Strips and Squares Free Quilt Block Tutorial

By: Elaine Huff

Today let's sew together the Strips and Squares quilt block that Nancy Page first published. I think the pattern has been around a lot longer though due to the number of names it goes by - Hand Weave, Handcraft, Handwoven, Interwoven, Over and Under, to name a few. I can see why it's popular - it's easy and produces a nice interwoven design when blocks are sewn together. Let's get started!

strips and squares quilt block

Fabric Requirements for a 9" Finished Strips and Squares Quilt Block:

Light/Ivory: 1 - 3.5" square, 4 - 1.5" x 3.5" rectangles, and 4 - 1.5" x 2.5" rectangles
Medium/Green: 4 - 2.5" squares, and 4 - 1.5" x 3.5" rectangles
Dark/Burgundy: 4 - 2.5" x 3.5" rectangles

strips and squares fabric requirements

Sewing Directions

Corner Units:

Step 1:

Match up a Medium/Green 2.5" square with a Light/Ivory 1.5" x 2.5" rectangle and sew together as shown in the picture below. You can also see that I've pressed the seam allowances toward the Light/Ivory fabric.

strips and squares 1

Step 2:

Now sew a Light/Ivory 1.5" x 3.5" rectangle to the Step 1 patch you just made and press the seam allowance toward the Light Ivory fabric as you can see in the picture below. This Corner unit should measure 3.5" square. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for a total of four Corner units.

strips and squares 2

Two Patch Unit:

Step 3:

Match up a Medium/Green 1.5" x 3.5" rectangle with a Dark/Burgundy 2.5" x 3.5" rectangle and sew together as shown. Press the seam allowance toward the Dark/Burgundy fabric. Repeat for a total of four Two Patch units.

strips and squares 3

Putting It All Together:

Step 4:

Lay out the Light/Ivory 3.5" square, the Corner units, and the Two Patch units as shown in the picture below.

strips and squares 4

Step 5:

From here, the Strips and Squares quilt block goes together like a typical Nine Patch block. Sew the units into three rows as shown below.

strips and squares 5

Step 6:

And press the seam allowances away from the Two Patch units as shown below.

strips and squares 6

Step 7:

Now you sew the three rows together to complete the block!

strips and squares 7

Step 8:

And press the seam allowances toward the center of the block as shown in the picture below.

strips and squares 8

Conclusion:

This Strips and Squares quilt block was so easy and quick to sew together! Totally enjoyed piecing an easy block today. There will also be an interesting woven kind of design that will emerge when sewing multiple blocks together. Definitely going to have to put this on the list of quilts to make!

Whether you're an experienced or beginner quilting looking for an easy project, the Strips and Squares satisfies!

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

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

P.P.S. To figure out how much fabric you need to make a quilt using this block (or any other block for that matter) see the tutorial https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-much-fabric-do-i-need