Lost Ship Quilt Block Pattern

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The Lost Ship quilt block is a fun and challenging block to sew, but with the right instructions and some patience, you can create a beautiful block for your quilt. Here are the steps to sew a Lost Ship quilt block:

Materials:

Fabric in at least two different colors
Rotary cutter and cutting mat
Quilting ruler
Sewing machine and thread
Iron and ironing board

Instructions:

Cut your fabric into the following pieces:

Four 2 ½” x 2 ½” squares in one color (A)
Four 2 ½” x 2 ½” squares in a contrasting color (B)
Two 2 ½” x 4 ½” rectangles in color A
Two 2 ½” x 6 ½” rectangles in color A
Two 2 ½” x 8 ½” rectangles in color B
One 2 ½” x 12 ½” rectangle in color B

Take one 2 ½” x 2 ½” square of color A and one 2 ½” x 2 ½” square of color B. Place them right sides together and sew a ¼” seam along one edge. Press the seam to one side. Repeat this process with the remaining squares, so you have four square units.
Take two square units and sew them together along one edge, with the color A squares next to each other. Press the seam to one side. Repeat this process with the remaining square units, so you have two 4-patch units.
Take one of the 4-patch units and one of the 2 ½” x 4 ½” rectangles in color A. Sew the rectangle to one side of the 4-patch unit, aligning the short edges. Press the seam towards the rectangle.
Take one of the 4-patch units and one of the 2 ½” x 6 ½” rectangles in color A. Sew the rectangle to one side of the 4-patch unit, aligning the short edges. Press the seam towards the rectangle.
Take the two units you made in steps 4 and 5 and sew them together along one long edge, with the rectangle units next to each other. Press the seam to one side.
Take the remaining 4-patch unit and one of the 2 ½” x 8 ½” rectangles in color B. Sew the rectangle to one side of the 4-patch unit, aligning the short edges. Press the seam towards the rectangle.
Take the other 4-patch unit and the remaining 2 ½” x 8 ½” rectangle in color B. Sew the rectangle to one side of the 4-patch unit, aligning the short edges. Press the seam towards the rectangle.
Take the two units you made in steps 7 and 8 and sew them together along one long edge, with the rectangle units next to each other. Press the seam to one side.
Take the 2 ½” x 12 ½” rectangle in color B and sew it to the bottom of the unit you made in step 9. Press the seam towards the rectangle.
Take the unit you made in step 6 and sew it to the right side of the unit you made in step 10. Align the edges and press the seam towards the rectangle.

Congratulations, you have now completed your Lost Ship quilt block! Repeat these steps to create as many blocks as you need for your quilt. When you're ready to assemble your quilt top, arrange the blocks in a pleasing pattern.

This is a great technique for making half square triangles that eliminates the need to directly manipulate the stretchy bias of the triangle. It utilizes two easy to cut squares producing two half square triangles.

On the back of the lighter fabric, draw a pencil line, diagonally from corner to corner.

Stack a pair of light and dark squares, right sides together. Sew a 1/4 inch seam allowance on each side of the line.

You will end up with something like this.

Now cut along the diagonal line.

Press the seam together to set the seam. Then press towards the darkest fabric.

To trim the block to the exact size line up the diagonal 45°angle with the ruler on your seam.

And then carefully trim your block with a rotary cutter.

How to Resize Quilt Blocks:

The first step in modifying any quilt block is to decide on the size of your finished quilt block. You can come to a decision based on a number of factors: doubling a pattern, cutting your pattern in half, or choosing the size based on your available fabric.

NOTE: When working from a pattern’s cutting instructions, make sure you remove the seam allowance before doubling or tripling the size. For instance, if your pattern calls for 3-1/2″ squares, first you’ll subtract the sum of the seam allowances (1/2″), double the finished block size (from 3″ to 6″), and add the seam allowance back in (1/2″). So, when all is said and done, you will cut a 6-1/2″ piece of fabric.

Resizing Square Blocks:

Square blocks are the easiest to resize. Simply add to your finished block measurement. For example, if you’d like your finished block to be a 4″ square, you’ll need to cut a 4-1/2″ square of fabric.

Resizing Rectangular Blocks:

Similarly to the square, for rectangle blocks, you’ll add to the length and width measurements of your finished block. If you’re doubling block that measures 3″ x 4″ in your quilt, you’ll cut a 6-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ rectangle of fabric.

Resizing Half-Square Triangle Blocks:

When you want to change the size of a Half-Square Triangle block, add 7/8″ to the desired finished block size. To make a 4″ finished block, you’d cut 4-7/8″ squares.

Resizing Quarter Square Triangle:

Since there are two cut lines and two seam lines in a Quarter-Square Triangle block you’ll need to add 1-1/4″ to the desired finished block size. For a finished block that’s 4″, you’d cut your squares 5-1/4″.

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