How to Make a Four-Patch Quilt Block

The Four-Patch Quilt block is a classic and beautiful design. Here are instructions for making a Four-Patch Quilt.

When choosing fabric for this project look for 100% cotton prints, in two contrasting colors. I made a sample block in cream and pink, which came out very nice. You can also use any bold color against a white, cream, on tone-on-tone fabric. You can even use a print fabric, if the print isn't too large. You can alternate the colors by changing all the darks to the light, and all the lights to the dark. (Try doing half the blocks that way and then build the quilt in an A-B-A-B-A-B pattern for a really interesting result.)

You can also add a third (or even a fourth) color, by changing one or two of the squares to avoid a duplicate color. If your light color is the same throughout, you can even use a different "dark" or "bold" color for each of the blocks. There's no end of color combinations with this versatile pattern.

To get an idea of what your finished four patch block should look like, think about a checkerboard. If you look at the four blocks in a corner of a checkerboard, you'll see a four-patch block in red and black.

Before you start, if you're working with fabrics that you think may shrink, go ahead and pre-wash, dry, (and iron if necessary) the fabric before starting.

Each finished four-patch block will be 9 inches square. With that in mind, decide how big you want your quilt to be, and count up how many four-patch blocks you will need. For example, 9 four-patch blocks would make a 27 inch square wall hanging.

For EACH four-patch block you want to make you'll need to cut out two pieces of one color and two pieces of the other color, for a total of four pieces. (If you want to use four different colors, just cut one of each color, so you still have a total of four pieces per block.)

Cut out each of the squares so that they are 5 inches on each side. After you're finished sewing, each block will be 9.5 inches (9 inches, plus a quarter-inch seam allowance on each edge so you can assemble the blocks.) The square is the only shape you'll need to assemble this quilt.

Take two pieces, (one of each color), and sew them, right sides together, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. If you have an iron, press the seam towards the darker fabric. (You don't *have* to iron, but it can make your pieces easier to work with, and your finished product will look neater.) This gives you a two-colored rectangle that's 5 inches by 9 inches.

Now repeat that step, so that you have two two-colored rectangles. Turn one of them around and lay them so that they look like a checkerboard. (One will have the lighter color on top and the other will have the darker color at the top.)

Now take the two rectangle pieces you've created and sew them together. (Right sides together, 1/4 inch seam allowance, iron if you wish.)

Now you should have a completed block that looks like a small piece of a checkerboard, (except in your colors). Repeat until you have as many blocks as you figured for in Step Two. Lay them out and rearrange them in whatever pattern you prefer. Sew them together, first in rows, and then sew the rows together, to complete your quilt top.

Beautiful!!

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