What are the different ways to lay out quilt blocks?
Most quilt layouts fall into five families: grids, directional layouts, centered layouts, scrappy all-over designs, and modern layouts with open space. The table shows one of each to start from. All the example quilts are in Patchwork’s Quilt Explorer, where you can recolor them and change the size.
| Layout | Best for | Skill | Example quilt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight grid | Showing off one block | Beginner | Starry Checkerboard |
| Alternating blocks | Halving the piecing | Beginner | Linen Cottage |
| Sashing | Mixed or sampler blocks | Beginner | Garden Lattice |
| On point | Making squares look like diamonds | Intermediate | Prairie Window |
| Rows | Strips and bars | Beginner | Bunting Bars |
| Diagonal | Movement across the quilt | Confident beginner | Trip to the Market |
| Medallion | A center you want people to see | Intermediate | Star Medallion |
| Scrappy | Using up fabric | Beginner | Scrappy Stars |
| Negative space | A modern look | Beginner | Plus One |
How do you choose a quilt layout?
Answer three questions first: how big the quilt is, how much time you have, and what blocks or fabric you already own.
Size. Large quilts look best with large shapes. A layout of 3" squares looks busy across a queen bed, while 18" blocks or a medallion read clearly from across the room. Small quilts can take small piecing.
Time. Every layout below says how much work it is. A straight set, alternating blocks or rows can be pieced in a weekend at throw size. On point, medallion and around-the-world layouts take several weekends.
What you have. Leftover blocks that don’t match in size do best in sashing, which hides the differences. A pile of scraps suits a scrappy layout with one background fabric to hold it together. One big print you love suits a layout with large plain squares, so the print isn’t cut up.
Once you have a layout, pick the block. The same block can look completely different from one layout to the next, as the five quilts near the end of this post show.
What are the classic grid layouts?
1. Straight set. Blocks side by side in rows and columns, edge to edge. The simplest layout, and the one where secondary patterns (shapes that form where blocks meet) show up most.
2. Alternating blocks. Pieced blocks take turns with plain squares, like a checkerboard. You piece half as many blocks, and the plain squares are a good place for fancy quilting.
3. Sashing. Strips of fabric between the blocks, like a window frame. Sashing hides blocks that don’t quite match in size, which makes it the usual pick for samplers. Garden Lattice frames big periwinkle squares in green.
4. Sashing with cornerstones. Small squares where the sashing strips cross. They add a second pattern and make the strips easier to line up. Pond Path uses little red-and-yellow cornerstones, and Cornerstone Patch puts a tiny nine patch at every crossing.
5. On point. The whole grid turned 45°, so square blocks stand on their corners as diamonds. The edges need setting triangles to square up the quilt. Prairie Window sets rust crosses on point.
6. Framed blocks. Each block gets its own border before the blocks are joined. Window Box Sampler frames every block and then adds cream sashing.
Which quilt layouts have the most movement?
Layouts that run in one direction pull the eye across the quilt.
7. Rows. Horizontal bands, each a different color or block. Bunting Bars stacks rows of colored bars, tall and short rows taking turns.
8. Columns. The same idea turned upright. Brickwork stacks tall rectangles in columns, and they read like a brick wall.
9. Diagonal. Color runs corner to corner in bands. Trip to the Market steps two-color checkerboards across the quilt on the diagonal. Teal Trip rings diamonds with diagonal checks.
10. Chevrons. Diagonal bands that meet in points, like a row of Vs. Sunburst sets strips on the diagonal so they meet in a bold X and nest into chevrons.
11. Stripes. Long strips with no blocks at all. Stacked Stripes and Awning Stripes are both fast, with only long seams.
12. Zigzag rail fence. Rail fence blocks turned so their strips form a zigzag across the quilt. Zigzag Rail Fence uses light, medium and dark strips so the darks zigzag. See the rail fence quilt pattern for this and other rail fence layouts.
What is a medallion quilt layout?
A medallion quilt starts with one center block and builds out from it in rounds of borders. These centered layouts all draw the eye to the middle first.
13. Medallion. A center block, then rounds of pieced and plain borders. Sunset Medallion puts a charcoal star in the middle, framed by nine patches, fuchsia squares and a checkered border.
14. Rings. Color moves out from the center in square rings, like ripples. In the builder, the Rings look in Shuffle colors lays any palette out this way on any quilt.
15. Around the world. Small squares set so color spreads from the center in diamond-shaped rings. It is a classic scrap quilt. Trip Around the World spreads gold, orange and purple rings from one center square.
16. Center star with borders. One big star block, with plain or pieced borders added until the quilt reaches its size. It is the easiest medallion to start with. Star Medallion frames one big red sawtooth star in plain, checkered and triangle borders.
17. Barn raising log cabin. Log cabin blocks turned so their dark halves form rings of diamonds out from the center. Barn Raising Cabins does it in navy and gold. See the log cabin quilt pattern.
What are some scrappy quilt layout ideas?
Scrappy layouts use many fabrics, so the layout has to stay simple to hold it together.
18. Scrappy blocks. The same block in a different fabric each time, with one background. Scrappy Stars uses bright scrappy nine patches with stars tucked in.
19. Scrappy checkerboard. Light squares take turns with squares in every other color. Harvest Checkerboard keeps every other square cream.
20. Charm squares. Big squares in many prints, no pattern at all. Charm Square Picnic is the quickest quilt in the Explorer.
21. Plaid. Crossing bands of color that deepen where they overlap, like woven cloth. Picnic Plaid does this on a white ground.
22. Gradient. Color shifts slowly from one side to the other. Ombré Nine Patch fades from brick red to indigo.
23. Woven. Strips that seem to pass over and under each other. Woven Kilim weaves sky blue strips through mustard blocks.
What layout makes a quilt look modern?
Open space. Modern quilts often leave large areas of one plain fabric, called negative space, and set the piecing off to one side or in one spot.
24. Plus signs. Simple crosses on a plain ground. Plus One sets black plus signs on cream.
25. Big blocks. One block blown up to 24" or more, so four to nine blocks fill a whole quilt. Fast to piece, bold from across the room. Giant Friendship Stars is four 30" stars, only 36 pieces in all.
26. Off-center. Put the pieced section to one side or near a corner, and fill the rest with background.
27. Single focal block. One block, or a small group, floating in a big field of plain fabric. Lone Star Corner sets one Ohio star off in a corner, which covers ideas 26 and 27 at once.
28. Minimal stripes. Two or three stripes across an otherwise plain quilt. Awning Stripes is the busy version of this idea.
29. Half-and-half. One side pieced, one side plain, split down the middle or on the diagonal.
30. Low-volume. Many pale prints that read as almost white, with a few darker blocks for contrast. The background of Lone Star Corner is low-volume. For more on light and dark, see quilt color palettes.
How does the layout change the same block?
These five quilts all use the nine patch. Linen Cottage alternates it with plain linen blocks. Ombré Nine Patch does the same but turns it into a gradient. Scrappy Stars makes every nine patch from scraps. Sunset Medallion uses nine patches as a frame around a center star. Cranberry Snowfall alternates them with red blocks whose white points join into a lattice.
You can try this on your own quilt too. In step 4 of the builder, Shuffle colors lays your palette out in one classic look after another: matching blocks, alternating blocks, scrappy blocks, medallion, rings, diagonal, four-patch grid, rows, columns, scrappy and scrappy checkerboard. It changes where the colors go, not the blocks, so you see one design in many layouts in a few clicks.
How many blocks do you need for a queen quilt?
A queen quilt in Patchwork is 90" × 108". That takes 120 blocks at 9", about 63 at 12", or 30 at 18". The 12" layout doesn’t divide evenly, so add a 3" border on each side or let the quilt run 6" wider.
For a queen, choose a layout that scales up well. Big blocks, medallions and sashing all fill a bed without hundreds of small seams. Small-block layouts like trip around the world look great on a queen, but plan on many more evenings. For standard bed sizes, see the quilt size chart. For how to plan a quilt from scratch, see how to design a quilt.
| Block size | Across × down | Blocks | Finished size before borders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9" | 10 × 12 | 120 | 90" × 108" |
| 12" | 7 × 9 | 63 | 84" × 108" (add 3" on each side) |
| 18" | 5 × 6 | 30 | 90" × 108" |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I choose a quilt layout?
- Start with what the quilt is for and how much time you have. A straight grid or alternating blocks is quickest. Sashing suits blocks that don’t match. A medallion or on-point layout takes more planning but makes a showpiece. For more patterns to start from, see quilt patterns.
- What layout makes a quilt look modern?
- Layouts with large areas of plain fabric, called negative space, look modern. Try big blocks, an off-center design, or a single focal block in a plain field.
- How many blocks do you need for a queen quilt?
- For a 90" × 108" queen, use 120 blocks at 9" (10 × 12) or 30 blocks at 18" (5 × 6). With 12" blocks, 63 blocks (7 × 9) make 84" × 108", so add a 3" border on each side.