A Block Tutorial | Granny's Front Porch

A few weeks ago I packed up my sewing machine + a few projects and headed over to my grandparent's farm in small town Iowa -- only a few miles from my hometown. My grandmother is one of the reasons I started sewing + quilting at such a young age and I treasure any chance we get to spend an afternoon together. This particular afternoon she was working on quilt for one of my cousins (there are 25 & counting!) using a traditional log cabin + half square triangle block. We got to playing around with different block layouts and really feel in love with this one -- it really has a simple + modern feel! I've decided to simplify the block into one 12" x 12" finished block called Granny's Front Porch. 

The fabric requirements & tutorial below are for one block only, but I've also included a 5 x 5 block layout to show you how the blocks interact together. I love the quilt pattern that emerges using this one block and only two fabrics -- I'll be making a big version for myself soon!

Fabric Requirements + Cutting Instructions//

Main Fabric | teal
          cut: 2 squares, 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"; 1 rectangle, 3 1/2" x 9 1/2"; 2 squares, 4" x 4"; 8 squares, 2" x 2" 

Background Fabric | white

          cut: 2 squares, 4" x 4"; 8 rectangles, 2" x 3 1/2"; 4 rectangles, 2" x 5"

Sewing//

Step One.
Draw a diagonal line, from corner to corner, on the wrong side of two 4" background squares.

Step Two.
Layer one marked 4" background square and one 4" main fabric square, right sides together. Sew 1/4" on each side of the line. Cut on the line. Press seams open. This makes 2 half square triangles. Trim half square triangles to 3 1/2" square. Repeat to the remaining background & main fabric pair, to make 4 half square triangles. 



Step Three. 
Draw a diagonal line, from corner to corner, on the wrong side of eight 2" main fabric squares.

Step Four.
Layer one marked 2" main fabric square and one 2" x 3 1/2" background rectangle. Make sure the line runs from the upper right corner to lower left corner. Sew on the marked line. Trim corner, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press seam towards the main fabric.




Step Five.
Repeat step four to the other side, making sure the line runs from upper left corner to lower right corner.




Step Six. 
Repeat steps 4-5 to three 2" x 3 1/2" background rectangles, making a total of four flying geese units. Please note: the diagram above does not show the seam allowance for the flying geese block.



Block Layout// 

Step One. 
Layout the block, using the diagram below. Sew the block together using a 1/4" seam allowance, press seams open.

Finished block measures 12" x 12". 

5 x 5 block layout

If you use this block tutorial please share it in the Canoe Ridge Creations Flickr group and on Instagram & Twitter using #canoeridgecreations. 

xo, Megan.