mosaic jig block diagonal construction tutorial

Have you ever tried to sew a quilt block together on the diagonal? Did you know this might actually be a quicker way to sew the block together? This would use fewer patches. The seam allowance could lay flat and you would not have to press the seams open. Well, keep on reading, because I have a super cool tutorial for you!

I've been diligently writing the instructions for the Mosaic Jig Quilt Along. I am also a strong believer in making everything in patchwork simpler - simpler block construction and using time-saving shortcuts. So, when drawing up the Mosaic Jig block in EQ8, I chose to remove the typical lines in the center (album block) so as to use fewer patches.

I cut out my shapes and thought it could be easier to sew on the diagonal rather than horizontal. And you know what? It really is quick and easy to make this way! The extra bonus is clean and crisp seam allowance They just seam (pun intended) to lay perfectly!

Here is the front of the block. I didn't fuss with the seams at all. I don't think I ripped any of the seams out either. (I love to rip seams!) I just sewed the block together and finger pressed the seams with my finger nail and iron-pressed after the block was completely constructed.

I am totally happy with this result. : ) I incorporated this method into the Mosaic Jig Quilt Along as well. Of course, you could still assemble the block in horizontal rows, but when everything falls into place, why hassle?

I wrote out step-by-step instructions in a pattern format of how to construct a block in diagonal rows and saved it into a PDF for your convenience.

Thanks for joining and learning about this block construction method. You can download a PDF of the instructions on my website under the Downloads tab at the top of the page. You can also find patch sizes for these blocks - 5", 6", 9", 12" and 15". Try it out and tell me if this works for you.

Happy patching!