How to Make a 16-Patch Quilt Block Tutorial

One of the basic building blocks of quilt block construction is the 16-Patch Quilt Block.  It’s easy, it’s versatile, and it’s one of my favorites.

In today’s tutorial, 16-Patch Quilt Blocks make up the entire quilt.

But, the 16-Patch can also be used in conjunction with other blocks like the Blitz Quilt Pattern, or as an alternate to paper pieced stars like the Baby Star Quilt.

Keep those quilts in mind as you read through this tutorial and as you make your first 16-Patch Quilt Block.

Scrappy or Fabric Strips

There are two ways to make these quilt blocks from fabric strips. I’m going to share both with you today.

You can, alternatively, make this block entirely from 16 little squares.  As long as they are all the same size, they’ll come together to make 16-patches.

But today, strip piecing is the way to go.

Two Ways to Make a 16-Patch Quilt Block

Start by sewing fabric strips into pairs. 

It does not matter what size the width of your fabric strips are, as long as they are all the same.

I’m working with 2½” strips, which makes this a good jelly roll quilt.  My finished blocks measure 8” square.

If you start with 2” strips, your blocks will finish at 6”.  If you start with 3 ½” strips, your blocks will be 12”. 

Really, any size of fabric strips will work.

All strips sewn into pairs, pressed towards the darker fabric.

At this point, the tutorial splits into two different methods to make the blocks, and I’ll let you in on a little secret.

I used both throughout my quilt.

Rows of Four

To make blocks from rows of four little squares, take the strip pairs and sew along the long side to make groups of four.

Then, sub-cut the strip sets.  Since my fabric strips measured 2½”, I sub cut at 2½” as well and I get 16 sub cuts per strip set.  My little groups of four measure 2½” by 8½”.

If you started with 2” strips, you will sub cut at 2” as well, and be able to get 20 cuts per strip set.

Started with 3½” strips?  That’s right, you’ll sub cut at 3½” as well and get 11 cuts per strip set. 

Squares of Four

The second way to make 16-Patch Quilt Blocks from strip sets is to sub-cut first, and then sew to a second pair to make a square from four smaller squares.

The sub-cutting will follow the same rules as above, just with pairs of fabric strips rather than sets of four.

Since my strips started at 2½”, my cuts will also be at 2½”.

Then, sew the resulting pieces together (make sure to pin at the seam!) to make a little 4-Patch that measures 4½” square.

The image above shows the strip sets cut individually.  You can definitely do it that way, and if you are a beginner, or if the cutting part of quilting is not your strength, I highly recommend that method.

Confident cutters can pair strip sets together, right sides together, and seams nestled together and cut two strip sets at a time.  The resulting pieces will be ready for the seam to be pinned for sewing.

As before, these steps need to be cut at the same measurement of the width of the original fabric strip. 

Making Half Blocks

Whichever method used for starting the quilt block construction, the units need to be joined to make half blocks.

With either 4-Patches or Rows of 4, sew one unit to a second by matching and pinning seams and sewing with a ¼” seam allowance.

These are half blocks, and they are interchangeable.  What I mean by that is that at this point, it no longer matters which method was used to make them.  Both are 2 squares by 4 squares (can we call them 8-Patches) and both measure 4½” by 8½”.

The last step in making the blocks is to sew 2 half blocks together, making sure to match and pin seams before sewing.

Turning Quilt Blocks into a Quilt Top

Sew the blocks into rows and the rows into the quilt top.

I made 30 blocks and set them in 6 rows of 5.

My quilt measures 40” by 48” which I think is a perfect baby size quilt.

Remember, if you use larger or smaller fabric strips, your blocks will be smaller or larger as well, so that affects the overall size of the quilt and may necessitate more or less blocks to accommodate the desired quilt size.

Confession Time

For those of you who think professional quilters are perfect and never make mistakes…

Even as the author of several basting and quilting tutorials, I still managed to end up with several large puckers in the backing of my quilt that I did not discover until after quilting.

Whoops!  Always room for improvement…