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Introduction:

We will be making this quilt. It's called Square In Square and is made without PP (paper piecing). It is made less than precise as paper piecing, but is easy and quicker for a nice sized lap quilt.

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The focus of this tutorial will be more on color selection rather than block construction since more help is needed with color than any other area and some already know how to do this block. I'll show you how easy it is to put together when you know what to do and how to do it! The steps to making the block will be included for all newbies.

Although you will use lots of scraps in making this quilt, you will also end up with 1,680 leftover triangles! There are 8 triangles left over per round x 3 rounds = 24/block or 1,680/quilt! Since the first 2 rounds produced only small triangles not worth saving, I saved only the last round's 560 triangles. These can also be reused for your 1st round and scattered in your quilt so they don't meet up together. You will see in the pics how I salvaged from my pre-cut triangle pile of thousands to reuse them. One nice result of using 2 triangles of one print with 2 triangles of another print for your 1st round adds to the dimensions of color, especially when using a darker shade for one pair than the other pair. It can produce a sparkle in your quilt while using up some older triangles at the same time!!

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Specifications:

quilt top: 64x82

finished block: 5" - 5.25" (depending on bias stretch)

# of blocks needed: 70 (7 x 10)

# of cut 2" assorted squares needed: 280

# of cut (your choice)1.5 x 2's, 2x2's or triangles needed: 280 (I used all 3 in this quilt)

# of cut (your choice) 2.5 x 4 or 2.5 x 4.5** rectangles needed: 280

**My test block shows a 1/4" margin when using this size rectangle
and only a 1/8" margin with the 2.5x4.

Inner border:

Muslin border: cut size - 5.5"
Scrappy border: cut size - 3.5" x assorted lengths

Outer border:

Muslin border: cut size 7.5"
　
　
　

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Special Block Colors:

The following pics will help you in putting together a similar quilt using specific color combinations. After I had about 50 blocks made, I decided to pull blocks that you could duplicate yourself with your fabrics to give you an idea of how this quilt was put together and took pics of those type blocks for use as a guideline.

The first thing you notice about the quilt is that it is made up mostly of near-solid looking fabrics or small and medium scale prints and when combined with other colors, it really packs a punch, especially from a distance! It is also important to include a few blocks that are different in many ways from all the others. This gives the quilt some excitement!!

Busy fabrics are just a no-no for this type block because of its small size. However, using some med.-lg. scale prints as the background can give it some pep! This will work because the last round's pieces are larger and can handle that size print. So keeping it to small scale and med. scale will be your best bet for those strong colors to emerge!

Here are some suggestions for the following type blocks to make.

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In the previous picture, you will want to use blocks with highlighting center squares!

In the pic below, you will want blocks made with all dark centers. Make lots of these blocks!

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These next blocks are all dull mediocre blocks and they mix in well with the darks and brights. You should make a good number of these blocks. They are typical small scale prints but provide color impact in a big way!

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It's good to include some blocks with large scale backgrounds. From a distance, they show up well and add a lot of interest to the quilt.

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Believe it or not, you really need some blocks that are downright (I call) 'outrageous' blocks with some crazy fabric combinations! This will definitely kick it up a notch!

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All good scrappy quilts always contain a bit of white or maybe a lot of white in the quilt. I chose to only use a little bit of white or light colored fabrics in the 1st or 2nd round. It helps to bring out all the colors when using white. Make sure to include either a touch of white or a lot of blocks with white in.

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I chose this block to point out the use of gradation colors in a quilt. It's always very effective and starting a block's center off with a dark shade and continuing in the block with a lighter shade of the same color is very effective. You may want to include some of these type blocks. You'll notice I made several of these types.