Make a Scrap Quilt: Brick by Brick
Welcome to Stash Bandit! Let’s talk about bricks!!
I’ve been playing with bricks for years and some of my favorite quilts feature this simple rectangle which is twice as long as wide. Let’s start simply. This is the easiest scrap quilt ever!
Cut a wide variety of fabrics into patches 2½” x 4½”. Pair a lighter brick with a darker brick. Sew the patches together along the long edge to form a unit. Press toward the darker brick. Now you have a unit:
Arrange the units into Row 1 by rotating the second unit and then every other unit as shown below. Sew the units together and press seam allowances to the left.
Make Row 2 in a similar way, but rotate the FIRST unit, and then every other unit. Sew those units together and press seam allowances to the right.
Continue making rows, alternating between Row 1 and Row 2, making the quilt center as large as you like. Sew the rows together.
Audition fabrics for the borders—pick something smashing to finish it off! The border fabric is what ties everything together in this quilt. Notice that many of the darks are very dark, to give the zigzag effect.
Be sure to include plenty of lights and brights to make it exciting! Quilt as desired, then bind the quilt.
Christmas Dance with Baby Windmills
I use bricks to make windmill blocks in a variety of sizes. Above, Christmas Dance features small bricks cut 1-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ and a limited palette to calm things down. A variety of reds, teals and lime-to-yellow greens makes a lively wall quilt. Get the complete free instructions for Christmas Dance.
What makes a brick so magical?
It’s the proportions. When a patch is twice as long as wide, it opens up all sorts of possibilities for design. Take a look at the simplicity of the Brick Block:
It’s just 16 bricks of one fabric and 16 bricks of another fabric. One of the fabrics should be darker than the other so you can see the design. Choose a color palette, make some scrappy blocks and look what happens.
And there’s another magical fact about bricks! When a design contains only bricks, as many of mine do, it works with whatever size of bricks you wish to cut.
If you make this block with 1-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ bricks, it will come out at 8-1/2″, or 8″ finished.
If you make it with 2″ x 3-1/2″ bricks, you’ll get a 12″ finished block.
If you make it with 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ bricks, it will be a 16″ finished block.
It’s worth mentioning that a print looks different when it’s cut into small patches than when it’s cut into larger patches. But exploring that would be great fun, wouldn’t it?!
Here are a few more of my designs made with bricks.
Color Coded, aka Rainbodacious
The pattern for Color Coded is still available from American Patchwork & Quilting here.
Quilted by Julie Lechner.
For Cotton Candy Christmas, I let the windmill shapes created with four bricks tessellate across the block, like this:
And here is my latest quilt design: Cherry Limeade.
This quilt went together so easily with not a hiccup in sight. It looks great in lots of color combos and it’s absolutely made for scraps. The pattern will be ready soon and available here on my website under the Shop tab.
Get a handy list of my favorite brick sizes right here!
I’ll be sharing lots more about bricks and what they can do in my Scrappy Tips emails over the coming weeks.
Be sure to sign up here.
Best wishes as you create an extraordinary scrap quilt from bricks!
Quilt on,
Here’s another post on Bricks!
I live in the middle of a Windmill Farm! Read more!
Barbara
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Loved your presentation on Global Quilt Sampler!
Diane Harris
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Thank you so much, Barbara! I appreciate your kind words!
Rosie Westerhold
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I SOOO wished I could have taken your class when you were in Lincoln this past week, but your trunk show was WONDERFUL!! Got lots of ideas, and I already SAVE bricks so I’m ready to just jump in once I finish a couple of quilts in progress. Thank you for sharing so freely of your designs and patterns. I LOVED your tiny disappearing 9-patches. I may need to TRY that one as I have THOUSANDS of saved 2” squares just WAITING to become something wonderful!!
Diane Harris
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I’m sorry we couldn’t connect in class, Rosie! Maybe another time. I hope so!
Linda M. Nelsen
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Thank you for this info!
Linda M. Nelsen
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Love this simplicity
Charlotte Hoe
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Love your bricks! Would love to see more! I’ve made a Rail Fence quilt using strips. It was easy and fun.
Amy Falise
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I’ve been looking for a simple yet interesting block to make a child size quilt for the daughter of one of my coworkers. It had to be quick to make but also had to have visual impact. This was the block I was looking for! I’ve begun making them in the 16” size. Thanks so much for your great instructions! Pictures to follow soon!
Diane Harris
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Can’t wait to see where you take this!!