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Half Rail Frenzy Quilt

Half Rail Frenzy Quilt

Written by: 
Mona Phelps

Hello fellow bakers! I am happy to be back on the Moda Bake Shop to share another fun pattern with you. This quilt utilizes a traditional rail fence quilt block. With the addition of layer cake squares, you'll be able to transform your quilt into this fun design!

Please check out my instagram page (@mona.phelps) for the most recent updates on what I'm working on.

This quilt/project finishes at 54" x 70".

1 - Jelly roll - Bungalow Jelly Roll® by Kate Spain (27290JR )
1 - Layer cake - Bella Solids Layer Cake® White (9900LC 98)
2 yards - Backing - 108" Modern Background Fog Moda Basics (11134 15)
1 yard - binding- Bungalow Curio Fuchsia (27296 18)

Rotary cutter, ruler(s), cutting mat, thread

All seams are 1/4"

The first thing you want to do is prepare your fabric.

Layer Cake: You will need 24 layer cake squares. I used the Moda Bella Solids Layer Cake® White 98. Draw a diagonal from one corner to the opposite corner on the back side of all 24 pieces (see below). Set aside.

Jelly Roll:  I used Bungalow by Kate Spain - gorgeous spring colors! Choose 30 jelly roll strips. (Helpful hint: Before unwrapping your Jelly Roll, run a lint roller on each side of the bundle - that will result in less fuzz!)

Cut each strip into 10 1/2" pieces (you will get 4 pieces per strip). This will give you a total of 120 pieces that measure 2 1/2" x 10 1/2".  (see below)

Sort your strips into sets of 5 (a total of 24 sets). You can sort by color, design, or mix it up for a scrappy look. For this quilt, I laid out all of my strips (see below), then selected 5 pieces. I tried to make sure that there were no duplicates in each set.

Making the Blocks

Sew the five piece sets together to make a rail fence block. To do this, you will sew 5 of the 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" pieces together (on the long side) so that you end up having a block that looks like the picture below. You will end up with 24 rail fence blocks. Press seams open.

Optional: you can trim these blocks to 10 x 10 if you'd like. I chose not to trim them at this point.

Next, we're going to make half-square triangles with the rail fence blocks. With each rail fence block facing up, place a layer cake square on top, centering. Important: make sure that all of your rail fence blocks are facing the same direction (horizontal or vertical) and that your layer cakes are all facing the same direction (diagonal line going from left top to bottom right or left bottom to top right) when doing this step. Otherwise, your blocks will not turn out correctly! How do I know this? Happened to me!

Pin each set to ensure that the fabric doesn't shift when sewing. Sew 1/4" on both sides of the line that is drawn on the layer cake.

After sewing all of the blocks, press, and then cut along the drawn line (dotted line in above pictures). Press seams to the solid portion of your block.

Trim each block to 9 1/2" square.

You should now have 48 blocks.

Assembly

When assembling your quilt top, I recommend that you use a design wall. I don't have one, so I used a bed to lay out my blocks. I also recommend taking photos of your layout - it helps me to better visualize the whole layout of the quilt.

Rows 1, 3, 5, 7 will go together like this:

Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 will go together like this.

Your final quilt block placement will look like this:

Here is my quilt top:

Finishing the Quilt
Finally, you will quilt and bind your quilt. My backing is 108" Modern Background Fog Moda Basics by Zen Chic. I love wide backing as I don't have to piece it!

For my quilting, I did rows of straight line quilting.

And, finally, here is my finished quilt!

This quilt finishes at 54" x 70".

Thank you so much for reading along. I hope that you give this quilt a try. You'll be able to get some different designs if you switch up the block placement.

Please tag me on Instagram if  you post pictures of a quilt you've made using this pattern (and use the hashtag #halfrailfrenzy). I'd love to see it!

Enjoy - and happy baking!

Mona Phelps
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