How to Sew the God's Eye Quilt Block - a Free Tutorial

Today let's take a look at how to piece the traditional quilt block called God's Eye. This 16" block pattern design uses mostly Half Square Triangles (HST) and Flying Geese components along with squares and a Square in a Square center unit. It is a stunning block! While there are lots of pieces, we'll sew them in sections so as to keep it all manageable. Let's get sewing!

Fabric Requirements for a 16" Finished God's Eye Quilt Block:

• Light/Cream: 4 - 4.5" squares, 4 - 3" squares, and 20 - 2.5" squares
• Medium/Green: 4 - 2.5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
• Medium/Brown: 1 - 4.5" square, 8 - 2.5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
• Dark/Pink: 4 - 3" squares, 8 - 2.5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles

Whew! That's a lot of pieces but it does make a big block!

Sewing Directions:

Half Square Triangles:

Step 1:

Using the four Cream 3" squares and the four Pink 3" squares, sew together eight Half Square Triangle (HST) units. Press the seam allowance toward the Cream fabric and trim the units to 2.5" square as shown by the bottom right HST in the picture below. You can find my detailed tutorial for making a basic Half Square Triangle block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-half-square-triangle-block.

Two-Patch Units:

Step 2:

Sew together one of the Step 1 HST units with a Cream 2.5" square and press the seam allowance toward the HST unit as shown below. Pay attention to the orientation of the Half Square Triangle. Repeat for a total of four units.

Step 3:

Repeat Step 2 only changing the orientation of the HST unit as shown in the picture below.

Step 4:

Here's a picture of all eight of the Two-Patch units.

Corner Units:

Step 5:

Lay out a Cream 4.5" square, a Cream 2.5" square, one Step 2 unit, and one Step 3 unit as shown in the picture below.

Step 6:

Now you can sew the units into two rows and press the seam allowances toward the Cream squares as shown below.

Step 7:

Simply sew the two rows together and press the seam allowance away from the Cream 4.5" square as shown to complete the unit. Repeat for a total of four Corner units.

Flying Geese Units:

Step 8:

Using eight Cream 2.5" squares and the four Pink 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, sew together four Flying Geese units. For a detailed tutorial of my no-trim method for making perfect Flying Geese blocks check out https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-flying-geese-block. The picture below shows the first four steps.

Step 9:

Repeat Step 8 on an adjacent corner. Make a total of four Pink/Cream Flying Geese units like the ones in the picture below.

Step 10:

Now using the four Brown 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles and the eight Pink 2.5" squares, repeat Steps 8 and 9 for a total of four Brown/Pink Flying Geese units.

Step 11:

For another set of four Flying Geese units, use the four Green 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles and the eight Brown 2.5" squares and repeat Steps 8 and 9 for a total of four Green/Brown Flying Geese units.

Middle Units:

Step 12:

Take one of each of the colorings of the Flying Geese units and lay them out according to the picture below.

Step 13:

Next you can sew the three Flying Geese units together and press the seam allowances away from the points as shown in the picture below.

Step 14:

Repeat Steps 12 and 13 for a total of four Middle units:

Center Unit (Square in a Square):

Step 15:

Using the Brown 4.5" square and four Green 2.5" squares, sew together a Square in a Square patch. You can find my 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. In the picture below you can see the first two steps.

Step 16:

Here's a picture showing the last two steps.

Step 17:

Repeat Steps 15 and 16 on the remaining corners on the Brown square to complete the Square in a Square unit.

Putting It All Together:

Step 18:

Now that you've got all the sections done, you can lay out the Corner units, the Middle units, and the Center Square in a Square unit as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like a basic Nine Patch block.

Step 19:

Sew the units into three rows. There are lots of seams to match up - just take your time.

Step 20:

Press the seam allowances toward the Middle units as shown in the picture below.

Step 21:

Finally, you can sew the three rows together to complete the block!

Step 22:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the block as shown. All done!

Layout Ideas:

Here's the basic 4 x 4 layout using colors similar to the tutorial.

 

For this example I added in colored sashing and cornerstones.

Here's a 3 x 3 layout with alternating chain blocks.

This is an example of an on-point layout with a narrow colored sashing and cornerstones and with the background fabric being used in the setting triangles.

And another on-point layout where every other block is plain.

And this layout has a simpler alternating chain block to really showcase the God's Eye block.

Conclusion:

The God's Eye block is so beautiful! I admit there were a lot of pieces and a lot of steps but it does make a large block so you don't need to make too many blocks to get a quilt. And if you put in a simple alternating chain, it can go together much faster. 

I hope you've enjoyed the God's Eye quilt block and layouts. If you liked this post and want to see more quilting tutorials like this, simply click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and also receive a free PDF quilt pattern called Chained Weathervane.

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

P.S. Check out all the basic block tutorials at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/basic-blocks-tutorials

P.P.S. If you're looking for block patterns to purchase and print out, click HERE to go to my Etsy shop.