Texas Quilt Block Tutorial in 3 Sizes:
6", 9", and 12" finished

Ready to show off your quilting skills?

The Texas quilt block is a fun little block that uses the 'Peaky and Spike' unit (AKA a Triangle in a Square) popularized by Doreen Speckmann many years ago,

You might also recognize the basic design of this block as a 54-40 or Fight. There's an extra fabric in that version of the patchwork design.

Instead of using a specialty ruler to make ours, we're using a bit of paper piecing—perfection every time, and it's not a big deal to remove the paper pattern from this particular unit. (The pattern is a free download below.)

You won't be messin' with Texas if you give paper piecing a try.

It's a game-changer for improving the accuracy of your piecing with little effort.

Download and print the TiaS paper piecing pattern

Press.

Use the chart below, find YOUR finished block size and the corresponding Strip Set Width. Check that your strip set measures correctly. Make changes as needed.

StripSet Widths
Finished Block Size	Stripset Width after stitching	SubCut Width
6"	2½"	1½"
9"	3½"	2"
12"	4½"	2½"

At your cutting mat, with your rotary cutter and ruler, straighten one short side of the strip set, creating a 90° angle to the seam.

While these strips are generously sized, trim away only what you must to straighten the edge. 

Using the chart again, find the 'Sub Cut Width' that goes with your block size. For our 9" finished sample, the Sub Cut Width is 2".

Cut a total of 10—two for each four patch.

Alternate the patches to match the lights and darks of the unit (diagram above).

With RST, stitch pairs of these subcuts together, pinning if needed for a good match at the center. Feed them all through your sewing machine so that a dark #2 patch is on top and feeds through your sewing machine first. 

To reduce the bulk in the center of our 4-patches, we'll twirl or fan the SAs.

Undo the few stitches at the center—DO NOT cut away these thread tails. Leave them.

Then twirl or fan the SAs around the center. A cute little four patch forms in the SA.

At this point, for a 6" finished block, this unit measures 2½" square from edge to edge. For a 9" block (shown here), it's 3½" x 3½", and for a 12" finished it's 4½" x 4½".

Double check and make any adjustments. Then set these aside for now.

With paper piecing, I need paper piecing paper. Check.

A rotary cutter, ruler, and mat. Check.

A computer and the internet to download the pattern. Yep. I download the patterns from my site. I don't have to go looking. :)

All of that I've got. Handy. Always.

All I require is to be able to reduce the stitch length and the ability to sew on a line. 

That's it. 

And the best part?

They come out perfect. 

Layer your four Center rectangles and using the template you downloaded that corresponds to your chosen Finished Block Size, cut out the patch. The top and bottom of this template will match the cut edges of your cut rectangles.

With your rotary cutter and ruler, cut away the excess.

To cut the correct Side and Side.R (where R stands for 'reversed') patches, for each block we need to stack our 4 cut rectangles so that there are two pairs of RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER layered on top of each other. That's the only tricky thing about this technique. 

With all the edges even, make a small tick mark on the short top edge 5/8" in from the left side. Make the same mark 5/8" in from the right on the bottom short side. (See red arrows)

Align a rotary ruler with these top and bottom edges at the tick marks and cut through all four rectangles.

You have created the 4 pairs of mirror imaged Side and Side.R triangles. We're ready to piece these TiaSs.

Use a tiny dab of Elmer's Washable Glue Stick, goes on purple, dries clear, to hold the Center patch in place between the dashed guidelines, wrong side to the unprinted side of the pattern.

On this translucent vellum, you know when we're looking at the printed side of the pattern because the words and symbols are readable.

With RST, layer a Side with the Center. The wide end of the Side to the top point of the center.

Because the Sides are a lighter fabric, I've scooched (love the technical quilting term, right?!!!) the generously sized Side patch just a smidge past the cut edge of the Center.

That way the darker fabric won't shadow through the lighter one, AND I won't have to come back with scissors to trim away a bit of the darker Center patch.

From the printed side of your pattern, sew the seam starting and ending past the outside edge of the unit.

Press.

While I LOVE working with vellum paper, it does have a tendency to curl when pressed. It's the tradeoff for being able to see through the pattern.

Sew the second seam just like the first one.

And yes, Virginia, it's possible to chain piece when you're paper piecing.

As long as the seam starts at the outside edge on one side, and ends at the outside on the other, you can chain piece—saving both time and thread!

Give your TiaSs a good press.

At your cutting mat, trim them to perfection. 

My preference is to lay the 1/4" mark on the ruler directly over one line around the inside solid square—that is the finished edge of the TiaS. 

This way, we establish a perfect quarter inch seam allowance. It's also much easier (and more accurate) to line up than trying to match the edge of your ruler with the outside dashed line of the block—the unfinished size.

Trim all four.

Utter perfection. 

Since we precut our paper piecing patches on the straight of grain, you can remove the paper now without fear of stretching any of those edges. 

Sew the units in each row together. Use pins to match the seam in the 4-patch with the point of the TiaS. 

Learn more about Pinning for Perfect Points here.

All that's left is to sew the rows together. Use pins as you need them for good matches.

Yippee-ky-yay! Here's our finished Texas quilt block.

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