- Background (muslin)
- Light (faded chambray)
- Dark (indigo)
Block No. 101 · other
Maple Leaf Design Quilt Block
Part of: Half Square Triangle Quilt BlocksLeaf Quilt Blocks
Maple Leaf Design pairs two leaves on the diagonal, a dark one at the top left and a light one at the bottom right, each finished with small triangle stem units. The other two quarters are background, so the leaves seem to fall past each other.
Version note: From Generations. It differs from the Maple Leaf block (one 3x3 leaf) and from Ozark Maple Leaf (one leaf fabric and different stem placement). Layout confidence: medium.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Grid
- 6 × 6
- Pieces
- 26
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 | 2 | 4 1/2" square | Use as cut | 2 |
| Background | Square | 6 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 6 |
| Background | Corner square | 4 | 2 1/2" square | Stitch and flip; trim seam allowance to 1/4 inch | 4 |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 2 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 4 |
| Light | Square | 1 | 4 1/2" square | Use as cut | 1 |
| Light | Rectangle | 1 | 2 1/2" × 6 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Light | Rectangle | 1 | 2 1/2" × 4 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Light | Half-square triangle | 1 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 2 |
| Dark | Square | 1 | 4 1/2" square | Use as cut | 1 |
| Dark | Rectangle | 1 | 2 1/2" × 6 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Dark | Rectangle | 1 | 2 1/2" × 4 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Dark | Half-square triangle | 1 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 2 |
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 (4 at 2 1/2"). Keep each fabric pair and size in its own stack.
Step 3: Make 2 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 the two leaf snowball units: one dark and one light square with background corners on two opposite corners.
Step 5: Lay out each leaf with its stem HSTs exactly as in the diagram; the dark and light stems face opposite ways.
Step 6: Make section 1: sew the background square at column 1, row 4 and the dark/background HST at column 2, row 4 (dark 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 7: Make section 2: sew the dark snowball unit at column 1, row 1, the dark rectangle at column 1, row 3, section 1 and the background square at column 1, row 5 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 8: Make section 3: sew the dark rectangle at column 3, row 1, the background square at column 3, row 4, the background/light HST at column 3, row 5 (background in the upper-left) and the background square at column 3, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 9: Make section 4: sew the background square at column 4, row 1, the dark/background HST at column 4, row 2 (dark in the upper-left), the background square at column 4, row 3 and the light rectangle at column 4, row 4 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 10: Make section 5: sew the background/light HST at column 5, row 3 (background in the upper-left) and the background square at column 6, row 3 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 background square at column 5, row 1, section 5, the light rectangle at column 5, row 4 and the light snowball unit at column 5, row 5 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 12: Complete the block: sew section 2, section 3, section 4 and section 6 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 13: Press the finished block. Every join above runs edge to edge, with no set-in or Y-seams.