Diamond Block Tutorial & Project Ideas

I've had so many requests for a tutorial ever since I posted the Diamonds Pillow that I made for my Five & Dime Quilt Market display. Rather than give you a tutorial for a single project, I decided to just show you how to make the block and then give you some ideas for a few different items you can make with it. I also changed the dimensions of the original block so that it's now jelly roll or charm pack friendly too -- so handy! This block is super easy to sew, perfect for beginners or just for a quick finish.

To make one Diamond Block, you need...

1 rectangle 2 1/2 x 5" of your feature print
2 squares 2 1/2 x 2 1/2" of your background print

Place the 2 squares next to each other on top of the rectangle (right sides together) -- be sure the rectangle is positioned vertically. Draw a line from the lower left corner to the upper right corner on both the squares (or fold the squares in half and press with your iron to create a line with no ink like I usually do) and stitch along that line.

Trim a 1/4" seam allowance from the outer corners away from the center of the rectangle.

Press the seams open or toward the background fabric -- and you're done!

Wouldn't this block make a wonderful scrappy quilt? I really need to give that a try...

Sew together 3 rows of diamond blocks, with 7 blocks in each row), to make a pillow cover like my Five & Dime strike-off version. If you want the pillow top to be a perfect square, just add a 1" strip of background fabric to the right and left sides before adding your pillow backing. The pillow should finish at 14" square.

Sew together 5 blocks in a row (or fewer if you want a smaller version) to make a simple pouch or clutch, like the one I made here with gorgeous Tilda fabric from my dear friend Julie.

I used sparkly metallic Essex linen for the background fabric and lined the pouch with my favorite green Autumn Rose print from the Harvest collection.

A pale pink zipper and "Hello Sunshine" charm top it all off. I love how sweet and girly this is!

By the way, if you're looking for Tilda in the U.S., you definitely need to visit Julie's shop, The Intrepid Thread, which is one of the very few places you can purchase it here. And right now she has these Harvest prints on sale -- definitely a win!

By the way, I've loved seeing all the Five & Dime photos popping up on Instagram lately. It makes me so happy to see you all enjoying this fabric at last! If you're still looking to buy some, I've added a few more shops to the "my fabric" page, and I've also marked the online shops so that they're easy to find. Keep tagging me with those photos. It's so much fun to see what you're making!

Happy sewing, friends!