Easter Egg Block Tutorial

The Easter Bunny will be here before we know it!  Today, I’m sharing a little tutorial on how to make this sweet Easter Egg Block that finishes at 6.5 inches square.  And click here to find a little bonus project!I made mine using just four squares from a charm pack, plus some scraps for the background.  This egg was made using Grunge Hits the Spot by Basic Gray from Moda.  As soon as I saw them, I knew they would be perfect for this project.  I also think these little eggs would look awesome in the new Confetti line by V and Co. also for Moda.  You can get both of these at one of my favorite Etsy shops, Simply Love Fabrics.   The pretty pink mat I’m using all throughout this tutorial is the new Olfa Splash mat from OlfaCreates.  There is also a fun turquoise mat and pink rotary cutter.   They will be available in stores in late March.I am not the most precise quilter.  My blocks always turn out a little wonky, but like my friend Cassie and I decided, #wonkyisthenewcool.  So, I cut my pieces all a little big so I can trim everything to size as I go.  If you are one of those perfect seam quilters here are the exact block measurements for this block finishing 6.5 inches square. If you embrace wonky like me, here’s the full tutorial with some wiggle room:  All seams are 1/4 inches and RST stands for Right Sides Together.  Cut the following pieces:

4 different colored strips from the charm pack: 1.5×4 inches

Background fabric: 2 squares, 1.25×1.25 inches

2 squares, 1.5×1.5 inches

2 strips, 2.25×4.5 inches

2 strips, 1.75×6.5 inches

Sew the four colored strips together along the 4 inch sides, RST.  I prefer to press seams open, but they can also be pressed to one side.  Trim your block to 3.5 inches wide, removing a little from each side to give you a nice straight block that should measure  approximately 3.5×4.5 inches.Grab your four squares of background fabric.  Draw a diagonal line on the back of each square with a heat or water soluable pen.  Choose whichever strip is going to be the “bottom” of your egg, and put the smaller (1.25 inch) squares right on the corners, RST.  Sew right on your drawn lines. I truly dislike drawing lines on fabric for piecing.  I HATE it in fact.  So, I have this nifty “Seams Sew Easy” seam guide by Lori Holt.  I just attach it to the plate of my sewing machine with washi tape and away we go.  No drawing lines needed! you just use the little lines on the guide to sew across the center of the square.  Worth. Every. Penny.  Now you’re going to grab the other two background squares (1.5 inches) and sew them RST to the “top” corners of your Easter Egg.Take your block, with four squares sewn in the four corners, and give it a press.  Now it should look like this.  Mine is upside down in this pic – the green is the top of my egg (larger squares) and the red is the bottom of my egg (smaller squares.) Trim the corners away, 1/4 inch away from your sewn seams. Repeat for all four corners, and it should look like this. Press the background squares out away from the center.Take the 2.25×4.5 inch strips, and add one on each side of the egg.  Press the strips outward, away from the center.Add the 1.75×6.5 inch strips on the top and bottom of the egg, centering them. Next, press those out away from the center as well.  Carefully trim your block to 6.5 inches square.  It should now look like this.  What will you make with your Easter Egg Block?  A mug rug? Sweet pouch?  Sew up three blocks and put them together for an Easter-y table runner. Sew 4 or 6 of them together for a fun Easter Mini Quilt.  Add some embroidered grass at the bottom, or embellish the egg itself with some fun stitches.  So many ideas!  I made mine into a little mugrug.And, you don’t have to have charm squares to sew up this sweet Easter Egg.  Here’s a test version I made up using little snippets from my scrap bin. I picked varying shades of blue for an ombré effect!

If you try out my little block, I’d love you to share it on Instagram and use the hashtag #eastereggblock and tag me @quiltyobsession.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy sewing!