The roman square is made of up three strips. The two outside strips are dark and the middle strip is light.
To create roman squares, cut 2 inch strips. You will need three strips, two dark and one light. Sew the three strips together. A mix of fabrics is good so don’t worry about how long the strips are. Iron the seams toward the dark fabric. Next, cut the strips into 5 inch squares.
Repeat this step until you have 41 squares. Organize the squares on a diagonal, alternating the orientation of the squares.
Sew the rows together to create diagonal columns.
For the end pieces, cut four 8.5 inch squares, and then cut into quarters along the diagonals. You will need 16 triangular pieces. Sew a triangular piece to the ends of each column such that you will create a straight edge finish.
8.5 inch piece of fabric. Cut along diagonal lines.
For the corners, cut two 6 inch squares and then cut in half diagonally. Sew on to end pieces to square off the edges.
Next, sew all of the columns together.
Cut four 2 inch strips for a border. Sew on to the top.
Next, select your backing and batting, pin the layers together, then machine quilt it as you desire, and sew on the binding
VARIATION 1:
If you have extra roman squares, you can use them as pictured below.
Sew the squares into a row by alternating the orientation. Each row will have 7 squares to create approx. 32 inches. Find a complementary fabric with a nice design on it and cut 36 inch strips that are 5 inches wide (referred to as the continuous fabric).
You can have four rows of roman squares and three rows of continuous fabric or three rows of roman squares and four rows of continuous fabric (this option is shown).
Sew the roman square rows to the complementary fabrics so that you have alternate rows of pieced squares and continuous fabric.
Add a border. Size of the border will be determined by how much you need to create a 36 x 36 inch top. Next, select your backing and batting, pin the layers together, then machine quilt it as you desire, and sew on the binding