katie1

I found a pretty variation of a rail fence quilt but it doesn't give the cutting directions or the dimensions of each component rail before it is pieced. I"ll attach a picture and I'm hoping some one with experience can take a look at it and tell me the size of each rail and rotary cutting instructions. If you're really into the analysis, could you also provide the amount of fabric by color to purchase as well? Also, can somebody pick out from the picture which rails are what color - I don't see as many fabrics in the picture as are listed. Apart viewing the picture, this is all I know: the throw size is 46 1/2"x64 1/2". The block size is 12" and it is in a 4x6 layout. (The math here doesn't seem to quite work out because four 12" would be 48" before the borders). I have a list of suggested fabric colors for it, but I honestly can't see this many different fabrics in the illustration. The list is as follows: 3 white prints- 3/8 yd ea; 3 green prints - 3/8 yd ea; 4 pink prints - 3/8 yd each; brown print (I would do maroon personally) - 1/2 yd; pink stripe - 3/4 yard; green print #4 -1/2 yard; white print #4 - 3/4 yard; backing 3 yards. If someone could analyze this and tell me how many fabrics to buy of how many colors and the yardage (the number of different fabrics may be too many in the original directions), list out the fabrics in each of the 2 block types like BLOCK A HORIZONTAL RAIL #1, HORIZONTAL RAIL #2 etc. ; BLOCK B smail rail #1, small rail #2, etc. : and then how big to cut each component, preferably for a 12" block. I'd like to make a 8 block by 12 block quillt, but if you want to stick with the throw size, I can convert to a larger quilt. I just can't figure out the size to cut the rails, and just don't see this many different fabrics in the picture. In Block A - I see 3 pink rails and the 1 maroon or as they call it brown rail, & 2 white rails. In Block B with the smaller rails I see 3 green rails and 3 pink rails. Perhaps the easiest way to work it out would be for Block A with the large rails to assume that there are six different fabrics. Then Block B with the smaller rails assume there are 3 green fabrics and 3 pink fabrics. Then an inner brown or maroon border, a green border, a white border, then binding. Thanks to anyone who can help. This exercise will help me in the future to analyze a quilt.

bj

I think one combo that would work would be:

Smaller strips 1.5x3.5" and the larger strips 2.5x6.5". Should lend a 6.5 blocks (with the 4 small blocks going together to make one block). :-D :-D I really like that layout for the rail fence.

edit: I just saw you are wanting to end up with 12" blocks. One 4patch of the larger blocks and 16 of the smaller blocks will each be 12.5" unfinished...12" finished. I think.

Motorcyclemad

I agree with BJ. That will give you a fairly common sized block to work with, and the 12" block was what you were wanting anyway.

quilting cat

First of all, the layout shown is 3 x 4, not 4 x 6, before borders. So the measurements given including the borders make sense.
If each block is 12" finished, then the larger rail blocks are made of strips cut 2 1/2" wide (3 strips finishing 2" each makes 6", and there are two of these squares in the 12" finished width of the block.)
The smaller rail blocks have 4 squares in 12", so each smaller square is 3" finished. If each of these 3" squares is made of two equal width strips, they finish 1 1/2" and are cut 2" wide. (The picture looks like they might not be equal width, but I would make them that way. If the smaller rail blocks are also three strips instead of two, then each strip would be cut 1 1/2", to finish 1".)

(This is the way I think it through -- hope it helps you learn how to do it yourself!)

Motorcyclemad

Sorry, got sent before I finished...

The layout in the picture is a 3 x 4. If you do the math for that the finished quilt with borders would be the 46 x 64. As for the 3/8 yd pieces, they appear to be the rail fence themselves. {There appears to be a white within the small rails with two pinks, and one each with the large rails making up the 3 it is calling for. The other two pinks are in the single large rail with a white. The other large rail has the maroon, pink stripe (also for binding from what I can see) and another white.} If you are wanting a different binding you can decrease the stripe to 3/8 yd.
Green #4 and white #4 are borders.
Hope that helps.

Jingle

I am making a rail fence quilt from a Marti Mitchell book. She uses 1-3/4" strips, I am using some 2" strips I had from lots of quilting projects. Hers finishes as a queen size, I may end up with two quilts, or maybe a large and small quilt.
Good luck.

katie1

I don't see how the picture is a 3x4 layout. I see across: a 4 patch of large rails, then a sixteen patch of small rails, then a 4 patch of large rails, then a sixteen patch of small rails. Going down I see: 4 patch of large rails, 16 patch of small, 4 patch of large, 16 patch of small, 4 patch of large, then 16 patch of small rails. How are we looking at it differently?

qbquilts

Think of the 4-patch/large rails as a block and the 16-patch/small rails as a block. So that's 3 large blocks by 4 large blocks or a 3x4 layout.

watterstide

Like this Katie..

i do love the look!

sewbelle52

Oh! I just finished this for my DGD! It's from Fons and Porter baby quilt issue from a couple of years ago. The block finishes 9.5" x9.5". The little rails are sewn as a strip set of three fabrics and then cut 2.75". The three little rails that are strip sewn are each 1.25" cut. The brown rail blocks have larger rails. Not sure about borders. If you PM me maybe in the next couple of days I can find the magazine in my quiltroom mess!LOL!