Free Quilt Block Pattern - Four Corners

Today we're going to piece together a traditional quilt block called Four Corners. When I was a wee girl, we lived in Farmington, NM and I remember going to Four Corners and standing in four states at once - that was pretty cool. So when I saw the name of this quilt block, I just had to do a tutorial on it. I know it probably got it's name from the four patches in the corners but I can pretend that it's named after Four Corners. Let's get started!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Four Corners Quilt Block:

• Light/Ivory: 3 - 5.5" squares, 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 4 - 2.5" squares
• Medium/Red: 4 - 2.5" squares
• Dark/Brown: 3 - 5.5" squares

Sewing Directions:

Hourglass Units (aka Quarter-Square Triangle):

Step 1:

Using the Light/Ivory 5.5" squares and the Dark/Brown 5.5" squares, piece together 5 Hourglass units (you'll have an extra unit). Trim the units to 4.5" square. You can find my tutorial for making Hourglass blocks at: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-hourglass-or-quarter-square-triangle-block

Corner Units:

Step 2:

Sew together a Light/Ivory 2.5" square and a Medium/Red 2.5" square and press the seam allowance toward the Medium/Red fabric as shown in the picture below.

Step 3:

Sew a Light/Ivory 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle to the Step 2 unit you just made as shown in the picture below. 

Step 4:

Press the seam allowance toward the Light/Ivory 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle as shown in the picture below. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for a total of four Corner Units.

Putting It All Together:

Step 5:

Lay out the Hourglass units and the Corner units as shown in the picture below.

Step 6:

From here the Four Corners block goes together like a typical Nine Patch block. Sew the units into 3 rows as shown in the picture below. The seams don't nest together in that middle row so take your time and remember "done is better than perfect"!

Step 7:

Press the seam allowances in the top and bottom row toward the Corner Units and the seam allowance in the middle row toward the center of the block as shown below. 

Step 8:

Now you can sew the three rows together to complete the block as shown in the picture below. 

Step 9:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the block as shown below. You're done!

In Conclusion:

If you are wanting to practice making Hourglass units, this is the block for you! The Four Corners block went together quickly. You can change the look of it simply by changing the colors in the center Hourglass unit, or making the four outer Hourglass units out of three colors instead of two. I enjoyed thinking about when I was a girl and living in Farmington while making this tutorial. 

I hope you enjoy this Four Corners block too! If you like this tutorial and want to see more, simply click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free PDF pattern called "Chained Weathervane".

Happy Quilting!

Elaine