How about those Rail Fence quilts?

Rail fence. What do we all think of when we think of a rail fence?

This is what I first thought of when I heard the term.

Then I learned it was this - and at first I thought all that it meant was this three fail fence quilt.

Like this:

 

But then I learned that you didn’t have to have the blocks going down in a zigzag like that to call it a rail fence. It was as if the light went on.

I had already made several like this early in my quilting life but had no idea they had a name. I found them a bit boring to make - but these are using 1” strips - and in a couple of them I left them straight up and down and the last one I turned the blocks. All I was focusing on was using up scraps. I put them all in my charity quilts.

Of course I kind of lost the stairstep look by putting a sashing strip between the blocks. I did this because I really wanted to break up all the sameness.

This was before I had the EQ program and before I really started designing any of my own quilts.

But then, I started working on upcycled quilts.

I was fascinated with the idea that a rail fence block just meant straight pieces - and they could vary in size and number of rails. So some of my early quilts were these. I found them very much more interesting than the normal one shown above. I loved the idea of making the middle section wider - as it changed the look completely.

When I type in “rail fence” in the Electric Quilt program (EQ), this is what I get.

I don’t really know why that zigzagy one is called a rail fence.

Once I realized that I could have multiple ‘rails” and it would be still be called a rall fence - it was enlightening. I realized how different they could look.

So now, let me show you all the ones I’ve made with this so-called rail fence block.

A Nod to Mod used a rail fence block with the middle section of the rail block made up of many small pieces.

A Nod to Mod

One of my favorites is this one. It is all solids and all upcycleds which I quilted it in a big circle. I called it Mod Rails. The key with this that fascinated me was making those alternate strips all the same color. By this time I had the EQ program and could see what was going to happen when I designed it. I fell in love with it.

Mod Rails

Then my dad passed away and in order to get 5 quilts made quickly out of dad’s shirts while I was still in Florida, I made these - using some of his shirts AND a brown sheet set found at the thrift store (he loved brown). All of these are rail fence. To me it is the absolute fastest design I could think of that I liked. I made 5 because there are 5 of us kids - so each of us got one.

So here are the other ones I’ve made. Maybe you can find the rail fence part. I’ll share with you if I think it is hidden. This is called Warp and Weft. I called it that because of my textiles class - and the name of the weave of threads in a fabric or woven piece.

The key to these is to make the blocks the same size so that they can turned. The block below has a smaller section in the middle between the purple/pink strips.

As part of the 2” series of quilts I made several using these blocks. Some are more obvious but others are a little more hidden. Let me show you.

In the quilts below, the first one is a simple 5 strip pastel block. The second one, Bronze Coins, is a combination ‘coin’ quilt and a rail fence. The overall look of each block is a rail fence as you can see the rails - made of two pieced strips and 3 off white strips with the middle one wider. Colorful Chains uses a rail fence block in the background. Basket Weave is a simple rail fence on point. Banded Checkerboards is once again, a large center section and then outer made up of strips - so the overall effect is a rail fence. Rails in Focus features sorting the rails by light/dark.

So then I went on to the upcycled blues series. I used a rail fence block several times.

By now I was thinking the rail fence block could be very interesting!

With the Upcycled Greens series I made Bars and Stripes and I loved it. Yes, it is a complicated rail fence block. In fact, it is 7 pieces!

Bars and Stripes

Then I decided to make another simple rail fence quilt using navy instead of white. It is a two piece rail fence design.

This one used the classic 3 rail block.

Then recently I decided to make that big rail fence top using small units with 1.5” strips (cut) resulting in this top.

I think that by now I’ve got complete respect for the rail fence block.

Why not?

There are quite a few things you can actually do with it! I’m sure there are some I’ve missed, but I think I’ve shown enough.

If you haven’t tried a rail fence block quilt for one reason or another - why not try one? they can work as a scrap quilt - even. Each time I’ve made mine I’ve used some sort of constant fabric to help create the look. Obviously you wouldn’t have to.

But I’ve enjoyed this journey so far. There is always something to learn with this hobby of ours- quilting!

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey!

Have a great day wherever you are reading!

Becky Petersen5 Comments