- Background (muslin)
- Dark (indigo)
Block No. 62 · nine-patch
Illinois Quilt Block
Part of: Nine Patch Quilt BlocksFlying Geese Quilt BlocksHalf Square Triangle Quilt BlocksState Quilt BlocksTwo Color Quilt Blocks
Illinois stacks pairs of flying geese on each side of a plain center, with large triangle corners pointing out. The geese arrows aim toward the block edges, so a quilt of Illinois blocks reads as bold crosses.
Version note: Grid corrected from 3 to 6 to match the reference drawing's smallest patches.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Grid
- 6 × 6
- Pieces
- 33
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 | Half-square triangle | 2 | 4 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 4 |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 8 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 16 |
| Dark | Half-square triangle | 2 | 4 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 4 |
| Dark | Quarter-square triangle | 2 | 5 1/4" square | Cut twice diagonally (4 triangles each) | 8 |
Method
Piecing steps
Step 1: Make the large corner HSTs and square each to 4 1/2".
Step 2: Make eight flying geese with dark goose triangles and background sky triangles; trim each to 4 1/2" by 2 1/2".
Step 3: Sew the geese in stacked pairs, both pointing the same way, to make four 4 1/2" side units.
Step 4: Lay out three rows: corners with the dark triangle outward, geese pairs pointing away from the center, and the background center square.
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.