- Background (muslin)
- Medium (goldenrod)
- Accent (madder red)
Block No. 104 · pictorial
Tree of Paradise Quilt Block
Part of: Half Square Triangle Quilt BlocksTree Quilt Blocks
Tree of Paradise sets alternating medium and accent triangles along diagonal rows, like leaves and blossoms on a tree that leans to one corner. A large triangle and two three-triangle units form the trunk.
Version note: Quilter's Cache traditional version. Medium (leaf) and accent (blossom) triangles alternate along the diagonals, mirror symmetric about the tree's axis. Layout confidence: medium.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Grid
- 7 × 7
- Pieces
- 67
Chart
Cutting for a 14" block
7 × 7 grid. All cuts fall on 1/8" ruler marks. Unfinished block: 14 1/2".
| Fabric | Shape | Cut | Size | Then | Pieces used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Square | 4 | 4 1/2" square | Use as cut | 4 |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 1 | 4 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 11 spare |
| Background | Half-square triangle | 11 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 22 |
| Background | Quarter-square triangle | 1 | 3 1/4" square | Cut twice diagonally (4 triangles each) | 22 spare |
| Medium | Square | 5 | 2 1/2" square | Use as cut | 5 |
| Medium | Corner square | 4 | 2 1/2" square | Stitch and flip; trim seam allowance to 1/4 inch | 4 |
| Medium | Half-square triangle | 1 | 4 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 11 spare |
| Medium | Half-square triangle | 5 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 10 |
| Medium | Quarter-square triangle | 2 | 3 1/4" square | Cut twice diagonally (4 triangles each) | 62 spare |
| Accent | Half-square triangle | 6 | 2 7/8" square | Cut once diagonally (2 triangles each) | 12 |
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 (1 at 4 1/2", 22 at 2 1/2"). Keep each fabric pair and size in its own stack.
Step 3: Make 4 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 2 quarter-square triangle units: cut the QST parent squares twice diagonally, sew the triangles in pairs, then join the pairs. Square each unit to 2 1/2".
Step 5: Make the accent and medium HSTs in separate stacks; they alternate along each diagonal row.
Step 6: Make the two trunk units: QSTs with three medium triangles and one background triangle, and the large trunk-foot HST trimmed to 4 1/2".
Step 7: Make section 1: sew the background/medium HST at column 1, row 3 (background in the upper-left) and the background/accent HST at column 2, row 3 (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 2: sew the background snowball unit at column 1, row 1, section 1, the background snowball unit at column 1, row 4 and the large medium/background HST at column 1, row 6 (medium in the upper-right) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 9: Make section 3: sew the background/medium HST at column 3, row 1 (background in the upper-left) and the background/accent 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 10: Make section 4: sew the background/accent HST at column 3, row 2 (background in the upper-left) and the background/medium HST at column 4, row 2 (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 11: Make section 5: sew the background/medium HST at column 3, row 3 (background in the upper-left) and the background/accent HST at column 4, row 3 (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 12: Make section 6: sew the QST at column 3, row 4 (top medium, right medium, bottom medium, left background) and the medium 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 13: Make section 7: sew the medium square at column 3, row 5 and the QST at column 4, row 5 (top medium, right medium, bottom background, left medium) side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 14: Make section 8: sew section 3, section 4, section 5, section 6, section 7 and the background snowball unit at column 3, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 15: Make section 9: sew the background/medium HST at column 5, row 1 (background in the upper-left), the background/accent HST at column 5, row 2 (background in the upper-left), the medium square at column 5, row 3, the accent/background HST at column 5, row 4 (accent in the upper-left), the medium/background HST at column 5, row 5 (medium in the upper-left), the accent/background HST at column 5, row 6 (accent in the upper-left) and the medium/background HST at column 5, row 7 (medium in the upper-left) in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 2 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 16: Make section 10: sew the background/accent HST at column 6, row 1 (background in the upper-left) and the medium square at column 7, row 1 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 2 1/2" high.
Step 17: Make section 11: sew the medium square at column 6, row 2 and the accent/background HST at column 7, row 2 (accent 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 18: Make section 12: sew the accent/background HST at column 6, row 3 (accent in the upper-left) and the medium/background HST at column 7, row 3 (medium 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 19: Make section 13: sew the medium/background HST at column 6, row 4 (medium in the upper-left) and the accent/background HST at column 7, row 4 (accent 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 20: Make section 14: sew the accent/background HST at column 6, row 5 (accent in the upper-left) and the medium/background HST at column 7, row 5 (medium 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 21: Make section 15: sew section 10, section 11, section 12, section 13, section 14 and the background snowball unit at column 6, row 6 in a column, top to bottom. Press and check it measures 4 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 22: Complete the block: sew section 2, section 8, section 9 and section 15 side by side, left to right. Press and check it measures 14 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" high.
Step 23: Press the finished block. Every join above runs edge to edge, with no set-in or Y-seams.