How to Piece a Heart Quilt Block

How is a pieced heart block laid out?

The heart sits on a 4 × 4 grid of equal squares. Some squares are plain and some are half-square triangles (HSTs), which are squares made of two triangles sewn along the diagonal. Read the grid row by row:

Row 1: four HSTs. Their background triangles sit in the outer top corners and in the dip at the center, which makes the two bumps of the heart.

Row 2: four plain heart squares.

Row 3: an HST, two plain heart squares, and another HST. The background triangles sit in the outer bottom corners, so the heart starts to narrow.

Row 4: a plain background square, two HSTs that meet at the bottom point, and another plain background square.

What size squares do you cut for a heart quilt block?

For an 8" heart, cut the plain squares at 2½" and the HST squares at 2⅞". For a 12" heart, cut 3½" and 3⅞". Each 2⅞" or 3⅞" square is cut once on the diagonal and makes two triangles, so four squares of each fabric give the eight HSTs the block needs.

These cuts come from building the heart in the Patchwork Quilt Builder on a 2" grid (for 8") and a 3" grid (for 12"). They match the classic rule: squares are finished size plus ½", and HST squares are finished size plus ⅞".

How do you sew a heart quilt block?

The steps below make one 8" heart. For a 12" heart, use the sizes in the right-hand column of the chart. Use a ¼" seam allowance.

1. Pair each heart HST square with a background HST square, right sides together. Draw a line from corner to corner on the back of the lighter square.
2. Sew ¼" from the line on both sides. Cut on the line and press toward the heart fabric. Each pair gives two HSTs, so you have eight.
3. Trim each HST to 2½" square, with the diagonal seam running exactly corner to corner.
4. Lay out the 16 pieces in four rows, following the row-by-row chart. Turn each HST so its background triangle sits where the chart shows.
5. Sew each row together. Press the seams in rows 1 and 3 to the left and in rows 2 and 4 to the right so they nest.
6. Sew the rows together, matching the seams. Pin where the two bottom HSTs meet so the point stays sharp.
7. Press the long seams in one direction. The block should measure 8½" square.
8. Or stamp the Heart block from the Quilt Builder’s block library on a 2" grid, and print the cut list from step 5. Stamp it across the grid to get the cut list for a whole quilt of hearts at once.

How do you make a rounder heart?

Replace the four HSTs in the top row with snowball corners. A snowball corner is a small square sewn onto the corner of a bigger square, on the diagonal. You sew across it, trim the extra, and press it open. It cuts off the corner at a smaller angle than an HST does, so the top of the heart looks round instead of pointed.

For an 8" heart, the top row becomes four 2½" heart squares, each with one 1½" background square sewn onto its outer corner. Put the corners where the background triangles were: top left, top right, top left, top right. For a 12" heart, use 3½" heart squares and 2" background squares. The rest of the block stays the same, so you only need two heart and two background HST squares for the bottom rows.

The builder has a Snowball piece, but it puts a corner on all four corners of a square, which suits the snowball block better than a heart. To draw a heart in the builder, use HSTs in the top row and switch to snowball corners when you sew.

How do you keep the bottom point sharp?

The point is where the two bottom HSTs meet. Trim both HSTs carefully, so their diagonal seams run right into the corners. Then press the seam between them open, which keeps the bulk from pushing the point to one side.

When you join row 3 to row 4, put row 4 on top and look for the spot where the two diagonal seams cross. Sew just through that spot. A pin straight down through it helps.

What heart quilts make good Valentine’s Day and baby gifts?

Rows of hearts. Nine 12" hearts in three rows make a 36" × 36" quilt. That is Sweetheart Rows: cherry, pink, garnet and bright rose hearts take turns on one milk background, so no heart matches its neighbors. In the builder it takes ½ yard of cherry, ¼ yard each of the other three heart fabrics and ¾ yard of background, plus 2¾ yards of backing and ½ yard of binding. For classic red hearts on white, recolor it in Cherry Pie, a three-color red, pink and white palette.

One big heart in the center. Make a single heart from 6" squares and it finishes at 24". Add a wide border for a wall quilt or a baby quilt. Strawberry Shortcake keeps it soft and sweet.

Hearts fading from pink to red. Make each heart a shade darker than the last. Rose Garden Ombré has ten steps from pale pink to deep red.

Soft hearts for a baby gift. Vintage Rosewater uses dusty pinks and creams. For more small-quilt ideas, see baby quilt patterns, and for other ways to arrange blocks, see quilt pattern ideas.

• Cherry Pie#A61E2D · #E8B9BC · #FBF4EFTry it on a quilt
• Strawberry Shortcake#F6BD60 · #F7EDE2 · #F5CAC3 · #84A59D · #F28482Try it on a quilt
• Rose Garden Ombré#590D22 · #800F2F · #A4133C · #C9184A · #FF4D6D · #FF758F · #FF8FA3 · #FFB3C1 · #FFCCD5 · #FFF0F3Try it on a quilt
• Vintage Rosewater#DAB3AF · #C79DA2 · #A47E8A · #6B544F · #2F1D20Try it on a quilt

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a heart quilt block without appliqué?

Piece it on a 4 × 4 grid. Use half-square triangles in the top row for the two bumps, in the outer corners of row 3, and in the middle of row 4 for the point. Every other square is plain.

What size squares do you cut for a heart quilt block?

For an 8" heart, cut 2½" plain squares and 2⅞" squares for the half-square triangles. For a 12" heart, cut 3½" and 3⅞". You need six plain heart squares, two plain background squares, and four HST squares of each fabric.

How many hearts do you need for a baby quilt?

Nine 12" hearts in a 3 × 3 grid make a 36" × 36" baby quilt. Sixteen 8" hearts in a 4 × 4 grid make 32" square, so add a 2" border to reach 36". See the quilt size chart for crib and throw sizes.

Can I make a heart out of charm squares?

Yes. A 5" charm square finishes at 4½", so a heart made of charm squares is 18" finished. Use charm squares for the plain squares. For the half-square triangles, cut 5⅜" squares from yardage, because a 5" charm makes a triangle unit that comes out too small.

How do I make the heart point at the bottom sharp?

Trim the two bottom half-square triangles so their seams run exactly into the corners, press the seam between them open, and sew through the spot where the diagonal seams cross when you join the last row.