I want to make a scrappy fence rail quilt... queen size... approx 86"x93"

my blocks will be 8" square... no borders on finished quilt....

so that would be 11 squares across = 88" and 12 squares down = 94"... am I correct so far....

each block will have 4 strips... so I will need a total of....
11*12=132 squares
132*4 strips per square = 528 strips????

Is that right? ahhh that is a lot... I got about 50 or so cut now heh... want to cut all before I start then just pull random from the stack for making the blocks, then pull blocks randomly for making the quilt top

so did I do that math correctly?

The math looks good to me :)

i would say that's right

I was scared of that LOL

Thanks for checking, think I need to go to the other room and cut some more strips. looks like I will be cutting into some yardage (why is it I hate to cut into a larger piece of fabric)

8x12=96, otherwise the math is fine. You are making your strips 2.5" x 8.5"? Usually a rail fence is done with a set color scheme, so you don't pull fabrics randomly, but it can be made scrappy as well. I'm looking forward to seeing your finished quilt.

Just make sure you account for the seam allowance of your strips because all of your math is based on a "finished" 8" block. Each strip would need to be 2.5" x 8.5"

Why 8 x 12? It's 11 rows by 12 rows...?

The block finishes at 8 in, and she has 12 rows, so the quilt will measure 88 X 96, not 94

12 8" squares down will make the length 96", right?

oops thanks for the correction on the math there (yes should be 8x12=96")

Yes I am cutting them 2.5 x 8.5 allowing for the 1/4" seam allowance (I have been reading a lot here before I started cutting for this)

I have looked at a lot of fence rails, and noticed they tend to have set color blocks, but I prefer scrappy... so I thought, why not use the design, but just do random strips... so.. I am :)

(don't tell the quilt police, they might come and scowl at me and my scrappy fence rail)

I will post pics once I start sewing, for now, it is just cutting... got a little over 80 strips so far... whew lots and lots of cutting... thank god for the rotary cutter, but I think I need to change the blade.. skipping a lot (trying to make it last as long as I could). I tried that tip cutting the foil, did not help mine, still skipping. ah well... do as much as I can, and can always use scissors if I need to

I'm so glad you asked this because I am thinking of doing the exact same thing! I think the scrappy will be pretty, and so "homey" and "old timey." At least that's my thinking! Good luck ... you'll get there!

I did not mean to disparage the scrappy rail fence - far from it, because scrappy quilts are my favorites!

I did not take it that way... I just tend to ramble sometimes

:)

I have one that I made scrappy. I made it with 5 rows and divided the fabrics by value, not color. It turned out rather pretty

that is pretty thank you for sharing

Well so far I have 100 pieces cut heh

I grouped them into stacks of 50 and rolled them up like a jelly roll, this way it is easier to keep track of how many I have cut, plus they are not laying around to get mixed up with scraps (I am messy when cutting)

You could also do what is sometimes referred to as "controlled scrappy". You could piece four WOF (width of fabric) strips together and get four blocks out of that but then place them randomly. With 132 blocks even if each block appeared four times it would still be very scrappy. Just a thought.

By the way, your purple should be there any day!

Enjoy!

I thought about doing that... if I needed to use some of my yardage... so far still cutting up scraps. (between the stuff I found at the thrift store, including clothing, and the stuff my mother in law gave me, the scraps are keeping me going)

hmmm I think the purple may have arrived.. I will send you a pm

I love scrappy quilts.