January Thaw Free Quilt Block Pattern Tutorial

By: Elaine Huff

If you’re looking for a simple yet striking star block to add to your quilting repertoire, the January Thaw quilt block is a great one to try! This delightful block features an elegant eight-pointed star design and is constructed using just three basic units: hourglass blocks, square-in-a-square units, and snowballed corners. 

With cutting instructions for both 9" and 12" finished sizes, it’s a versatile addition to any quilt project. Whether you go bold with contrast or keep it soft and subtle, the January Thaw block offers plenty of opportunity to play with color and create something beautiful.

january thaw quilt block

Fabric Requirements for January Thaw Quilt Block:

9" Finished

  • Light/White: 1 - 4.5" square, and 4 - 3.5" squares
  • Medium 1/Orange: 1 - 4.5" square
  • Medium 2/Multi-Color: 1 - 3.5" square, and 4 - 2" squares
  • Dark/Navy: 2 - 4.5" squares, and 4 - 2" squares

12" Finished

  • Light/White: 1 - 5.5" square, and 4 - 4.5" squares
  • Medium 1/Orange: 1 - 5.5" square
  • Medium 2/Multi-Color: 1 - 4.5" square, and 4 - 2.5" squares
  • Dark/Navy: 2 - 5.5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" squares
january thaw fabric requirements

Sewing Directions:

Directions are given for a 9" finished block.

Corner Units:

Step 1:

Easy peasy - just snowball one corner! Using the four Light/White 3.5" squares and the four Medium 2/Multi-color 2" squares, snowball one corner of each of the Light/White squares as shown in the picture below. 

january thaw 1

Square in a Square Unit:

Step 2:

Using the Medium 2/Multi-color 3.5" square and the four Dark/Navy 2" squares, sew together a Square in a Square unit. The tutorial for making a Square in a Square quilt block can be found here: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-square-in-a-square-block

january thaw 2
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Hourglass Units:

Step 3:

Now you can make four Hourglass units as shown in the picture below by using the two Dark/Navy 4.5" squares, the Light/White 4.5" square, and the Medium 1/Orange 4.5" square. Trim/square up the units to 3.5" (4.5" for the 12" block) square. You can find my tutorial for making an Hourglass quilt block at: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-hourglass-or-quarter-square-triangle-block

january thaw 3

Putting It All Together:

Step 4:

Lay out the Corner units, the Square in a Square unit, and the Hourglass units in a typical Nine Patch configuration as shown in the picture below.

january thaw 4

Step 5:

Sew the units together into three rows as shown in the picture below. Press the seam allowances away from the Hourglass units. (Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the back.)

january thaw 5

Step 6:

Sew the three rows together to complete the January Thaw quilt block! Once again I forgot to take a picture of the back of the block but you can press the seam allowances toward the center of the block.

january thaw 6

Layout Ideas:

Here's the basic 4 x 4 layout using colors similar to the tutorial. This creates a nice design across the quilt!
 
quilt 1
Same layout as above but with the addition of sashing and cornerstones. Sashing is handy to use because you don't have to match up points when sewing the top together.
 
This is an alternating design where every other block is a large Hourglass block.
 
This alternating version uses an easy chain-type block. I'm partial to this layout!
  
quilt 4
Of course you can make every other block a pretty applique block!
 
quilt 5
In this monochromatic example a simple chain block is used for an alternating block.
 
quilt 6
Here's an on-point layout that uses a simple alternating chain block that extends into the setting triangles.
 
quilt 7
And this on-point layout uses dark coordinating sashing and cornerstones plus plain setting triangles.
 
quilt 8

Conclusion:

The January Thaw quilt block went together fast!! Very cute and easy. If you can sew together an Hourglass block, I encourage you to give this one a go!

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. Looking for more star blocks? Take a look at these blocks:  https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/eight-pointed-star-blocks

P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406