Free Tutorial for the Easy Friendship Quilt Block

Today let's look at this easy quilt block called Friendship Quilt. It is a traditional block and was first published in Hearth and Home. Using only squares and rectangles it is quick and easy to sew together. Let's get started!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Friendship Quilt Block:

• Light/Blue: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 20 - 2.5" squares
• Dark/Purple: 5 - 4.5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
• A 5" x width of fabric (40") strip of each color should make one block

Sewing Directions:

Square in a Square Units:

Step 1:

Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of four Light/Blue 2.5" squares as shown in the picture below. 

You can also find a detailed tutorial for making a basic Square in a Square block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-square-in-a-square-block

Step 2:

You can see the first four steps for making this unit in the picture below.

• Top left: Place two of the Light/Blue 2.5" squares on opposite corners of a Dark/Purple 4.5" square, right sides together, and sew close to the marked line in what will be the seam allowance.
• Top right: Match up the corners of the Light/Blue 2.5" squares and press.
• Bottom left: Open up the Light/Blue 2.5" squares and trim the seam allowances.
• Bottom right: Refold the Light/Blue triangles.

Step 3:

Repeat Step 2 on the other two corners of the Dark/Purple 4.5" square as shown below.

Step 4:

Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for a total of five Square in a Square units.

Rectangle Units:

Step 5:

Sew together a Light/Blue 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle and a Dark/Purple 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle and press the seam allowance toward the Dark/Purple rectangle as shown.

Step 6:

Repeat Step 5 for a total of four Rectangle units.

Putting It All Together:

Step 7:

Lay out the Square in a Square units and the Rectangle units as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like a basic Nine Patch block.

Step 8:

Sew the units into three rows as shown in the picture below.

Step 9:

Press the seam allowances away from the Square in a Square units as shown below.

Step 10:

Sew the three rows together and...

Step 11:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the block. You're done! That was quick!

Layout Suggestions:

Here's the basic 4 x 4 layout:

And here it is as a scrappy quilt:

For this example, the blocks are made with the same light colored fabric but each block has a different dark color:

And here three dark fabrics are used in each block:

Here's what it looks like with sashing and cornerstones added:

Here I mixed up the colors for the sashing and cornerstones - what a difference!

Here are two on-point layouts. Lovely!

Conclusion:

This Friendship Quilt block was quick and easy to sew together. And I like all the different ways it can be laid out. So give this traditional block a try!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you like it and want to see more, just click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free PDF quilt pattern called "Chained Weathervane".

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

P.S. In case you missed it, check out my roundup post of easy quilt blocks at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/30-easy-quilt-block-tutorials-for-the-beginning-quilter

P.P.S. Check out my patterns I have for sale on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406