Quilt block designs

Most patchwork quilt tops are made up of a repeated small design, known as a quilt block. The quilt block is a great way to make making a large quilt seem less daunting, breaking the quilt top down into smaller, more manageable pieces. 

There are classic quilt blocks, and more unusual ones, and even copywrited ones that appear in books and patterns and were the invention of the designer or author. Most traditional quilt blocks fall into the following categories, we have included a couple of each from which you can explore further or even start drafting your own blocks!

Four patch quilt blocks

Four patch quilt block patterns are made on a grid of 4 x 4 squares, and easily drafted to any block size divisable by four. Some traditional patterns are:

          

 Bowtie        Dutchman's puzzle       Pinwheel

Five patch quilt blocks

Five patch quilt block patterns are made on a grid of 5 x 5 squares, and can be drafted to any block size divisable by five. Some traditional patterns are:

          

  Broken arrows      Corn and beans     Lady of the lake

Seven patch quilt blocks  

Seven patch quilt block patterns are made on a grid of 7 x 7 squares, and can be drafted to any block size divisable by seven. Some traditional patterns are:

          

     Bears paw         Country roads       Walls of Jericho

Nine patch quilt blocks

Nine patch quilt block patterns are made on a grid of 9 x 9 squares, and can be drafted to any block size divisable by nine. Some traditional patterns are:

          

Card trick         Churn dash          Ohio star