It’s family day at camp! From over the river, granny has come to see all the happenings at Camp Oda May. In her honor, we’ll make one of my all-time favorite blocks, the granny square block. The blocks are 6 1/2" unfinished and 6" finished. NOTE: This is one post in a series of quilt-along posts. Start from the beginning with the first post {here}.

14 layer cake squares (12 if using cornerstone blocks) OR 5 fat quarters Whichever method you choose, you will have a bit of fabric leftover. This is done to allow some mixing among your granny squares. Cutting Instructions If using fat quarters:

• Cut [8] 1 7/8” by 22" strips from each fat quarter (6 strips if making cornerstone blocks). Subcut each strip into [2] 8” by 1 7/8” pieces and [1] 1 7/8” square.

 For a scrappier look, use 12 fat quarters and cut three strips from each If using layer cakes:

• Using the following diagrams, cut the layer cakes. From 10 layer cakes (or eight if making cornerstone blocks), cut [6] 8” by 1 7/8” pieces and [1] 1 7/8” square. From the remaining four layer cake squares, cut [5] 8” by 1 7/8” pieces and [4] 1 7/8” squares.

  Background fabric (for both layer cakes and fat quarters)

• Cut four 3 1/2" strips
• Cut three 2 1/4" strips
• Subcut into [48] 3 1/2" squares (40 if making cornerstone blocks) and [48] 2 1/4" squares (40 if making cornerstone blocks).

Assembling the granny squares: Each granny square requires three focal fabrics and background fabric. For each, you will need: Fabric A: [1] 1 7/8 square Fabric B: [1] 8” by 1 7/8” piece Fabric C: [2] 8” by 1 7/8” piece Background fabric: [2] 3 ½" squares and [2] 2 ¼" squares Arrange your fabrics into 24 sets (or 20 sets if making cornerstone blocks). For each block, sew an 8” strip of Fabric B to an 8” strip of Fabric C. Press towards Fabric C. Cut into four sets of two blocks, each 1 7/8” wide. Cut the second 8" strip of Fabric C into four 1 7/8" squares. Cut the 3 ½” squares of background fabric diagonally twice, making four triangles from each square. The background pieces are cut this way so that there are no bias edges on the outside of the quilt block. They are cut a bit oversized and will be trimmed later. Lay your pieces out to form the granny square. Sew the pieces together in rows, with the triangles cut from the 3 ½” squares of background fabric at the end of the rows. Press seams towards fabrics A and C and the background fabric. Trim the dog ears. Sew the rows together. Press towards the center. Trim dog ears. Cut the 2 ¼” squares diagonally once, making two triangles from each square. Sew triangles to each corner, taking care to center the tip of each triangle in the square. Press towards background fabric. Square the block up to 6 1/2", lining up the outer tips of Fabric C on the 1/4" marks. Repeat to make a total of 24 blocks (20 if making cornerstone blocks). Sew five granny square blocks together, pressing the seams between the blocks open. Sew to one side of the quilt. Repeat on the other side. Sew seven granny square blocks (or five granny square blocks with a cornerstone block on each end) together, pressing the seams between the blocks open. Sew to the top of the quilt. Repeat on the bottom. Christine Weld [blog: The Quarter Inch] [instagram: @christine.weld]