- Background (muslin)
- Dark (indigo)
Block No. 112 · other
Sweetheart Chain Quilt Block
Part of: Quilt Blocks Using Squares And RectanglesEasy Quilt BlocksQuilt Blocks For BeginnersTwo Color Quilt Blocks
Sweetheart Chain outlines a heart in dark squares on a background field, with one extra dark square on the right edge that links each heart to the next in a quilt. It is all squares and rectangles, so it is a quick valentine.
Version note: From Quilter's Cache (a 24-inch block on a 12x12 grid). The extra dark cell at row 5, column 12 is in the reference; it links to the next block in the chain. Layout confidence: medium.
- Level
- Beginner
- Grid
- 12 × 12
- Pieces
- 48
Chart
Cutting for a 12" block
12 × 12 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 | Square | 4 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 4 |
| Background | Square | 11 | 1 1/2" square | Use as cut | 11 |
| Background | Rectangle | 1 | 2 1/2" × 9 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Rectangle | 1 | 1 1/2" × 12 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Rectangle | 1 | 3 1/2" × 4 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Rectangle | 1 | 1 1/2" × 7 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Rectangle | 1 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" | Use as cut | 1 |
| Background | Rectangle | 2 | 1 1/2" × 4 1/2" | Use as cut | 2 |
| Background | Rectangle | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" | Use as cut | 2 |
| Background | Rectangle | 4 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" | Use as cut | 4 |
| Dark | Square | 15 | 1 1/2" square | Use as cut | 15 |
| Dark | Rectangle | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" | Use as cut | 2 |
| Dark | Rectangle | 2 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" | Use as cut | 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: Cut the background as the long strips and rectangles in the chart, not as single squares.
Step 3: Lay out the rows on a design wall; the heart outline steps diagonally one square at a time.
Step 4: Make section 1: sew the background square at column 2, row 2 and the dark square at column 2, row 3 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 1 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 5: Make section 2: sew the dark rectangle at column 3, row 2 and the background rectangle at column 3, row 3 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 6: Make section 3: sew the dark square at column 5, row 3, the background square at column 6, row 3 and the dark square at column 7, row 3 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 3 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" high.
Step 7: Make section 4: sew the background rectangle at column 5, row 2 and section 3 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 3 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 8: Make section 5: sew the dark rectangle at column 8, row 2 and the background rectangle at column 8, row 3 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 9: Make section 6: sew the background square at column 10, row 2 and the dark square at column 10, row 3 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 1 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 10: Make section 7: sew the background rectangle at column 1, row 2, section 1, section 2, section 4, section 5, section 6 and the background square at column 11, row 2 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 11: Make section 8: sew the background rectangle at column 2, row 4, the dark square at column 6, row 4 and the background rectangle at column 7, row 4 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" high.
Step 12: Make section 9: sew section 8 and the background rectangle at column 2, row 5 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 9 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 13: Make section 10: sew the background square at column 12, row 4, the dark square at column 12, row 5 and the background square at column 12, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 1 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 14: Make section 11: sew the dark rectangle at column 1, row 4, section 9, the dark rectangle at column 11, row 4 and section 10 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 15: Make section 12: sew the dark square at column 2, row 7 and the background square at column 2, row 8 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 1 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 16: Make section 13: sew the dark square at column 3, row 8, the background rectangle at column 4, row 8 and the dark square at column 9, row 8 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 7 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" high.
Step 17: Make section 14: sew the background rectangle at column 3, row 7 and section 13 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 7 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 18: Make section 15: sew the dark square at column 10, row 7 and the background square at column 10, row 8 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 1 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 19: Make section 16: sew the background rectangle at column 1, row 7, section 12, section 14, section 15 and the background square at column 11, row 7 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 20: Make section 17: sew the dark square at column 4, row 9, the background rectangle at column 5, row 9 and the dark square at column 8, row 9 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 5 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" high.
Step 21: Make section 18: sew the background square at column 4, row 10 and the dark square at column 5, row 10 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" high.
Step 22: Make section 19: sew section 18 and the background square at column 4, row 11 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 23: Make section 20: sew the background square at column 6, row 10, the dark square at column 6, row 11 and the background square at column 6, row 12 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 1 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 24: Make section 21: sew the dark square at column 7, row 10 and the background square at column 8, row 10 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" high.
Step 25: Make section 22: sew section 21 and the background square at column 7, row 11 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 26: Make section 23: sew section 19, section 20 and section 22 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 5 1/2" wide by 3 1/2" high.
Step 27: Make section 24: sew section 17 and section 23 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 5 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 28: Make section 25: sew the background rectangle at column 1, row 9, section 24 and the background square at column 9, row 9 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.
Step 29: Complete the block: sew the background rectangle at column 1, row 1, section 7, section 11, section 16 and section 25 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 30: Press the finished block. Every join above runs edge to edge, with no set-in or Y-seams.