Rail Fence Heart Block Pattern

Hello Friends and Welcome Back!

This week, I’ll be concluding my mini series on the rail fence block with the rail fence heart pattern. This kitschy heart block idea came from a statement I made early in the first post of the series, that the rail fence block has a special place in my heart earned from being the first style of quilt I designed on my own.

If you missed the first two parts of this series, check out part 1, which talks a little about different rail fence block variations, and part 2, where I share my method for drafting a rail fence block.

Since I knew the rail fence heart block would be fairly easy to make, I thought I would write up and share the instructions. This is far from an original idea; there are lots of cute heart quilt patterns, and having just gotten out of February when I wrote the original post, I’m sure those quilts were floating around my head when I drew up that block.

Normally, this style of quilt wouldn’t really interest me, large heart motifs are a little on-the-nose for my tastes, but it can be a lot of fun to experiment with new styles and a great learning experience. So I dove right in!

Pattern Notes

Recommended for an adventurous beginner
All measurements given in inches
Use ¼"seam allowance unless otherwise specified
WoF means width of fabric
Instructions are for construction of only the two versions of the specified block, not a complete quilt
Block instructions offered in 2 sizes; 4" finished and 12" finished
Instructions were designed with a scrap aesthetic in mind, for yardage it is recommended to use a variety of prints

This pattern is not currently available as a PDF download, if you would like me to add one to this post, please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email through my contact page.

Rail Fence Heart Method 1: strip piecing

To make the rail fence heart using this method, you will need long strips of fabric. The longer the strips are, the more blocks you will be able to make. If you intend to make your rail fence heart using smaller fabric scraps or only want to make one of each block, refer to method 2. I would encourage you to experiment with both methods to decide which works best for you.

For a 12" finished block:

From a variety of coloured fabrics, cut the following pieces from a 14” minimum WoF;

6 coloured A, 2" × WoF
4 coloured B, 2 ¼" × WoF

From a background fabric, cut the following pieces;

4 background A, 3 ½" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background B, 7" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background C, 4" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
1 background D, 3 ½" × 12 ½"

For a 4" finished block:

From a variety of coloured fabrics, cut the following pieces from a 6” minimum WoF;

6 coloured A, 1" × WoF
4 coloured B, 1 ¼" × WoF

From a background fabric, cut the following pieces;

4 background A, 2" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background B, 3" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background C, 2" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
1 background D, 1 ½" × 4 ½"

Rail Fence Corner Units

Assemble four coloured A strips into a strip set by sewing them together along the long side as shown:

Press. From the strip set, subcut two 6 ½" square strip units for a 12" finished block, or two 2 ½" square strip units for a 4" finished block.

Place a background A square in the corner of one strip unit as shown, paying close attention to the orientation of the strip unit and direction of the drawn line:

Sew directly on the drawn line.

Note: if you sew another seam parallel to the drawn line ½" closer to the corner, you can make a small half square triangle to use as embellishment in your quilt

Trim the corner ¼" away from the seam. Flip open the corner and press.

Using another background A square, repeat this process on the adjacent corner as shown, paying close attention to the orientation of the strip unit and direction of the drawn line:

Repeat these steps using the second strip unit as shown, noting that the orientation of the strip unit is different:

Large Half Square Triangle Units

Using the two remaining coloured A and two coloured B pieces, assemble a strip set with the two narrower coloured A strips in the middle as shown:

Press. From the strip set, subcut two 7" square strip units for a 12" finished block or two 3" square strip units for a 4" finished block.

Place a background B square on one of the strip units as shown, paying close attention to the orientation of the strip unit and direction of the drawn line:

Line up the edges and sew a seam a scant ¼" on both sides of the drawn line. Cut directly on the drawn line to create two half square triangles.

Press. Repeat to make 4 half square triangle units.

Note: the large half square triangle units must have identical strip orientation to maintain the rail fence pattern, colours can vary.

Rail Fence Heart Block Assembly

Assemble two large half square triangle units and the two different rail fence corner units as shown, paying close attention to placement and strip orientation:

Press. Trim completed rail fence heart block to 12 ½" for a 12" finished block, or 4 ½" for a 4" finished block.

Inverted Corner Unit

Sew together the two remaining coloured B strips on the long sides to make a half strip set.

Press. Subcut the half strip set into two 4" squares for a 12" finished block, or two 2" squares for a 4" finished block.

Place a background C square on a strip unit as shown, paying close attention to strip orientation and the direction of the drawn line:

Sew a scant ¼" on both sides of the drawn line. Cut directly on the drawn line to make two half square triangle units.

Press. Repeat these steps but with the drawn line placed in the opposite direction as shown, paying close attention to strip orientation and the direction of the drawn line.

Note: these smaller half square triangle units must have opposite orientation to maintain the rail fence pattern.

Sew together the four half square triangles from the previous step in the arrangement shown, paying close attention to strip orientation:

Inverted Heart Block Assembly

Assemble inverted corner unit, background D, and two large half square triangle units as shown, paying close attention to placement and strip orientation:

Press. Trim completed inverted heart block to 12 ½" for a 12" finished block, or 4 ½" for a 4" finished block.

Rail Fence Heart Method 2: scrap piecing

If you only intend to make one block, or are using smaller fabric scraps, this method is for you! You will notice that the two methods are very similar, the biggest difference being the cutting instructions. Feel free to experiment with both methods to determine which is more comfortable for you.

For a 12" finished block:

From a variety of coloured fabrics, cut the following pieces;

8 coloured A, 2" × 6 ⅝"
4 coloured B, 2" × 7 ⅛"
4 coloured C, 2 ¼" × 7 ⅛"
2 coloured D, 2 ¼" × 8 ¼"

From a background fabric, cut the following pieces;

4 background A, 3 ½" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background B, 7" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background C, 4" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
1 background D, 3 ½" × 12 ½"

For a 4" finished block:

From a variety of coloured fabrics, cut the following pieces;

8 coloured A, 1" × 2 ⅝"
4 coloured B, 1" × 3 ⅛"
4 coloured C, 1 ¼" × 3 ⅛"
2 coloured D, 1 ¼" × 4 ¼"

From a background fabric, cut the following pieces;

4 background A, 2" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background B, 3" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
2 background C, 2" square, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side
1 background D, 1 ½" × 4 ½"

Rail Fence Corner Units

Assemble four coloured A strips into a strip set by sewing them together along the long side as shown:

Press. Trim to 6 ½" square for a 12" finished block, or 2 ½" square for a 4" finished block. Make 2.

Place a background A square in the corner of one strip unit as shown, paying close attention to the orientation of the strip unit and direction of the drawn line:

Sew directly on the drawn line.

Note: if you sew another seam parallel to the drawn line, ½" closer to the corner, you can make a small half square triangle to use as embellishment in your quilt

Trim the corner ¼" away from the seam. Flip open the corner and press.

Using another background A square, repeat this process in the adjacent corner as shown, paying close attention to the orientation of the strip unit and direction of the drawn line:

Repeat these steps using the second strip unit as shown, noting that the orientation of the strip unit is different:

Large Half Square Triangle Units

Using two coloured B and two coloured C pieces, assemble a strip set with the two narrower coloured B strips in the middle as shown:

Press. Trim to 7" square for a 12" finished block or 3" square for a 4" finished block. Make 2.

Place a background B square on one of the strip units as shown, paying close attention to the orientation of the strip unit and direction of the drawn line:

Line up the edges and sew a scant ¼" seam on both sides of the drawn line. Cut directly on the drawn line to create two half square triangles.

Press. Repeat to make 4 large half square triangles units.

Note: the large half square triangle units must have identical strip orientation to maintain the rail fence pattern, colours can vary.

Rail Fence Heart Block Assembly

Assemble two large half square triangle units and the two different rail fence corner units as shown, paying close attention to placement and strip orientation:

Press. Trim completed rail fence heart block to 12 ½" for a 12" finished block, or 4 ½" for a 4" finished block.

Inverted Corner Unit

Sew together two coloured D strips on the long sides to make a half strip set.

Press. Subcut the half strip set into two 4" squares for a 12" finished block, or two 2" squares for a 4" finished block.

Place a background C square on a strip unit as shown, paying close attention to strip orientation and the direction of the drawn line:

Sew a scant ¼" on both sides of the drawn line. Cut directly on the drawn line to make two half square triangle units.

Press. Repeat these steps but with the drawn line placed in the opposite direction as shown, paying close attention to strip orientation and the direction of the drawn line:

Note: these smaller half square triangle units must have opposite orientation to maintain the rail fence pattern.

Sew together the four half square triangles from the previous step in the arrangement shown, paying close attention to strip orientation:

Inverted Heart Block Assembly

Assemble inverted corner unit, background D, and two large half square triangle units as shown, paying close attention to placement and strip orientation:

Press. Trim completed inverted heart block to 12 ½" for a 12" finished block, or 4 ½" for a 4" finished block.

Drafting the Rail Fence Heart

I need to be honest Friends, I struggled a bit while designing this block. I came up with a method of making the rail fence heart block fairly easily, but I really wanted to find a way to make a rail fence heart and inverted heart block at the same time using the corner cut outs from the first block to make the second. If I did this using the method above, the inverted heart block would end up smaller than the rail fence heart due to the need for seam allowance.

I did manage to find a way to do it that worked in practice, but when it came time to write the instructions, I hit a wall. I realized that, by prioritizing the exchange of the cut off pieces between the rail fence heart and inverted heart, I was forced to make certain units larger than they needed to be and trim them down to size later. This was producing more fabric waste than I was comfortable with, so I opted to return to the method posted above.

It actually took me a few days to realize that this was the problem. Somehow, I had tricked myself into thinking my diagrams were causing my uneasiness with the method I had used. I was really proud of myself for having figured out a way to make the rail fence heart block using this alternate method, and I didn't want to acknowledge it's flaws. I had to take a few days to step back, take a break from drafting, and reevaluate the processes I had been using.

Friends, I think what I've learned from this is; if you have an idea that you're excited about, try it, experiment with it, test it in as many ways as you can. But if it isn't doing for you the things you need it to, thank your experiments for everything they've taught you and let them go. Move on to a method that's more reliable and better aligned with the type of creator you want to be.

Final Thoughts from VA

On a lighter note; now that we’ve finished making our rail fence heart blocks, what can we do with them? There are lots of ways to combine the two sizes and block styles to make really cute and interesting quilts. Or, you could combine the rail fence heart block with some of your favourite quilt blocks to make a totally unique pattern!

Remember that quilts come in all shapes and sizes; you could make lots of rail fence heart blocks for a bed quilt, or use just a few to make a small wall hanging, table runner, or mug rug.

If you make a quilt using the rail fence heart block pattern, please share a photo in the comments below, on my Facebook group, or by tagging me on Instagram, @vafibrearts. I can't wait to see the beautiful things you'll create with this pattern!