Free Block Pattern: Night & Day

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Who’s ready for another free block pattern? With a free tutorial video? This one is super fun. The Night & Day free block pattern looks complicated but is made up of 4 matching quadrants, which are then joined into a block that looks like a dazzling puzzle. The trickiest part about this particular pattern is how many bias edges there are to sew. But don’t let that deter you!

Lots of triangles and a couple of trimmed rectangles.

To minimize any distortion on those bias edges, it definitely helps to spray fabrics with a starch or starch alternative before pressing and cutting. It helps keep the patches more stiff and less likely to stretch out of shape. Another trick for keeping bias edges under control is, wherever possible, sew with a straight grain edge on top and a bias edge underneath.

Some other colorways I considered: Green/Purple, Blue/Yellow, Teal/Orange. I can mix up those choices, too; Pink with green, indigo with yellow, etc.

The block can be made with as few as 2 fabrics, but in my version, I used 6 different fabrics—3 coordinating but unique prints in one color, then 3 of those same prints in a contrasting color. I had a fat quarter bundle of the Fusion II collection by Ocllo Mason for QT Fabrics that works so beautifully for this design. Each color comes in 3 different prints that are close to one another but distinct and I think they all work together so beautifully in this block. But there are lots of ways one could put their own personal spin on this design.

Offset sharp angled corners to intersect right at the ¼” seam mark

Making this block also provides an excellent opportunity to practice offsetting angled patches before stitching to ensure they line up nicely. You’ll want to overlap the patches so that the angled corners are matched up right at the ¼” seam intersection, as shown in the photo above—check out how the patches overlap exactly on the ¼” line on the cutting board. Luckily, these patches have a right angle at one end that you can align, so you can get the offset practice in while ensuring accuracy.

I’ll be making more; these will look great in a layout!

Whether you would like to try this free block design with its step-by-step video instructions, or whether you’d like to peruse the wonders of all of the free block patterns we have on offer, I hope you keep trying new quilting patterns, stay curious and open to discovery, and add these interesting techniques and patterns to your creative toolbox and keep making quilts as long as it fuels your interest.

Happy quilting!

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