Spanish Tiles

Spanish Tiles, Useful Remnants 2023

What can I say about this lovely quilt?

First, my color choices fit right in for this tile-like design. Muted reds with cream and a touch of caramel blend together nicely. I laid it out in EQ8, trying different placement and making sure I had enough fabric.

Second, while the 9” Cross Roads die is beautiful, these pieces are SMALL. Those tiny triangles are 1½” cut, 1” finished. I would NEVER cut so many by hand or rotary cutter. It took long enough with the die, plus I kept losing count or dropping them. I applaud all the women over the years who cut with scissors and stitched these blocks completely by hand.

Lastly, after I got into a rhythm, piecing was fairly easy. I was happy to see that 25th block done and get to quilting. I used cream thread and the Which Way ruler to do an allover pattern across the quilt. After borders and binding, Spanish Tiles finished out at 52” square.

I am pleased with the results, but probably won't make a queen sized version. I do have a few other ideas for more designs using this die.

An interesting side note: These fabrics are not a coordinated collection, but actually from different decades. The light red chambray was a vintage 36” wide piece found at an estate sale. I used it all except for a 4” x 10” scrap. The cream swirl is new, a 108” wide bolt of backing recently purchased from Marshall Dry Goods. The other two prints (1990 and 2019) were chosen from my stash.


Accuquilt dies used:
55533 Cross Roads 9” BOB
55032 Strip 3½”
55017 Strip 2½”