Free Cut Floating Bricks Quilt Block Tutorial

To make a 13 inch quilt block I started with 16 wide x 15 inches tall rectangle of Kona solid in coal.  You will need a few fabric patterned fabric strips for your brick- size and number is up to you.  This is an improvised block so you can end up with lots of varieties of the same block. I free cut my strips and added some angles and wonk.  For a great tutorial about free cutting and piecing visit http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/2009/10/ready-set-sew.html

Have a mess around with the placement.  It helps to take a pic as this time to remind yourself later what you had in mind.  You are aiming for space around each brick of fabric. Fussy cutting your bricks works well.  From your solid, free cut the first strip that will run across the block.  This needs to be at least 1.5 inches wide and if you cut it with a bit of diagonal it will immediately place your first brick at a wonky angle.

Put this strip to one side.  Now take the widest patterned brick you are going to use and lay it on top of theremaining solid.  Use it to guide the start of your cutting line, you are free cutting a solid strip about the same width as this brick. Cut right across the width of the solid.

This strip is to provide the floating solid fabric at either end of the brick.  If your brick has an angled end, place it right side up on top of one end of the strip and cut along the angled end.  when you flip the solid strip over to join to the brick right sides together they will fit together beautifully!

Add solid to both sides of each brick, varying the width according to your original plan- this is where the digital pic you took earlier will come in useful.  You will need to cut another solid strip as thick as the widest remaining patterned strip, just as before.  Your completed strips need to be at least 15 inches wide.

With the remaining solid, cut the strips that will go between the bricks.  I keep a check with my ruler that the block is going to be tall enought- remember you will lose a quarter inch for each seam.  You can always join strips of solid together if you run out of strips the right width.  Starting with the first solid strip you cut at the top, join the brick strips to the slid strips, press after each seam.

You should have a block which is wider that 13 inches square with higgledy piggledy sides all ready for squaring up.

If your squaring up ends up being a little on the short side- mine did, not an unusual occurrence, you can always add an extra strip of solid.

Each block is going to end up different, celebrate the variety!