A rail fence quilt pattern. Or is it a fence rail quilt pattern? I’ve seen it both ways and I’m confused!
I had another finish this week – this time a lap-sized (60″ x 66″) quilt. I’m calling it Off the Rails as it uses the rail fence quilt block, but in random placement/orientation in the final quilt.
I’ve used a light and a dark neutral teamed with a small amount of a ‘wow’ fabric – in this case a super-bright yellow. This produces quite a modern looking rail fence quilt pattern.
What I really like about this rail fence quilt pattern is:
1. It’s really quick and simple to sew but still makes a big impact.
2. It’s a great way to take a small amount of an expensive (Liberty) or scarce (hoarded for 5 years) fabric and stretch it to make a quilt where it remains the star. (I’ve been dreaming of replacing the yellow with this scarlet Liberty print:)
3. It’s cheap to sew up if you use all solids. (For instance, quilt top and binding fabric will be US$30 if you use Kona cottons.)
I backed it with an Ikea print that I’ve had stashed since our France days. It was *just* wide enough to use without piecing, but it meant I had to forget my plan to quilt diagonally (any shifting across the backing and I would have been in trouble). There was plenty of fabric to spare in the other direction though, so that’s how I ended up wavy-line quilting along the length of the quilt.
I initially used my block seams as guides to meander from side-to-side along the length of the quilt. I kept my curves shallow and gentle; kind of ‘a long drive down a country road’ pattern.
Then I went back and used my hera marker to draw in some lines within the blocks. For some of these guide lines I followed a more ‘drunk, one-legged man walking home at 3am’ pattern, to give the curves a bit of oomph.
I added in a few extra lines here and there, wherever gaps had opened up due to adjacent lines curving away from each other in the same spot. I also liked the look of the lines intersecting in a few places.
You’ll receive my Off the Rails PDF pattern for free when you sign up for my newsletter.
I hope you’ve all had a great weekend and managed to squeeze in a bit of sewing. Maybe even a Rail Fence quilt?
Until next time,
Kirsty
(Obligatory quilt-in-a-tree shot)
Wow I love that pop of yellow! It makes it look different and unique from other rails I’ve seen. Love that pattern! Great job!
Thanks so much, Karen!
That ‘ s a very lovely and fresh and easy looking quilt . I love the Yellow as fresh “spots” in the quilt and speciallly the curvy lines . I have got no experience in fmq yet, Bit that is surely a pattern to start with
Thanks a lot for the explanations and Happy quilting,
Susanne
Great color combo , you’ve created a lovely quilt .
Wow! Love your quilt! The colors are great, you made a plain old rail pattern pop. You have inspired me to try it with teal blue.
I really like your quilt, the combo is perfect. The quilting came out so nice, it’s a great contrast to the geometry of the top. Beautiful work!
You have done a spectacular job of making a simple block into a dynamic quilt! The colors and layout are fantastic, and I would love to see the version using print accents.
Love this, now mind racing to decide what color to be focal.
love the look of this quilt.
really simple and effective! Great colour combo!
As I have already said on Flick’r I love this simple yet striking design! I am definitely going to make this one! The idea of using Liberty is perfect! I think there were more than a couple of drunk men meandering over your quilt- they even bumped into one another!! :-))
Goodness me that’s a nice quilt Kirsty. Perfect for a quick ‘gee it’d be great if you could make my friend whose having a baby a quilt’ quilt! Best be organising a sewing soirée soon so I can take a look at it in real life :)
Fabulous quilt! I want to hurry and make it for my grandson’s high school graduation on May 16. He is 6’6″ so I plan on making the quilt longer.
I have so loved following you and your sharing all those incredible pictures from France. You are quite the artist with camera, words, and fabric!
The pop,of yellow is very effective! & thanks for the tip to draw in extra lines … I need a hera marker. :)
Cute Quilt! Love the block placement and accent color!
Fantastic and fun pattern Kirsty! I know one could use any fabric, but your colors are really great in this version! Very contemporary but I love the energy punch that the yellow brings! You are fabulous as always!!! :-)