EZ Dresden Ruler post 2 - the Snake Trail Tutorial

I love this quilt. I cut this picture out of a Garnet Hill catalog years ago and stuck it in a file so I could recreate it someday. I wasn't sure of the name of it and asked around. Elisa found out some great info on it - thanks Elisa!

Here is what she found:

There is an awesome post about variations of this type of block here. It has tons of pictures which could inspire you to come up with your own great project!

If you have EQ6 or EQ7 - you can download the Playing with Snakes project. This post will show you what it's all about.

This page from a book by Pepper Cory shows how you can change up the Snake Trail (also called a Drunkard's Trail because it is related to a Drunkard's Path).

And this post shows you how to draw your own block!


And now for my own tutorial on the Snake Trail

1. Cut a 3 inch wide strip of fabric.

2. Align your EZ Dresden Ruler so that the 1" line and the 4" line are on each edge of your strip. Cut along both  angled sides.

You will end up with a block like this

3. Flip your ruler over and line it up again with the 4" line and the 1" line on each strip edge. Line up the left edge of the ruler with the left edge of the fabric. Continue cutting along the length of the strip.

You will end up with blocks like these.

4. Once you get your blocks cut - arrange them so that you have 5 in a row. Sew them together and press.

Here is what you will have when you're done sewing. You will need 2 arcs like this for each 8.5 inch (unfinished) block.

 

5. Print a template and cut it out. (Download the template HERE). Make sure when you print it, you print it at actual size, 100%, or whatever it is that keeps the sizing correct for your printer. When you cut out the pieces, they should go all the way to the edge of an 8.5 inch wide paper. 

You will have 3 pieces (2 corners and a middle). Cut 1 of each for each 8.5" (unfinished) block. I doubled up my fabric to get 2 of each piece.

Here is what you will have.

6. Lay out your pieces like this. This is how they will be pieced. There is no need to trim your arcs into perfect curves. You can piece them as they are.

7. When piecing curves, you need to pin. I am usually not a pinner, but for curves it is a must. Start by finding the middle of each piece and pinning them right sides together.

8. Next pin the edges.

8. Next pin everything in between. You cannot have too many pins when pinning a curve.

9. Now you can sew them together. I would suggest sewing with your background piece on top since it is a more accurate curve.

10. Once you've sewn all the curves together (4 for each block), you'll have a block that looks like this. As you can see, it's a little wonky. Sewing curves will do that sometimes. I used starch and steam to try to stretch it into place, and then I trimmed it up to 8.5 inches.

And that is how you make a Snake Trail block! 

There are a few different ways to put them together ...

But I'm going to stick with my original plan. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll have an entire quilt!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you liked my tutorial. If you'd like to win your very own EZ Dresden Ruler please leave a comment on this post OR my other post telling me something fun you're planning to do this summer. I will pick a winner on Saturday, June 9th. 

I hope you've had a chance to check out the other posts and don't forget to check out the upcoming ones as well. All details on the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild website. Thanks so much for stopping by and have fun sewing!