Rena-B Tutorial

I like big blocks and ...

I can not lie. They just go together so fast. Drum roll please…
I’d like to introduce you to Rena-B (named with my sweet seester in mind, she who claims every quilt before they’re even made). Rena-B is made from big blocks and is fat quarter friendly.

Honestly, I love making this quilt. This isn’t the first quilt like it and it won’t be the last. As a busy designer, some days I just need something that doesn’t require a lot of thinking or precision.

Isn’t this fabric gorgeous? You had to know I was going to pick/get dragonfly fabrics 😉
You can grab the printed pattern here
Okay, let’s get started…

Supply List:

16 fat quarters – Jacobean Garden by Kanvas Fabrics for Benartex
3/8 yard of a solid or coordinate. I used the Aqua polka dot (15079-82)
1/2 yard for the binding same as the backing fabric (check out the Satin Blanket Binding that I used)
4 yards for the backing – I used the Black polka dot (15079-12)

*You’ll need one fat quarter for each block you want to make – in case you want to make it bigger (example: to make it 6 blocks by 6 blocks/36 blocks you’ll need 36 fat quarters).

START by pressing (and starching-optional) each fat quarter.

Step 1: Cut the fabrics. I recommend cutting the first block out first and then once you have a handle on the cutting, you can layer and cut a couple fat quarters at a time if you feel comfortable.
You’ll have a little waste, but not too much.
Have fun and use some of the bigger/favorite pieces to make a scrappy label at the end 🙂

Cut ONE 11″ strip (11″ wide x 18″)
Then, cut TWO 5 ½” squares
- cut these diagonally ONCE
The 3rd cut is ONE 10 ½” square from the remaining 11″ strip
Next, cut ONE 5 ½” strip (5 ½” x 18″)
-> Subcut this into THREE 5 ½” squares
Finally, cut ONE 3 ½” strip (3 ½” x 18″) and trim down to 15 ½” (3 1/2″ x 15 1/2″)

Review the diagram above.

Step 2: Make the split HSTs

Chain piece the triangles – RST (right sides together)

Line up raw edges RST on top of the WOF Accent center strips.
Sew half of the triangles right sides together leaving about ½” in between.
Finger press whichever direction the fabric naturally wants to fold to.
Cut apart leaving about ¼” in between each unit.
Sew the other half of the triangles to the left side of those units. RST
Press and square up to 5 ½”

Make it scrappy by mixing the stacks up all random/luck of the draw.
Or you can try to sort the fabric stacks and avoid too many repeats by using a progressive shuffle: keep the first pile as-is, move one top piece to the bottom of the second pile, two from the third pile, and so on. But you would have adjust for each size stack too.

Step 3: Layout the large 15 ½” blocks in a 4 x 4 grid.

Alternating the blocks. Row 1 and 3 are the same, and 2 and 4 are the same as each other.
Note: Keep an eye on the layout, row 1 & 2 will make a large 4-patch in the centers, and 3 & 4 will also.

Add a border strip to the beginning and end of each row.

Press the seams adjoining the blocks that make the rows in opposite directions: row 1 to the left, row 2 to the right, row 3 to the left, and row 4 to the right.
Make TWO additional rows, sewing four border strips and adding a corner square to each end of each of the two rows. These will be the top and bottom rows.
Press each one in the opposite direction. Stitch the one pressed to the right to the top of the quilt and press toward the border strip row.
Stitch the row pressed to the left to the bottom of the quilt to complete the quilt top.
Press all of the seams adjoining the rows in one direction.

Grab the pattern here. Includes organization labels too!

Quilting texture makes my heart sing! Even when it’s just a simple meander (or maybe especially when?) 🙂
I also enjoy long arm quilting too!

Here’s a couple “in the wild” pics. I’d love to see your version of the Rena-B quilt. Remember I said that I was going to use satin blanket binding – love that too! It makes the quilt zing even more. Grab the pattern here. Share with the hashtag #renabquilt #renabquiltpattern