Prairie Braid Block

By Kat at “Ripping Out Seams”

The Prairie Braid is hands down my favorite way to use up scraps. It‟s the perfect combination
of simplicity and elegance and depending on the fabrics it can be as traditional as Laura Ingalls
Wilder, or as modern as you yourself can make it! This tutorial provides directions and
measurements for a 12 ½” block as shown above, as well as suggestions for modifying the size.

Tips for Success

 Read this pattern all the way through before starting.

 Use ¼ seam allowances throughout.

 Be careful not to stretch your fabrics as you sew. Because the fabrics are sewn into the
braid on a diagonal, there is a large amount of give. Pulling on and stretching will cause
your final block to pucker and wrinkle.

Terms of Use

 It‟s simple…give credit where credit is due.

 For personal home use only. Please do not sell items made with this tutorial (exception
for charitable auctions, raffles, etc).
 HAVE FUN!!!
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Materials

 Approximately 60 scraps, cut into 1 ½” by 3” pieces

 One 1 ½ “ square
 Two sashing strips, cut into 1 ¼” by 13” pieces

Sewing

1. Place your 1 ½” square (A) at the end of one of your longer strips (B), right sides
together. Stitch the two pieces together along the long end of the strip so that when
opened, the fabrics form and „L‟ shape. Finger press open.

2. Place another strip at a right angle to strip B with right sides together. Finger press the
seam open. Continue to attach strips, alternating sides, until your strip is about 15” long.

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3. Iron your strip flat.

4. Using the center of the strip as your guide, trim the uneven top edges from you block.
You may discard the top scraps. Measuring from your now flat top, cut your strip down
to 13”. Keep the excess pieces from the bottom of your strip. You will need it!

5. Next, trim the uneven edges. Measure two inches from the center (so the braid will be
even and centered) and cut off any excess. Flip the braid over and do the same from the
opposite side. Your final braid should be four inches wide. If you are concerned about
centering the braid properly, leave 2 ¼” on each side for a total of a 4 ½” strip. You can
then shave off the excess ½” for added precision.

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 6. Take the excess braid that you set aside in step 4 and use this to start your next braid.
Repeat steps 2-5 twice more until you have three 4” by 13” braids.

7. Sew your three braids together using the two 1 ¼” by 13” sashing strips. Iron your seams
flat.

8. Trim off any uneven edges from the top and bottom of your block. Your finished block
should measure 12 ½” square.

Modification Tips
 To change the size of these braid strips, add a half inch of width for every inch of length.
 I do not recommend making a braid any smaller than 3” or larger than 6” in width using
this method. If you want to make a wider braid than that, your scrap sizes should be
about 3 times as long as they are wide. The table below contains some sample sizes that I
like.

Braid Width Scrap Size

3” 1” by 3”

4” 1 ½” by 4”

5” 2” by 5”

6” 2 ½” by 6”

7” 2 ¾ ” by 7”

8” 3” by 8”