What is a quilt block?
A quilt block is a square unit of patchwork that repeats to make a quilt top. Most blocks are 6", 8", 9", 10" or 12" finished, and 12" is the most common size for bed quilts. The finished size is the size after the block is sewn into the quilt. The unfinished size is ½" larger, because of the ¼" seam allowance on each side.
Blocks are drawn on a grid. A four-patch block divides into 2 × 2 (or 4 × 4) squares, and a nine-patch block into 3 × 3. Five-patch and seven-patch blocks divide into 5 × 5 and 7 × 7. The grid tells you how big each piece is. A 12" nine-patch block has 4" units, and a 10" five-patch block has 2" units.
| Grid | Units across | 6" block | 9" block | 12" block |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four-patch | 2 (or 4) | 3" (1½") | 4½" (2¼") | 6" (3") |
| Nine-patch | 3 | 2" | 3" | 4" |
| Five-patch | 5 | 1.2" | 1.8" | 2.4" |
| Seven-patch | 7 | about ⅞" | about 1¼" | about 1¾" |
What are the basic units of a quilt block?
Almost every pieced block is made from seven units. They are also the seven pieces in the Patchwork Quilt Builder. Any block made from them can be drawn there and turned into a cut list.
| Unit | Cut size for a 3" finished unit | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Square | 3½" square | Nine patch, four patch, checkerboards |
| Rectangle (two strips) | Two 2" × 3½" strips | Rail fence, churn dash, log cabin |
| Half-square triangle | Two 3⅞" squares make two | Pinwheel, friendship star, maple leaf |
| Quarter-square triangle | Two 4¼" squares make two | Hourglass, Ohio star, card trick |
| Flying geese (3" × 6") | One 3½" × 6½" rectangle, two 3½" squares | Sawtooth star, Dutchman’s puzzle |
| Snowball | One 3½" square, four 1⅜" corner squares | Snowball |
| Bowtie (two-color hourglass) | One 4¼" square of each fabric makes two | Bowtie, hourglass layouts |
What are the most common four-patch quilt blocks?
Four-patch blocks divide into two units across and two down, or four by four for more detail. They are the easiest blocks to resize because every measurement halves neatly.
| # | Block | Other names | Grid | Units | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Four patch | 2 × 2 | Squares | Beginner | |
| 2 | Double four patch | 4 × 4 | Squares | Beginner | |
| 3 | Pinwheel | Windmill | 2 × 2 | Half-square triangles | Beginner |
| 4 | Broken dishes | 2 × 2 | Half-square triangles | Beginner | |
| 5 | Hourglass | Quarter-square triangle | 1 × 1 or 2 × 2 | Quarter-square triangles | Beginner |
| 6 | Square in a square | Economy block | 2 × 2 | Square, corner triangles | Confident beginner |
| 7 | Snowball | 1 × 1 | Snowball | Beginner | |
| 8 | Bowtie | 2 × 2 | Squares with sew-and-flip corners | Beginner | |
| 9 | Dutchman’s puzzle | 4 × 4 | Flying geese | Confident beginner | |
| 10 | Attic windows | 2 × 2 | Square, rectangles, mitered or HST corner | Confident beginner |
What are the most common nine-patch quilt blocks?
Nine-patch blocks divide into three units across and three down. They include some of the best-known blocks of all. A 12" nine-patch block has 4" units, which are easy to cut and sew.
| # | Block | Other names | Grid | Units | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Nine patch | 3 × 3 | Squares | Beginner | |
| 12 | Split nine patch | 3 × 3 | Half-square triangles, squares | Beginner | |
| 13 | Shoo fly | 3 × 3 | Half-square triangles, squares | Beginner | |
| 14 | Churn dash | Hole in the barn door, monkey wrench | 3 × 3 | HSTs, rectangles, square | Beginner |
| 15 | Puss in the corner | 3 × 3 | Squares, rectangles | Beginner | |
| 16 | Maple leaf | 3 × 3 | HSTs, squares, appliquéd or pieced stem | Confident beginner | |
| 17 | Birds in the air | 3 × 3 | Half-square triangles | Confident beginner | |
| 18 | Jacob’s ladder | 3 × 3 | Four patches, half-square triangles | Confident beginner | |
| 19 | Disappearing nine patch | 3 × 3, cut and turned | Squares | Beginner | |
| 20 | Card trick | 3 × 3 | HSTs, quarter-square triangles | Intermediate |
What are five-patch and seven-patch quilt blocks?
Five-patch blocks divide into 5 × 5 units and seven-patch blocks into 7 × 7. They have more detail than nine-patch blocks. The units come out at odd sizes unless you pick the block size to suit. A 10" five-patch block and a 14" seven-patch block both have 2" units.
| # | Block | Grid | Units | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Five patch (cross) | 5 × 5 | Squares | Beginner |
| 22 | Double Irish chain (chain block) | 5 × 5 | Squares | Confident beginner |
| 23 | Sister’s choice | 5 × 5 | Squares, half-square triangles | Confident beginner |
| 24 | Duck and ducklings | 5 × 5 | HSTs, rectangles, squares | Intermediate |
| 25 | Triple Irish chain (chain block) | 7 × 7 | Squares | Intermediate |
| 26 | Bear’s paw | 7 × 7 | HSTs, squares, rectangles | Intermediate |
What are the most common star quilt blocks?
Star blocks have a center, points and corners. The unit used for the points decides the star. The sawtooth uses flying geese, and the Ohio star uses quarter-square triangles. The friendship star uses half-square triangles, and the LeMoyne uses diamonds. Fifteen star quilts are in star quilt patterns.
| # | Block | Other names | Grid | Units | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Sawtooth star | Evening star | 4 × 4 | Flying geese, squares | Beginner |
| 28 | Friendship star | 3 × 3 | Half-square triangles, squares | Beginner | |
| 29 | Ohio star | Variable star | 3 × 3 | Quarter-square triangles, squares | Confident beginner |
| 30 | Eight-point star (pieced) | 4 × 4 | Half-square triangles, squares | Intermediate | |
| 31 | LeMoyne star | Lemon star | 8 diamonds | 45° diamonds, set-in squares and triangles | Advanced |
| 32 | Carpenter’s wheel | 6 × 6 | Diamonds, HSTs, squares | Advanced | |
| 33 | Lone star | Star of Bethlehem | Whole quilt | Strip-pieced diamonds | Advanced |
What are strip and log quilt blocks?
Strip and log blocks are built from strips of fabric instead of a grid of squares. They are quick to cut and use up long scraps well. Most of them need no triangles at all.
| # | Block | How it is built | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Log cabin | Logs added around a center, lights on two sides and darks on two | Confident beginner |
| 35 | Courthouse steps | Logs added to opposite sides in pairs | Confident beginner |
| 36 | Half log cabin | Logs added on two sides only, so the center sits in a corner | Beginner |
| 37 | Pineapple | Log cabin with logs set at angles, usually foundation pieced | Advanced |
| 38 | Rail fence | Three or four strips sewn side by side and cut square | Beginner |
| 39 | Chinese coins | Short strips stacked in columns with sashing between | Beginner |
| 40 | Brick | Rectangles in offset rows | Beginner |
| 41 | Roman stripe | Strips sewn on the diagonal, joined to a plain triangle | Confident beginner |
What are curved, appliqué and set-in quilt blocks?
These blocks cannot be made from straight-sided squares and triangles. Curved blocks need curved seams. Appliqué blocks are pieces sewn on top of a background. Set-in blocks join three pieces at one point. These are the hardest group, and tutorials for them are coming later. The Patchwork Quilt Builder only uses straight-sided pieces, so it cannot draw them yet.
| # | Block | Technique | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Drunkard’s path | Curved seams: a quarter circle in a square | Intermediate |
| 43 | Orange peel | Appliqué or curved piecing | Intermediate |
| 44 | Clamshell | Appliqué or curved piecing | Intermediate |
| 45 | Dresden plate | Wedges sewn into a ring, appliquéd to a background | Intermediate |
| 46 | Grandmother’s flower garden | Hexagons, usually English paper pieced | Intermediate |
| 47 | Sunbonnet Sue | Appliqué figure | Intermediate |
| 48 | Tumbling blocks | 60° diamonds with set-in seams | Advanced |
| 49 | Kaleidoscope | Eight 45° wedges with corner triangles | Intermediate |
| 50 | Mariner’s compass | Foundation paper piecing | Advanced |
What quilt blocks look hard but are easy?
Some blocks look complicated because they make new shapes where blocks meet. Each block on its own is simple. These five are good to try when you want a quilt that looks harder than it is.
| Block | What you see | What it really is |
|---|---|---|
| Disappearing nine patch | A puzzle of mixed squares | A nine patch cut in half both ways, with the four pieces turned |
| Jacob’s ladder | Diagonal ladders across the quilt | Four patches and half-square triangles |
| Dutchman’s puzzle | A spinning pinwheel of points | Eight flying geese |
| Square in a square | Diamonds on point | A square with a triangle on each side |
| Card trick | Four overlapping cards | A nine patch of HSTs and QSTs |
How do you choose blocks for a sampler quilt?
A sampler quilt uses a different block in every position. The trick is to make them all look like one quilt. Pick blocks from the same grid, so they are the same size with the same unit size. Twelve 12" nine-patch blocks with 4" units look more alike than a mix of grids. Then use the same palette and the same background in every block.
Mix easy and harder blocks so the quilt has places to rest. Here is a good beginner sampler of twelve blocks. Start with the nine patch, four patch, pinwheel and friendship star. Add the churn dash, shoo fly, Ohio star and sawtooth star. Finish with the hourglass, square in a square, puss in the corner and maple leaf. Together they cover every basic unit.
Sashing between the blocks hides small differences in size and gives each block its own frame. Window Box Sampler, in Quilt Explorer, uses twelve framed-square blocks set in cream sashing.
How do you resize a quilt block?
To resize a block, change the size of the grid unit and recalculate the cut sizes. A nine-patch block has three units across, so a 9" block has 3" units and a 12" block has 4" units. Then add the seam allowance to each piece. Add ½" for squares and rectangles, ⅞" for half-square triangles, and 1¼" for quarter-square triangles.
Pick a block size that suits the grid. Nine-patch blocks work best at 6", 9" and 12". Four-patch blocks work at 4", 6", 8" and 12", and five-patch blocks at 5", 10" and 15". Other sizes give you units like 2.4", which do not fall on a ruler line.
| Block size | Unit size | Square | HST square | QST square |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6" | 2" | 2½" | 2⅞" | 3¼" |
| 9" | 3" | 3½" | 3⅞" | 4¼" |
| 12" | 4" | 4½" | 4⅞" | 5¼" |
In what order should a beginner learn quilt blocks?
Learn blocks in order of the units they use. Start with squares, then strips, then half-square triangles. Next come flying geese and quarter-square triangles, and last, curves and set-in seams. Each step adds one new skill, and each block on the way makes a good quilt on its own.
| Step | New skill | Blocks to make |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accurate ¼" seams, matching corners | Four patch, nine patch |
| 2 | Cutting and sewing strips | Rail fence, log cabin |
| 3 | Half-square triangles | Pinwheel, friendship star, shoo fly |
| 4 | Flying geese | Sawtooth star, Dutchman’s puzzle |
| 5 | Quarter-square triangles | Hourglass, Ohio star |
| 6 | Mixing units in one block | Churn dash, card trick, Jacob’s ladder |
| 7 | Curves, appliqué and set-in seams | Drunkard’s path, Dresden plate, LeMoyne star |
How do you design your own quilt block?
To design your own block, pick a grid (four-patch, nine-patch or five-patch), sketch which units go in each square, and color them by value. You can do this on screen in the Patchwork Quilt Builder. Set a grid, place pieces, and merge squares into larger pieces. Then use Save block to keep it. Stamp the block across the quilt, rotate it with R, copy it, or scale it.
Once the block is on a quilt, the yardage step gives you the cut list for every piece. The full process, from size to printed pattern, is in how to design a quilt.
- Choose a block size and grid. A 12" nine-patch block has 4" units.
- In the Quilt Builder, set the grid square size to match your units.
- Place pieces in each square: Solid Square, Half-Square Triangle, Quarter-Square Triangle, Rectangle, Flying Geese, Snowball or Bowtie.
- Merge squares where a piece spans more than one unit, such as a large center square.
- Select the block and use Save block.
- Stamp it across the quilt. Press R to rotate any copy.
Questions
- What size is a standard quilt block?
- The most common block size is 12" finished (12½" unfinished). Blocks of 6", 8", 9" and 10" are also common. Pick a size that divides evenly into your block grid. A 12" block works for both four-patch and nine-patch blocks.
- How many blocks do I need for a queen quilt?
- A queen quilt (90" × 108") takes 63 twelve-inch blocks for 84" × 108", or 99 ten-inch blocks for 90" × 110". The quilt patterns guide has a full table by size.
- What is the most popular quilt block?
- The log cabin and the nine patch are two of the best-known traditional blocks. Among star blocks, the sawtooth star and the Ohio star are the best known.
- What is the difference between a four-patch and a nine-patch block?
- A four-patch block divides into a 2 × 2 grid (or 4 × 4), and a nine-patch block into a 3 × 3 grid. The grid sets the size of every piece: a 12" four-patch has 6" units, and a 12" nine-patch has 4" units.
- What is the easiest quilt block for beginners?
- The four patch and the nine patch are the easiest. Both are only squares. After those, try a pinwheel or friendship star to learn half-square triangles. See free quilt patterns for beginners.