How to Sew an Alabama Quilt Block Variation - a Free Tutorial

This version of the Alabama Quilt Block is great as an alternating chain block and also creates a lovely quilt all on its own. The block is quick and easy to do with only square and rectangle pieces, making it a beginner-friendly quilt block. I found several variations of the block online and I'll have some pictures at the end of this post to show you what they look like. Let's get sewing!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Alabama Variation Quilt Block:

• Light/Cream: 4 - 2" x 9.5" rectangles, and 4 - 2" x 3.5" rectangles
• Medium/Gold: 4 - 2" x 6.5" rectangles
• Dark/Brown: 1 - 3.5" square, and 12 - 2" squares

Sewing Directions:

Center Nine Patch Unit:

Step 1:

Lay out the Dark/Brown 3.5" square, four Dark/Brown 2" squares, and the four Light/Cream 2" x 3.5" rectangles as shown in the picture below. This unit goes together like an uneven Nine Patch block.

Step 2:

Sew the patches into three rows as shown.

 

Step 3:

Press the seam allowances toward the Dark/Brown fabric.

Step 4:

Sew those three rows together to complete the center uneven Nine Patch. This makes a nice easy block all by itself. In fact, each round of this block could be used on its own.

Step 5:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the unit as shown in the picture below. 

First Round:

Step 6:

Arrange the four Medium/Gold 2" x 6.5" rectangles, four Dark/Brown 2" squares, and the Center unit as shown below.

Step 7:

Sew the patches into three rows as shown below. 

Step 8:

Press the seam allowances toward the Medium/Gold fabric as shown.

Step 9:

Sew the three rows together. 

Step 10:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the unit as shown in the picture below.

Second Round:

Step 11:

Lay out the four Light/Cream 2" x 9.5" rectangles, the remaining Dark/Brown 2" squares, and the completed First Round unit as shown below.

Step 12:

Sew the patches into three rows just like the previous round.

Step 13:

Press the seam allowances toward the Light/Cream fabric.

Step 14:

Sew the three rows together to complete the block. Easy Peasy!

Step 15:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the block. All done!

Block Variations:

Here's the version that appeared in Hearth and Home. The difference is the Nine Patch in the center and another round.

And this example has the light, medium and dark colors changed around.

Layout Suggestions:

Here is a basic alternating layout. You can use the blank squares for some fancy quilting!

For this example, I changed around the light, medium and dark fabrics in a 5 x 5 layout.

In this example, the Alabama block is alternating with an applique block.

Here's the same layout as above but with a Dresdan block and I changed the color of the center 3.5" square.

In this suggestion, I used the light fabric for the "chain" portion of the block and alternated with another Dresdan block.

And this example alternates with a star block. 

And here's an on-point layout:

Conclusion:

The Alabama quilt block variation was so easy to sew together! This makes it perfect to pair with a more difficult block so you can get a top made quicker. It adds a lot of visual interest to a quilt as well. 

If you liked this post and want to see more quilting tutorials, simply click here to sign up for my newsletter and also receive a free PDF downloadable pattern called "Chained Weathervane".

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

P.S. Looking for some more easy blocks? Take a look at these blocks: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/30-easy-quilt-block-tutorials-for-the-beginning-quilter

P.P.S. Need a quilt pattern in a hurry? Check out my easy downloadable PDF patterns at https://fabric406.etsy.com