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quilt pattern

Rail Fence Ripple Quilt Pattern: Sizes, Cutting, and Assembly

Rail Fence Ripple uses contrasting strip sets to build repeated quilt blocks. The AllPeopleQuilt version makes 108 six-inch blocks, while a separate PDF documents larger size options.

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Rail Fence Ripple is a strip-pieced quilt pattern: sew contrasting dark and medium/light fabric strips together, cut the strip sets into segments, and arrange those segments into Rail Fence units and blocks. The AllPeopleQuilt version makes 108 six-inch-finished blocks for a quilt measuring about 54½ × 72½ inches; a separate instruction PDF also documents 8-, 12-, and 16-inch finished-block options. Keep the measurements for each version together rather than mixing them.

What is the Rail Fence Ripple pattern?

Rail Fence Ripple is a quilt pattern credited to Becky Cogan for Need’l Love on AllPeopleQuilt. Its construction uses strip sets to create repeated Rail Fence units, which are assembled into blocks and arranged in rows. The AllPeopleQuilt project page, published January 4, 2021, gives the specific dimensions and materials for its version: Rail Fence Ripple on AllPeopleQuilt.

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A separate PDF by Carol Thelen, copyrighted 2023, documents four finished block sizes. It is a distinct set of instructions, so its cutting measurements should not be combined with the AllPeopleQuilt quantities: Rail Fence Ripple Quilt Instructions PDF.

How many blocks do you need?

For the AllPeopleQuilt version, make 108 blocks, each finishing at 6 inches. Arrange them in 12 horizontal rows. The completed quilt is listed at about 54½ × 72½ inches. These quantities and dimensions apply to that version, not automatically to the alternate sizes in the QuiltNotes PDF.

What fabric and supplies does the AllPeopleQuilt version require?

Material or cutting Quantity or size
Dark-print fabric 15 fat quarters; cut 216 strips, each 1¼ × 18 inches
Medium/light-print fabric 15 fat quarters; cut 216 strips, each 1¼ × 18 inches
Binding fabric ⅝ yard
Backing fabric 3½ yards
Batting 63 × 81 inches

These are the listed requirements for the AllPeopleQuilt project. The instructions do not require a particular fabric brand, cutter, sewing machine, or other model. You will also need ordinary cutting and sewing materials to piece and finish the quilt.

How does the strip-piecing assembly work?

  1. Sew one dark-print strip to one medium/light-print strip to make a strip set. Make a matching set as directed by the pattern.
  2. Cut each strip set into eight segments, each 2 inches wide, following the AllPeopleQuilt instructions.
  3. Join four segments to make one Rail Fence unit.
  4. Join four Rail Fence units to make one block. Repeat until you have 108 blocks.
  5. Arrange the blocks in 12 horizontal rows, then sew the rows together to make the quilt top.
  6. Layer the quilt top with the batting and backing, baste the layers, quilt as desired, and bind the edges.

As the AllPeopleQuilt editors put it, “Making strip sets saves time when a design requires several units of the same pieces.”

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Which finished block size should you use?

The QuiltNotes PDF describes 6-, 8-, 12-, and 16-inch finished-block options. It gives corresponding strip and segment sizing and discusses contrasting light and dark fat-quarter strips, along with AccuQuilt cutter references. Choose one size option and use its associated measurements consistently. The AllPeopleQuilt page’s 1¼ × 18-inch strips and 2-inch segments belong to its six-inch-block version; do not assume they fit the larger QuiltNotes blocks.

If you are deciding between the documented options, compare the finished block size and the strip/segment dimensions in the PDF first. Fabric should provide a clear dark-versus-medium/light contrast, as both instruction sources rely on that distinction. Neither source establishes a preferred brand, price, or quality ranking.

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Rail fence quilt for kids at heart
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