A Scrappy Twist on the Granny’s Favorite Quilt Block - an Easy 10" Block

By: Elaine Huff

If you love easy blocks with a cozy, scrappy look, this variation of the Granny’s Favorite quilt block is a wonderful one to try. Finishing at 10", this beginner-friendly block uses only simple squares and rectangles, making it quick to cut and fun to sew. It’s a great way to dip into your scrap bin and combine a variety of fabrics while still creating a balanced, classic design.

Whether you’re making a full scrappy quilt or just adding a traditional block to a sampler, this cheerful variation of Granny’s Favorite comes together quickly and looks beautiful when repeated across a quilt.

This variation is actually only 1/4 of the traditional block. To make the traditional block one would have to use Y-seams and I didn't want to deal with that! Here's what the original block would look like:

Fabric Requirements for a 10" Finished Granny's Favorite Variation Quilt Block:

Light/Cream: 2 - 2.5" x 8.5" rectangles, and 2 - 2.5" x 6.5" rectangles
Light/Coral: 2 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 4 - 2.5" squares
Assorted Dark: 2 - 4.5" squares, and 3 - 2.5" squares
It is important to have good contrast between the light and dark fabrics in this block

Sewing Directions:

Center Square:

Step 1:

Lay out the Light/Coral 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, two of the Light/Coral 2.5" squares, and the three Assorted Dark 2.5" squares as shown in the picture below.

Step 2:

Sew the patches into thre rows as shown below.

Step 3:

Press the seam allowances toward the Assorted Dark 2.5" squares as shown in the picture below. You could press the seam allowances in opposite directions from row to row as well. We just want the seams to nest together nicely for the next step.

Step 4:

Sew the three rows together.

Step 5:

Press the seam allowances. As you can see in the picture below I pressed the seam allowances toward the center of the unit but you can press whichever direction you prefer.

Frame Unit:

Step 6:

Lay out the Center unit, the Light/Cream rectangles, and the two remaining Light/Coral 2.5" squares as shown below.

Step 7:

Sew the unit/patches into three rows.

Step 8:

Press the seam allowances toward the Light/Cream fabric as shown in the picture below.

Step 9:

Sew the three rows together.

Step 10:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the block as shown below.

Putting It All Together:

Snowball Two Corners:

Step 11:

Now we're going to "snowball" two opposite corners of the Step 10 unit. Here are the first steps:

Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Assorted Dark 4.5" squares.
Place the 4.5" squares on the Light/Cream corners of the Step 10 unit and sew along the marked line (top right corner). Note the orientation of the marked line. (If you want you can sew another seam about 1/2" away from this line to create a bonus HST unit to use for another project.)
Match the corners of the 4.5" square and press (bottom left corner).

Step 12:

Open the square up and trim the seam allowance. If you sewed two seams, you would cut in between them (top right corner).
Refold (bottom left corner).

You can see the bonus HST I got from the trimming. The Cream side has a seam in it but it is hardly noticeable.

Step 13:

Here's a picture of the finished block.

Step 14:

And here's a picture of the back of the block.

Layout Ideas:

Here is the way the traditional block would look like in my scrappy colors.

This is the basic 4 x 4 layout using my variation of the block.

This is the traditional layout using three colors and narrow (1") sashing and cornerstones.

This is an alternating layout where every other block is a single direction chain block.

This is an on-point layout using my scrappy block with the block extending into the setting triangles.

Here's another on-point layout with coordinating narrow sashing and cornerstones and the light color in the setting triangles.

Conclusion:

I was happy to figure out a way to turn a difficult block into one that is accessible to beginner quilters. The block went together easily. It is important to have good contrast between the light and dark colors or else the block winds up looking muddled.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you like it and want to see more, just click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free PDF quilt pattern called "Chained Weathervane".

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

P.S. Looking for more easy blocks? Take a look at these fun block tutorials: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/tutorials_beginning-blocks

P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406