wish I had found earlier.

Have another tip to offer? Send it to me, and I will add it here.

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  • Home
    • About PhoebeMoon and Scrapdash
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Contact Me
    • Subscribe to the Newsletter
  • Quilt Patterns
    • Quilt Patterns for Mini-Quilts or Wall Hanging
    • Quilt Patterns for the Table
    • Quilt Patterns for Baby and Lap Quilts
    • Quilt Patterns for Throw Quilts
    • Quilt Patterns for Twin Quilts
    • Quilt Patterns for Queen Quilts
    • Quilt Patterns for King Quilts
    • Patterns using Precuts and Panels
    • Wholesale Quilt Patterns by PhoebeMoon Designs
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  • Free Quilt and Block Patterns
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    • Fun Stuff
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