Easy Quilt Block -Flip-Flop Block Tutorial

Flip Flop Block Tutorial Eric Carle Fabric Easy Quilt Block Tutorial These Flip-Flop Blocks are a fast and easy quilt block to make.  The pattern uses strip piecing, so there aren’t a lot of pieces to deal with.  I used my blocks to make a quilted pillow, but you could easily make more blocks and use them to make a fun quilt.  You can vary the size depending on the size of quilt or pillow you want, and it’s a great choice if you’re working with large-scale prints.  It’s also a great pattern to use when you want to highlight outstanding fabric and let the prints speak for themselves.1364-Giant-Reading-Pillows

The pictures on two of these Eric Carle prints are so large that I didn’t want to cut them up into small pieces because the illustrations would have become unrecognizable.  I had three fabrics I wanted to use, and I wanted some solids (or near solids) to tone down the busy prints and give some contrast, so these are the fabrics I chose:1207-Eric-Carle-Fabrics

Very Hungry Caterpillar Green Grass, Large Very Hungry Caterpillars, Red Kona Cotton, Very Hungry Caterpillar Dots, Canary Kona Cotton.

Supplies Needed to make 12 9-3/4-inch easy quilt block:

  • 1/4-yard of 3 different cotton quilting fabrics, preferably with medium-to-large scale prints
  • 1/8-yard of 3 solids or nearly solid cotton quilting fabrics (or scraps) to coordinate and contrast with prints (To make 2 3/4 inch width of fabric strips
  • 3/4 yard cotton quilting fabric for backing
  • 45×60 American Spirit Cotton Batting
  • rotary cutter and cutting mat
  • Sewing machine and typical sewing supplies

Instructions:

I prefer NOT to prewash my quilting fabrics.

Cut 7 1/2 inch strips, the width of your fabric from each of your three main prints.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

Cut 2-3/4 inch width-of fabric strip from each of your solids.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

You should end up with three wide strips and three solid strips.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

Pair each print up with one of the solids.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

Stitch the strips together with a 1/4 inch seam.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

Iron your seams open.1219-Giant-Reading-Pillows

Repeat for all three fabric sets.  You should now have three width-of-fabric strips that each have a print and a solid.  The best prints for this pattern wouldn’t have an up or down to them.  The prints I used did, so I sewed two of the strips on top of the pattern and one of the strips on the bottom.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

Now it’s time to cut our blocks.  You can stack up your strips and cut your blocks all at once, or you can do them one at a time.  Start by trimming the salvages off the end and trimming so the ends are even.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

Cut and trim blocks to be 9 3/4 inches on each side.Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block1224-De'Layed-Chic,-The-Pai

Now it’s time to lay out your blocks.  Alternate the directions of the blocks, so your solid strips go different directions.  (This is the “flip-flop” part of the pattern.)  I used 9 blocks to make a 26-in pillow, so I have 3 blocks left over.

Simple Quilt Block - Flip Flop Block

Sew all the blocks together using 1/4 inch seam.  I was making a 26-inch quilted pillow, so I trimmed the whole thing down to 27-inches square.  Then layer it with your quilt batting and backing fabric.  You can see my tutorial for Fairfield here for putting together your quilted pillow.

1284-Giant-Reading-Pillows Easy Quilt Block -Flip-Flop Block Tutorial 1428-Giant-Reading-Pillows

Happy Sewing!

~ Polly from Pieces by Polly.

See what I’m doing day-to-day on Facebook and Instagram

 

 

 

 

One thought on “Easy Quilt Block -Flip-Flop Block Tutorial”

  1. Judy Windham says:

    What a wonderful idea for a young child. Thanks for making a primary colors project.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *