Churn Dash Quilt Block History

Iron your fabrics nice and flat to remove any and all wrinkles.

Churn dash quilt block history.

It makes a great block for quilting bee and guild exchanges quick to whip up at the last minute if needed because of its simplicity. Try this churn dash quilt block pattern if you re looking for a traditional patchwork design for your next quilting project. Work with any fabrics that suit you even reproductions from past eras are perfect for this quilt block. The churn dash quilt block is a traditional block that has been around for over 150 years.

The churn dash quilt block is an old favorite. In this article you will learn how to piece a 12 finished churn dash quilt block. Choose batiks and other similar quilting fabrics to give churn dash a more contemporary look. Since the block was thought to resemble a butter churn with the middle square representing the dash the stick that churns the butter the name churn dash was readily adopted.

There are four half square triangle units four rail fence units and one plain block unit. Use your cutting measurements to get your pieces all. Its name is a result of the resemblance of the triangle and rectangle perimeter of the block to a butter churn and the center square to the stick or dash of the butter churn. The churn dash quilt was one of the first patterns many young girls learned in the 1800s because it s straight up triangles rectangles and squares.

The basic churn dash quilt block can be divided into 9 equal square units. The churn dash block also has many other names. Like many traditional blocks from the 19th century the pattern was shared among women on isolated homesteads but not always shared with a name. Half square triangles hst 4 at a time.

The four corners are half square triangles with each unit in between split into contrast colored rectangles. It is a 9 patch block meaning there are 9 sections of construction. 3x3 the churn dash quilt block is fun to put together with just half square triangles simple strip pieced squares and solid squares. Churn dash quilt block tutorial.

The churn dash quilt which has several other names is a distinctly american quilt block with a long history that stretches back to pioneer days and wagon trains. Nineteenth century quilts reflect what women saw around them and what was important in their lives such as the churn a common household item. Dating back as early as the mid 1800s the churn dash block was created by women and girls traveling west and was inspired by everyday objects in their lives specifically the butter churn. The churn dash is a very old 9 patch quilt block pattern originating between 1800 and 1849.