How to Make the Bayou State Quilt Block – Journey of US State Quilt Blocks #5 Louisiana

Welcome to the 5th block in our Any Way You Want It – A 50 State Quilt Block Journey. We are introducing the Louisiana block! To see our other State blocks (click here – State Quilt Block Journey)

In 1912 Hearth and Home solicited quilters to submit a quilt block that they thought represented their State, and they then published them and I am recreating these blocks for us to make!

The Louisiana Block is a variation on the Pin Wheel block. It was intended to make with Patriotic colors, but the colors can be interpreted with other colors representing Louisiana.

, How to Make the Bayou State Quilt Block – Journey of US State Quilt Blocks #5 Louisiana

Below is a picture of the pattern that I have to work from, and I was able to reconstruct this block pattern in EQ8. This block will be 12″ square finished! Also, it is one of the few blocks that they were able to show the designer of the block.j

Below I will give you tips on building this block and also lay out the steps to build this block. Follow my tips and you will get a beautiful 12 1/2″ block. This block is quick and easy to put together. I tried doing the pin wheels with flying geese, but the EQ8 templates worked the best to get a 12 1/2″ square block.

Go grab the templates for this block below and let’s get started! The pattern includes cutting the templates and instructions on cutting the strips for your templates.

To Begin With

I have created a video on how to put this block together and I have embedded it at the end of this post.

This block can will be built by sewing the pin wheel section, then adding the solid section to the pinwheel. You will then have four identical sections to this block that will need to be put together.

Choose fabrics that contrast each other so that the pattern will stand out. You will need a light, medium and dark color fabrics for this block. I chose three Batiks from my Stash. I am part of a Batik Fat Quarter of the Month club, so I chose my fabrics out of the stash I have built up through that. Below are the Batik’s I used in this block. Patriotic colors work well with this block also.

Tips for this block before we start

Use a skant 1/4″.
Cut your strips with the grain of the fabric. This will help prevent stretching the fabrics when sewing. We want the fabrics to keep their shape.
Use a smaller stitch like a 2.0 stitch. This will help keep your fabrics from moving after sewing them.
The notches on the side of the template need to be cut from the fabric. This will be very important to line up your pieces.

Step 1 – Choose Your Fabrics and Cut your Templates

The templates that you have downloaded tell you how wide to cut strips for each template. It also tells you how many to cut from either the light, medium or dark fabric. Get your templates cut out and cut the notches out of the templates also.

Take your fabric and square it up with the grain and cut your strips to the width needed according the pattern. The number of strips will depend on the width of your fabric.

Next up will be to cut your templates out of the strips that you just cut.

Step 2 – Layout your Block Pieces and start with the Pin Wheel Section

Layout out all your pieces in the order they go to make the block. Use your handy legend and the picture to help you lay it out!

I used a Block Easel that has a terry cloth fabric that the fabrics stick to so I can take it right to my machine and always have the block layout in front of me.

To build the Pin wheel section you will need add a “B” piece to a “C” piece as shown in the first picture below. Line up the rounded corners, clip and sew a skant 1/4″. Iron towards Piece “B”. Repeat for the other side with the other piece “B”.

Square up your pin wheel section to 6 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ if needed. Put your newly sewn pin wheels back into your block layout.

Step 3 – Add the Solid Section to the Pin Wheels

Now that your pin wheels are done, we will add the solid section to the side with the point of the pin wheel. Sew at a skant 1/4″. Iron the seam towards the solid section.

Repeat for all four pin wheel and solid sections. Square up your new section to 6 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ if needed.

Layout your four sections so that they form the pin wheel in the center.

Take two sections and sew them together at a skant 1/4″. The corners seams will nest together. Repeat for the other two sections. Iron towards the pin wheel. This will make it so that your seams will be ironed in opposite ways and they will nest when putting the two halves together.

Step 4 – Finish Your Block

Take the two sections you have left, put the center seams together so that they nest and lay flat against each other. Sew at a skant 1/4″ and iron to one side.

Square your block up by lining up the seams to the 6 1/4″ line and the 45 degree line will run down the seam of the pinwheel. The center of the block will be at the 6 1/4″ crossroads.

Once your ruler is lined up correctly, trim any fabric larger than the 12 1/2″ block.