The Virginia Worm Fence quilt block is a nine-patch format made from two fabrics. It is a perfect quilt block for beginners to learn how to strip piece and sew together units in a nine patch. It is a nine-patch layout of the Endless Stairs block, which is a four-patch block.
Use this quilt block across your entire quilt, or combine with other nine patch blocks that are made to the same finished size. Have fun with pattern, colors and designs, as the fences winds its way across your quilt! Use team colors for the sports fan in your life, or a special pattern or design as one of the fabrics to delight the recipient. Most of all, have fun. This is a super easy quilt to put together with only strips of fabrics that are cut up into blocks and sewn back together again!
Working with only two fabrics, strips are sewn together and then cut to form a unit. Each unit is turned to form a fence design. Here is the block layout with the two fabrics:
Here is a fabric calculator for the popular sizes for the Virginia Worm Fence quilt block.
How to Make the Virginia Worm Fence Quilt Block
The Virginia Worm Fence quilt block is made from two fabrics in a nine-patch format. It is a perfect quilt block for beginners who want to practice strip piecing and nine-patch layouts.
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Learn the basics of the nine patch quilt block in our tutorial.
Materials
- 1/4" yard each of two fabrics, or two fat quarters
- Thread
Tools
- Sewing machine
- Rotary cutter
- Cutting mat
- Quilter's ruler
- Iron
- Ironing board
Instructions
- Cut strips of fabric according to the fabric calculator above. I'm making a 9" finished quilt block, so I cut just one strip each (width of fabric) of the beige and navy at 2" wide.
- Layer the fabrics right sides together and sew the length of the fabric with a 1/4" seam. A 1/4-inch foot is very helpful here. For Bernina, it is #37 or #57. Press the seam to your preference. See our article on pressing seams. Then cut nine squares from the strip. I cut mine at 3-1/2, which is 1/3 of the 9" finished block PLUS 1/2' seam allowance.
- Now lay out all of the units to form the design.
- Sew the units together to form rows. Then sew the rows together.
- The finished Virginia Worm Fence quilt block.
Notes
Idea: Use different fabrics in light and dark values to create movement and visual interest to your quilt. This can be a terrific scrappy fabric quilt pattern.
Recommended Products
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Learn the basics of the nine patch and browse through more nine patch quilt blocks on Create Whimsy.
