Falling Spools: Free & Easy 3 Yard Quilt Pattern!

Make a delightfully fast and easy 3 Yard Quilt your next project! The Falling Spools 3 Yard Quilt pattern has just a single block to learn, but this block creates lots of movement on the quilt for a fun design that you’ll be proud to display in your home or gift to a loved one. Three yard quilts cost less to make because you don’t need a lot of materials, are often really quick to sew, and are easy to quilt on a home sewing machine.

Your Falling Spools Quilt will finish at 48” x 60”, which is a great throw quilt size. This quilt pattern is perfect for showcasing your favorite large scale prints because of the big 6” piece in the center of the blocks.

The free Falling Spools 3 Yard Quilt Pattern is included in the blog post below and is free to read, print, and sew! Just hit CTRL +P on your computer to print.

How Big is a 3-yard Quilt?

This particular quilt finishes at 60” x 48”. It’s an excellent throw-size quilt. You’ll have enough fabric to finish the quilt top. More fabric is required for the binding and quilt back.

Most 3-yard quilts are throw quilts or lap quilts because they don’t require very much fabric. Many would also make a darling baby quilt. Since this type of quilt isn’t very big, you can finish it quickly and give it as a gift or use it in your home. Because of the size, throw quilts like this one are easy to quilt using straight line quilting, wavy line, or crosshatch quilting with your sewing machine’s walking foot.

This quilt pattern includes a single ‘Falling Spools’ quilt block. Your main ‘focus fabric’ in the center can make the blocks really pop, and the coordinating or darker fabric will make a secondary pinweel pattern in the background. Feel free to fussy cut a 6 1/2” square for the center of the blocks, but keep in mind that half of the blocks will be rotated a quarter-turn to the left.

If you love to use your AccuQuilt fabric cutter like I do, I’ll share the optional cutting die numbers to make this pattern Accuquilt-friendly. Using an Accuquilt is optional, but I love it! See all my Accuquilt-friendly quilts. Look under the cutting dimensions below for a list of fabric-cutting dies you may use instead. All of the pieces in this quilt may be cut using dies in the GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block Set.

How to Choose the Right 3 Yards of Fabric

All my 3 Yard Quilt Patterns make it really easy to pick your fabric. First, find a beautiful ‘focus fabric’ in your stash or at your local quilt shop. For this one, I picked a large scale floral print that I found while visiting Mood Fabrics on my last fun trip to New York City.

After you have chosen your focus fabric, choose one coordinating fabric that is lighter and one coordinating fabric that is medium value or darker. My coordinating fabric is a Moda Grunge print.

Wouldn’t this quilt look beautiful in softer colors too? I almost made this quilt with a blue floral fabric and a medium value coordinating fabric, and I think that would have looked gorgeous too.

If you follow these instructions for choosing your fabrics, you can’t go wrong, and you probably already have 3 fabrics in your stash that will make a beautiful quilt.

Falling Spools Three Yard Quilt Pattern

This free quilt pattern includes instructions for the Falling Spools block. This is the only block design you’ll need to learn – simply make 20 blocks and you’ll be almost done!

Find your fabrics and sew a beautiful quilt today!

Important note: This pattern squeezes as much as possible out of each yard of fabric. The width of the main focus fabric must have 42” of usable fabric. Most fabric printed in the last 5-10 years will work great because it’s 44” wide, including the selvages so it is 42-43” wide after you cut off the selvage. Please measure the length and width of your fabric pieces before getting started to make sure and follow the cutting charts below carefully.

You will need:

• 3 one-yard cuts of fabric (a main focus fabric, one darker fabric, and one lighter fabric)*
• a rotary cutter acrylic ruler, and mat
• sewing machine
• thread (I suggest thread matching the lighter fabric)
• ironing board and iron

To sew the quilt top into a finished quilt, you will also need:

• 3 yards of backing fabric (or enough to piece together a 53” x 65” or larger quilt back)
• a piece of quilt batting at least 53” x 65”
• 1/2 yard of fabric for the binding

Cutting:

Fabric A is your focus fabric. From this fabric, cut:

• 20 squares 6 1/2” x 6 1/2”
• 40 squares 3 1/2” x 3 1/2”

Optional Accuquilt cutting instructions:

• The 6 1/2” squares may be cut with AccuQuilt Die 55000 (found in the GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block Set)
• The 3 1/2” squares may be cut with AccuQuilt Die 55701 (found in the GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block Set)

Fabric B is the coordinating medium value or darker fabric. From this fabric, cut:

• 40 rectangles 3 1/2” x 6 1/2”
• 20 squares 4” x 4”

Optional Accuquilt cutting instructions:

• The 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” rectangles may be cut with AccuQuilt Die 55000 (found in the GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block Set)
• Instead of cutting 4” x 4” squares, cut 40 half square triangles (3” finished) using AccuQuilt Die 55703 (found in the GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block Set)

Fabric C is the lighter fabric. From this fabric, cut:

• 40 rectangles 3 1/2” x 6 1/2”
• 20 squares 4” x 4”

Optional Accuquilt cutting instructions:

• The 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” rectangles may be cut with AccuQuilt Die 55000 (found in the GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block Set)
• Instead of cutting 4” x 4” squares, cut 40 half square triangles (3” finished) using AccuQuilt Die 55703 (found in the GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block Set)

Quilt Piecing

Use an accurate or scant 1/4’’ seam allowance, according to preference and finished block accuracy for your sewing machine.

How to Sew the Falling Spools Quilt Block

Make 40 Fabric B/C Half Square Triangles (HST’s)

1. Use the pencil or fabric marking pen to draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of the 4” Fabric C squares. This is a cutting line.

Place all of the 4” Fabric B squares right sides together with the 4” Fabric C squares. Pin the squares together.

2. Sew a scant 1/4’’ away from the cutting line on on both sides of the line.

3. Cut each piece in half diagonally along the line. Open and press to make 2 half square triangles (HST units). Trim each HST to 3 1/2” square. Repeat to make 40 Fabric B/C HSTs.

Optional AccuQuilt Instructions

Sew together all of the Fabric B and Fabric C triangles cut with HST die 55703 to make 40 Fabric B/C half square triangles.

Sew the Blocks

1. Sew all of the 3 1/2” Fabric A Squares to a 3 1/2” x 5 1/2” Fabric B rectangle. Press the seam toward the Fabric A Square.

Make 40 pieces.

2. Sew a half square triangle to the opposite end of the Fabric B rectangle. Take note of the orientation of the half square triangle piece. Press the seam toward the HST.

Make 40 pieces.

3. Sew a 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” Fabric C rectangle to both sides of a 6 1/2” x 6 1/2” Fabric A square. Press the seams toward the Fabric A Square.

Make 20 pieces.

4. Sew three block rows together as shown, noting the orientation of the top and bottom rows. Press the seams toward the center of the block.

Make 20 blocks.

Assemble the Falling Spools Quilt Top

1. Arrange 4 Falling Spools Blocks into a row as shown. Sew with a 1/4” seam allowance. Press the seams toward the darker pieces.

Make 5 rows.

2. Arrange the five rows as shown, with every other row turned upside down. Sew the rows together with a 1/4” seam allowance. Press the seams as desired.

Finishing the Falling Spools Three Yard Quilt Pattern

1. Cut or piece together a 53” x 65” or larger piece of quilt backing fabric and make a quilt sandwich with the backing, batting, and top.

2. Baste together with fusible batting, pins or basting spray.

3. Quilt as desired. Straight line quilting or cross hatch quilting with your walking foot would be fast and easy. Trim away the extra backing fabric and batting.

4. Cut 6 binding strips and bind using your favorite method. This is my favorite quilt binding method.

As always, I love seeing the quilts you make with my free sewing patterns. Please post a picture to Instagram and tag me @sewcanshe so I can take a look!

xoxo,