Rail Fence

About this block

This block is built from strip units arranged into a four-patch, with each unit made of two to six strips of fabric, though three is the most common count. It dates to the 1800s, spreading the way many folk patterns did in that era, by quilters showing blocks directly to friends and neighbors rather than through print, which led to a lot of regional variation over time. The name comes from the zigzag look of split-rail fences that once crisscrossed the American countryside, an effect strip-pieced quilters could reproduce by alternating light and dark fabrics between units. Historically, quilt historian Barbara Brackman has documented earlier "Rail Fence" designs that looked quite different from today's version, including a woven chevron pattern made from single strips rather than pieced blocks.