Hopscotch Quilt Block Tutorial

So the Hopscotch quilt block I'm going to show you today is nothing like the ones I find in a Google search. This one was first published in the Kansas City Star many years ago. I've been intrigued with this block but it has quite a few patches, seams, etc. so we'll see how I do!?! Let's get started!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Hopscotch Quilt Block:

• Light/Ivory: 2 - 5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" squares
• Medium 1/Pink: 2 - 3" squares, and 12 - 2.5" squares
• Medium 2/Green: 2 - 3" squares, and 12 - 2.5" squares
• Dark/Burgundy: 2 - 5" squares, and 8 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles

Sewing Directions:

Half Square Triangle Units:

Step 1:

Using the Medium 1/Pink 3" squares and the Medium 2/Green 3" squares, sew together four Half Square Triangle units as shown in the picture below. Trim/square up these Half Square Triangles to 2.5" square. You can find my tutorial for constructing Half Square Triangles at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-half-square-triangle-block

Step 2:

Now you can repeat Step 1 only using the Light/Ivory 5" squares and the Dark/Burgundy 5" squares. Trim/square up these Half Square Triangles to 4.5" square as shown in the picture below.

Flying Geese Units:

Step 3:

Sew together eight Flying Geese units as shown in the picture below using the eight Dark/Burgundy 2.5" rectangles, eight Medium 1/Pink 2.5" squares, and eight Medium 2/Green 2.5" squares. You can find my tutorial for making Flying Geese blocks at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-flying-geese-block

Step 4:

Sew two Step 3 units together and press the seam allowance toward the Medium 2/Green fabric as shown in the picture below. Repeat for a total of four units.

Birds in the Air Variation Units:

Step 5:

This unit is a variation on the Birds in the Air block. I like this method of sewing it because I'm not sewing on a cut bias edge and I think it's more stable. First lay out a Light/Ivory 2.5" square, a Medium 1/Pink 2.5" square and a Medium 2/Green 2.5" square as shown below.

Step 6:

Sew together the Light/Ivory 2.5" square and the Medium 2/Pink 2.5" square as shown in the picture below, and...

Step 7:

Press the seam allowance toward the pink fabric.

Step 8:

Next, you can sew the Medium 2/Green 2.5" square onto the Step 7 unit as shown below and press the seam allowance toward the green fabric.

Step 9:

Here's where this unit gets interesting! Pair up your Step 8 unit and a Step 2 unit as shown below. 

Step 10:

Draw a line from corner to corner on the Step 8 unit and match it up with the large Half Square Triangle as shown below. Be sure to get the orientation of the two units right! Sew on the marked line.

Step 11:

Fold the Half Square Triangle along the seam line and press as shown in the picture below.

Step 12:

Open the Half Square Triangle back up and trim away the excess fabric in the seam allowance as shown below.

Step 13:

Fold it back and your unit is complete! I did find that I needed to press the seam allowance in two of these units in the opposite direction (toward the pink and green fabrics). Repeat Steps 5 through 13 for a total of four Birds in the Air Variation units.

Center Unit:

Step 14:

Lay out the four Birds in the Air Variation units as shown in the picture below.

Step 15:

Sew the units together in a typical Four Patch manner as shown below. You can find my tutorial for making a Four Patch block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-four-patch-quilt-block Actually, this Center unit would make a nice quilt block all on its own!

Step 16:

Press the seam allowances using the tweak/twirl/furl method as shown below. You can also see the directions that I pressed the Birds in the Air Variation units in the picture.

Putting It All Together:

Step 17:

Lay out the Step 1 Half Square Triangle units, the Flying Geese units, and the Center unit as shown in the picture below.

Step 18:

Now the units can be sewn together just like an uneven Nine Patch block. First you sew the units into three rows as shown in the picture below.

Step 19:

And press the seam allowances. You can see in the picture below that I've pressed the seam allowances toward the Flying Geese units but you can press however you want.

Step 20:

Now you simply sew the three rows together to complete the block! A lot of the seams will nest - but some will not.

Step 21:

Press the seam allowances. You can see in the picture below that I've pressed mine away from the center of the Hopscotch quilt block.

Conclusion:

While the Hopscotch quilt block is a bit more advanced, it was fun to sew together. I was pleased that my points came out okay (don't look too close though!). Often we are too critical of our own work when from a distance any imperfections are totally unnoticeable! 

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial for the Hopscotch quilt block.