Hello Quilty Friends!
Happy Thursday!
We’re getting close to the end of this series on the Basics of Quilt Blocks — just one more post next week and we’ll be moving on to other topics. I originally called it a mini series and expected it to be maybe 3 posts, but I am having so much fun with it, that it ended up turning into a much longer series. Personally, I love any idea that inspires me to play with my EQ8 software and to go through our VRD Rose Card Pattern Catalog and look at all the patterns with fresh eyes. I hope you’ve gotten a lot out of this series too.
If you’ve missed any posts in this series or if you just want to visit it again down the road, I added the series to the right side of the blog for you, right beneath the 2022 Basic Quilting Skills Series.
What’s our Quilt Block Basics unit for today??? RAIL FENCES!
Quilt Block Basics — Rail Fence
Rail Fences — YAY!
Whether you like 2, 3, 4, 5, or more logs, Rail Fence units and blocks are workhorses in the field of making quilt blocks (workhorse and field….get it???). Sigh…… I know, I know. I’ll stop here before I go overboard with the farm puns and cliches. I’m sure you’ve heard them all before anyway.
Sew, what’s a Rail Fence? You newbies might ask.
For the purpose of this series, we’re going to focus on 2 and 3 Rail Fence units with equal sized logs and finished squares. Keep in mind, though, that Rail Fence blocks can contain more than 2 or 3 logs, logs do not necessarily have to be the same width, and finished blocks do not have to be square.
Rail Fence units can stand alone as individual blocks or can be successfully combined with other basic block units to make even more quilt blocks. Rail Fence is the strong, silent type that fades into the background allowing others to be the stars of the show, but without Rail Fence, something would definitely be missing.
Rail Fences can be created with other methods when making quilt blocks. Sometimes a Rail Fence is actually a secondary design or a happy accident.
If you are getting the impression that I really like Rail Fences, then you are correct. One of the very first quilts I ever made from a pattern in the book, The Weekend Quilt by Leslie Linsley. That was the book that made me want to make quilts!
My quilt was a Rail Fence double-sized quilt will 4 shades of blue. I was sew proud of my piecing! It was the first time I’d sewn strip sets together and then cut them into blocks. At the time I didn’t know how to machine quilt yet, so I sensibly tied my quilt with white crochet thread and I used it for years on my bed.
Let’s take a look at some quilt blocks featuring Rail Fence units.
These 9 blocks are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to blocks with Rail Fence units.
How to Make a Rail Fence Unit
To make a traditional 2 log Rail Fence unit, first you need to know the finished size of your unit. So, let’s say our unit will be 6″ finished. To figure out what dimensions to cut our pieces, we will divide our finished size by 2 (6 divided by 2 = 3). But we need to cut our logs the same width of our finished unit, so we will need 2 logs 3″ x 6″ — BUT WAIT! — we need to add our seam allowances before cutting. That means we need to cut 2 logs 31/2″ x 6 1/2″. Then simply sew the 2 logs together along one long edge. Voila!
To make a 3 log Rail Fence, instead of dividing the finished size by 2, we will divide it by 3 (6 divided by 3 = 2 and we need to add our seam allowances, too). So, we will need to cut our logs 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″. Decide in which order to sew your logs (whether you decide to use 2 or 3 fabrics in your unit) and sew the 3 logs together along the long edges.
A Few Simple Rail Fence Quilt Ideas for You
Here are two simple Rail Fence quilt designs using 2 different color combinations. But just imagine what you could create if you used multiple blocks, added more colors, etc. WOW!
Time to take a look at my curated collection of Rail Fence VRD Rose Card Patterns!
Get Ascot HERE
Get Basket Case HERE
Get Beatrice HERE
Get Bits and Pieces HERE
Get Bride’s Dream HERE
Get Bunny Hop HERE
Get Busy Bee HERE
Get Chutes & Ladders HERE
Get Cobblestones HERE
Get Dapper HERE
Get Firecracker HERE
Get First Night HERE
Get French Braids HERE
Get Fruit Salad HERE
Get Gridwork HERE
Get Infinite HERE
Get Inglenook HERE
Get Jubilee HERE
Get Limelight HERE
Get Melinda Jo HERE
Get Native HERE
Get Panama City HERE
Get Playdate HERE
Get Polka HERE
Get Positive Sign HERE
Get Rail Fence HERE
Get Ripple Runner HERE
Get Royal Sunset HERE
Get Saratoga HERE
Get Scallywag HERE
Get Shadow Dancer HERE
Get Snow Ruby HERE
Get Social Climber HERE
Get Specks of Color HERE
Get Spin Cycle HERE
Get Split Charms HERE
Get Standing on the Corner HERE
Get Sugar & Spice HERE
Get Tumblebug HERE
Get Vienna HERE
Get Village Glade HERE
Get Waterside HERE
Get Winter Garden HERE
Get Zelda HERE
That’s another wrap! Time to sign off and get back to making quilts………in my dreams, anyway. LOL!
Until next Thursday —
Sew. Laugh. Repeat.
Always,
Tricia @VRD
Villa Rosa Quilts 
There are so many patterns that fall into this category. It is fun seeing them all. Just organized mine and can’t wait to dive into a few of the projects I have lined up.
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Hey Kathleen! Me too!
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So many great rail fence patterns!!! I enjoyed seeing them all!
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Thanks Nancy! It was a lot of fun to go through the Rose Cards and find the ones that featured Rail Fence units.
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