- Background (muslin)
- Light (faded chambray)
- Dark (indigo)
Block No. 70 · nine-patch
Four Corners Quilt Block
Part of: Nine Patch Quilt BlocksEasy Quilt BlocksQuilt Blocks For Beginners
Four Corners surrounds a plain center with hourglass units and anchors each corner with a dark L-shape. The light patches inside each L echo the light tips of the hourglasses, giving a quiet star within a frame.
Version note: Grid corrected from 3 to 6 to match the reference drawing's smallest patches.
- Level
- Beginner
- Grid
- 6 × 6
- Pieces
- 29
Chart
Cutting for a 12" block
6 × 6 grid. All cuts fall on 1/8" ruler marks. Unfinished block: 12 1/2".
| Fabric | Shape | Cut | Size | Then | Pieces used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 1 | 4 1/2" square | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Quarter-square triangle | 2 | 5 1/4" square | Cut twice diagonally (4 triangles each) | 8 |
| Light | Square | 4 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 4 |
| Light | Quarter-square triangle | 1 | 5 1/4" square | Cut twice diagonally (4 triangles each) | 4 |
| Dark | Square | 4 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 4 |
| Dark | Rectangle | 4 | 2 1/2" × 4 1/2" | Use as cut | 4 |
| Dark | Quarter-square triangle | 1 | 5 1/4" square | Cut twice diagonally (4 triangles each) | 4 |
Method
Piecing steps
Step 1: Cut the QST parents twice diagonally. For each side unit, join a dark and a background triangle, then a light and a background triangle, and sew the pairs together. Square each hourglass to 4 1/2".
Step 2: Make four corner units: sew a dark and a light square together, then add the dark rectangle along the outer edge. Each measures 4 1/2".
Step 3: Lay out three rows with the dark triangles and dark rectangles on the outer edges and the light patches toward the center.
Step 4: Sew the rows, pressing toward the corners and center.
Step 5: Join the rows with a 1/4-inch seam allowance, matching each seam intersection. Press and check the unfinished block measures 12 1/2" square.