- Background (muslin)
- Light (faded chambray)
- Medium (goldenrod)
- Dark (indigo)
Block No. 98 · other
Dove in the Window Quilt Block
Also known as Dove in a Window
Part of: Half Square Triangle Quilt BlocksQuilt Blocks For BeginnersAnimal Quilt BlocksBird Quilt Blocks
Dove in the Window is the straight-seam version: four large medium triangles meet a light cross with a dark center, and a row of small triangles in each quadrant makes the dove's wing. It is a 7-grid, so the clean sizes are 7, 10 1/2 and 14 inches.
Version note: Straight-seam version, marked traditional by Quilter's Cache under the name Dove in a Window. The long-point star called Dove at the Window is a different block. Layout confidence: medium.
- Level
- Confident Beginner
- Grid
- 7 × 7
- Pieces
- 49
Chart
Cutting for a 14" block
7 × 7 grid. All cuts fall on 1/8" ruler marks. Unfinished block: 14 1/2".
| Fabric | Shape | Cut | Size | Then | Pieces used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Corner square | 4 | 2 1/2" square | Stitch and flip; trim seam allowance to 1/4 inch | 4 |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 8 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 16 |
| Light | Rectangle | 4 | 2 1/2" × 6 1/2" | Use as cut | 4 |
| Medium | Square | 4 | 4 1/2" square | Use as cut | 4 |
| Medium | Square | 4 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 4 |
| Medium | Half-square triangle | 8 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 16 |
| Dark | Square | 1 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 1 |
Method
Piecing steps
Step 1: Cut every patch listed in the cutting chart for your size. Plain areas are cut as the larger squares and rectangles shown; do not subdivide them. Columns count from the left and rows from the top, starting at 1, in grid cells.
Step 2: Make the half-square triangles: cut each HST parent square once diagonally, sew contrasting triangles along the long edge, press toward the darker fabric and square up (16 at 2 1/2"). Keep each fabric pair and size in its own stack.
Step 3: Make 4 snowball units: draw a diagonal on each 2 1/2" corner square, place it right sides together on the marked corner of the 4 1/2" square, sew on the line, trim 1/4 inch beyond and press out. Each unit measures 4 1/2".
Step 4: Make four snowball units: a medium square with one background corner. They sit next to the light cross, inside the big medium triangles.
Step 5: Lay out each quadrant with the background triangles forming a stepped diagonal band from the outer corner square inward.
Step 6: Make section 1: sew the medium square at column 1, row 1, the background/medium HST at column 2, row 1 (background in the upper-left) and the background/medium HST at column 3, row 1 (background in the upper-left) side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 7: Make section 2: sew the background/medium HST at column 1, row 2 (background in the upper-left) and the background/medium HST at column 1, row 3 (background in the upper-left) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 8: Make section 3: sew section 2 and the medium snowball unit at column 2, row 2 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 9: Make section 4: sew the medium/background HST at column 1, row 5 (medium in the upper-right), the medium/background HST at column 1, row 6 (medium in the upper-right) and the medium square at column 1, row 7 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 10: Make section 5: sew the medium/background HST at column 2, row 7 (medium in the upper-right) and the medium/background HST at column 3, row 7 (medium in the upper-right) side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 11: Make section 6: sew the medium snowball unit at column 2, row 5 and section 5 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 12: Make section 7: sew section 4 and section 6 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 13: Make section 8: sew section 1, section 3, the light rectangle at column 1, row 4 and section 7 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 14: Make section 9: sew the light rectangle at column 4, row 1, the dark square at column 4, row 4 and the light rectangle at column 4, row 5 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 15: Make section 10: sew the background/medium HST at column 5, row 1 (background in the upper-right), the background/medium HST at column 6, row 1 (background in the upper-right) and the medium square at column 7, row 1 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 16: Make section 11: sew the background/medium HST at column 7, row 2 (background in the upper-right) and the background/medium HST at column 7, row 3 (background in the upper-right) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 17: Make section 12: sew the medium snowball unit at column 5, row 2 and section 11 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 18: Make section 13: sew the medium/background HST at column 5, row 7 (medium in the upper-left) and the medium/background HST at column 6, row 7 (medium in the upper-left) side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 19: Make section 14: sew the medium snowball unit at column 5, row 5 and section 13 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 20: Make section 15: sew the medium/background HST at column 7, row 5 (medium in the upper-left), the medium/background HST at column 7, row 6 (medium in the upper-left) and the medium square at column 7, row 7 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 21: Make section 16: sew section 14 and section 15 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 6 1/2" high.
Step 22: Make section 17: sew section 10, section 12, the light rectangle at column 5, row 4 and section 16 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 6 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 23: Complete the block: sew section 8, section 9 and section 17 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 14 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 24: Press the finished block. Every join above runs edge to edge, with no set-in or Y-seams.