Traditional Tuesday - Block 23

Chinese Coins

Block 23 - Chinese Coins

Yesterday, we went wonky with this block, but today we're going as it should be - on the straight and narrow! This is a scrap lover's dream block. The amount of fabrics you can use is totally up to you. You can go super scrappy, like I did with 24 different fabrics or you can go controlled with just a few fabrics or color families. Versatility is good in quilting and this is the best of the versatile blocks!

Cutting:
From your "coin" fabrics, cut 24 - 1" x 2 1/2" strips
From your sashing strips, cut 3 - 1 1/4" x 6 1/2" strips

I had lots of panels leftover from another project so I just re-purposed them here! The panels were 5 - 1" strips x ~ 10" sewn together. Originally this would be made into a 25-patch block. Didn't happen! But I'm glad I could get some use out of those strip sets! If you don't have random strip sets laying around, just lay out your 1" x 2 1/2" strips into two groups of 12 each. Make sure the color and value balance is pleasing to you. Don't bunch up similar fabrics together.

I sewed my 5 panels together and unstitched at 12 strips each. Just sew your 12 together making sure they line up perfectly at the beginnings and endings.

Here's my two strip sets. I cut them to 2 1/2" wide. They were way long, so I had a lot leftover. I wanted a scrappy look with no repeats, so I didn't use the same one twice, which I easily could have done.

Next I auditioned the sashing fabric. I wanted red, so this one was good. It's a little lighter than the reds used in the coin stacks, so nothing gets lost or too blendy.

I cut my three 1 1/4" strips and sewed one to each side of the coin stacks. Measure your block after sewing - you will need to shave a hair off each side to get your 6 1/2" square block.