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Free Pattern for a Basic Roman Stripe Block

    The super easy Roman Stripe quilt block can be used by itself or as a component of lots of other blocks. I’ve always called it a Rail Fence block, but I guess the name “Rail Fence” is for blocks that have more than 3 stripes in them – so I guess my fence only has 3 rails in it – lol!

    roman stripe block

    Fabric Requirements:

    First, you need to cut strips. In my example, I’ve used two colors but you can use three.

    roman stripe 1

    Sewing Directions:

    Step 1:

    Simply sew the three strips together along the long sides (you’ve made a strip set) and press the seam allowances toward the darker fabric. (Don’t look too close at my example because I pressed the wrong way!)

    roman stripe 2

    Step 2:

    Now you need to cut the strips into squares. In my example, I’ve made a strip set out of 2.5″ strips so the width of the 3 strips sewn together is 6.5″. So I need to cut 6.5″ squares from the strip set.

    roman stripe 5

    The resulting blocks are set in an alternating pattern as shown above. They also look good between Nine-Patch blocks which we’ll get into in another blog post.

    Example:

    Here’s a picture of a little doll quilt my mom made for me when I was a wee thing. It’s been loved a lot and shows the wear and tear but I can’t get rid of it. All done by hand with corduroy, tied with yarn, and the binding is simply the backing wrapped to the front and hand-stitched down.

    roman stripe 4

    The Roman Stripe quilt block is a really quick block to make. Also, it is a great way to use up those scraps in your stash to make a scrappy quilt.

    If you like this tutorial and want to see more, simply click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free PDF quilt pattern called “Chained Weathervane”.

    Happy Quilting!

    Elaine

    P.S. To print a PDF of this tutorial, check out the free app at https://www.printfriendly.com/. A reader and I tried it out and it worked great.

    P.P.S. To figure out yardage for a quilt, check out this post: https://quiltembroiderypdf.com/how-much-fabric-do-i-need