- Background (muslin)
- Medium (goldenrod)
- Dark (indigo)
Block No. 97 · four-patch
Tic Tac Toe Quilt Block
Also known as Tile Puzzle
Part of: Four Patch Quilt BlocksHalf Square Triangle Quilt BlocksEasy Quilt BlocksQuilt Blocks For BeginnersBaby Quilt Blocks
Tic Tac Toe is a four-patch game board: two quadrants hold dark X checkerboards and the other two hold medium O squares ringed by four little triangles pointing inward. It is a cheerful, beginner-friendly block for a child's quilt.
Version note: Nancy Page (Birmingham News) 1935 version, also published as Tile Puzzle in 1935, per the Field Guide to Quilts. Modern snowball-corner Tic Tac Toe blocks are a different design. Layout confidence: medium.
- Level
- Beginner
- Grid
- 6 × 6
- Pieces
- 40
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 | 8 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 8 |
| Background | Rectangle | 4 | 2 1/2" × 4 1/2" | Use as cut | 4 |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 4 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 8 |
| Medium | Square | 2 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 2 |
| Medium | Half-square triangle | 4 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 8 |
| Dark | Square | 10 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 10 |
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 (8 at 2 1/2"). Keep each fabric pair and size in its own stack.
Step 3: Make the X quadrants as checkerboards of dark and background squares with dark in the corners and center.
Step 4: For each O quadrant, set the medium center square between background bars and place the HSTs at the corners with the medium triangles pointing toward the center.
Step 5: Make section 1: sew the dark square at column 1, row 1, the background square at column 1, row 2, the dark square at column 1, row 3, the background/medium HST at column 1, row 4 (background in the upper-left), the background square at column 1, row 5 and the medium/background HST at column 1, row 6 (medium in the upper-right) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 6: Make section 2: sew the background square at column 2, row 1, the dark square at column 2, row 2, the background rectangle at column 2, row 3, the medium square at column 2, row 5 and the background square at column 2, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 7: Make section 3: sew the dark square at column 3, row 1 and the background/medium HST at column 4, row 1 (background 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 8: Make section 4: sew the dark square at column 3, row 3 and the medium/background HST at column 4, row 3 (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 9: Make section 5: sew the background/medium HST at column 3, row 4 (background in the upper-right) and the dark square at column 4, row 4 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 10: Make section 6: sew the medium/background HST at column 3, row 6 (medium in the upper-left) and the dark square at column 4, row 6 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 11: Make section 7: sew section 3, the background rectangle at column 3, row 2, section 4, section 5, the background rectangle at column 3, row 5 and section 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 12: Make section 8: sew the background square at column 5, row 1, the medium square at column 5, row 2, the background rectangle at column 5, row 3, the dark square at column 5, row 5 and the background square at column 5, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 13: Make section 9: sew the background/medium HST at column 6, row 1 (background in the upper-right), the background square at column 6, row 2, the medium/background HST at column 6, row 3 (medium in the upper-left), the dark square at column 6, row 4, the background square at column 6, row 5 and the dark square at column 6, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 14: Complete the block: sew section 1, section 2, section 7, section 8 and section 9 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 12 1/2" wide by 12 1/2" high.
Step 15: Press the finished block. Every join above runs edge to edge, with no set-in or Y-seams.