Potato chip blocks

 Good day and welcome to my blog.  You may have heard of the potato chip quilt pattern?  You can't make just one block!  Well this past weekend and early this week I cut pieces and started piecing these blocks.  It was fun!

I used 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch fabric pieces, finishing at 2 by 4 inches.  This is a common size.  You can cut your fabrics in other sizes - but you must keep the proportion of 2:1 the same (plus seam allowances!).  So 3 inch by 6 inch blocks (finished) - cut pieces 3.5 by 6.5 inches.

Start with two pieces side by side.  I used old dark stash and some newer brighter fabrics.

Sew along the long side, and press seams to one side - it doesn't matter which side.

Add fabrics to top and bottom:

This is before sewing.  Press seams outwards.  Now prepare 2 sets of 2 fabric pieces sewn end to end, and add those to the sides of the unit shown above.

It should look like this, before sewing.  Sew on the side units, and press seams outwards.

Prepare 2 more sets of two fabric pieces sewn end to end.  These will be added to the top and bottom of the unit you have sewn.

Oops flipped my block piece upside down.  Well you can see how I am proceeding.  This looks long and rectangular, but there is one more step.

Sew 2 sets of THREE fabric pieces end to end.  Press seams (it doesn't matter which way, no corners are meeting).  Place these sets to either side of the unit you have sewn together.

See how the set of three fabric pieces is just the right length?  Sew these sets on and you have a potato chip block, and it should be 12.5 inches square if you are using 2.5 by 4.5 inch fabric pieces.

I stopped here, but some quilters sew another round on to the block.

I have 20 blocks now, and set them 4 by 5 on the floor to see how it looks.  The blocks are not sewn together yet.

Thoughts:

-- Chain sew your blocks in sets of 4, 6, 8 or however many you want, to decrease stops and starts.

-- You could use a controlled color scheme, or have the center one color, the first round of pieces another color, and the last round a third color.  Diagram the block out on graph paper, or do a google/Pinterest search to see what other quilters have done.

-- You could put sashing between the blocks, if setting the blocks together looks like too much of a mish mash to you.

-- Set the blocks with the center 2 fabric pieces vertical, and then horizontal, then vertical in a alternating fashion. (suggested by other web pages).  Then no seams meet.  You just have to line up the corners of the blocks.

Here is my starting stacks of fabric pieces, in a clear plastic bag that used to hold a sheet set:

And here it is after making 20 blocks for a throw quilt:

Yes I cut with abandon, without counting, and I think I have enough pieces for another quilt in there!

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

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Viridian