How to Do a Lighthouse Quilt Block

Lighthouses are a great motif to base a quilt on. You can choose to recreate only one particular lighthouse or use a variety of lighthouse quilt blocks. However you decide to make your lighthouse quilt, it will be a favorite for years to come.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pattern or a picture of a lighthouse with which you can make your own
• Fabric
• Pins
• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing machine

1. Choose your design. Plan to appliqué your block.

2. Purchase the fabrics you want to use for your quilt block. It's a good idea to keep a picture of the actual lighthouse that you want to recreate handy. This helps when you are placing the fabrics on your background.

3. Cut out your pieces. If you already have a pattern to work from this is easy. You can make your own pattern by making several black and white copies of a photo on regular paper. Cut out the different pieces of the lighthouse and use them to make a pattern.

4. Lay your pattern pieces onto your fabric background. Hold all the pieces in place with pins.

5. Appliqué your pieces onto the background fabric using the satin stitch setting on your sewing machine.

6. Iron your block. It's best if you iron on the back of the block.

Tips & Warnings

• A satin stitch is set on your sewing machine by moving the stitch length to 0, the stitch width to about 4 (although you may want to practice on another piece of fabric besides your quilt block) and the stitch type to zigzag.
• Depending on the type of background fabric you use, you may need some sort of stabilizer to stitch the block nicely. Stabilizers are available at your local fabric store.