Sew the Charleston Quilt Block: A 12-Inch Traditional Block with Eye-Catching Secondary Designs

By: Elaine Huff

The Charleston quilt block is a timeless traditional design with striking visual impact. Also known as Pharlemina's Favorite and Circle Four, this 12-inch block features a geometric arrangement that looks beautiful on its own but truly shines when multiple blocks are sewn together. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to make the Charleston quilt block step by step, with cutting instructions and assembly tips.

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Charleston Quilt Block:

Light/White: 4 - 3.5" squares, 12 - 2.5" squares, and 16 - 1.5" squares
Medium/Pink: 1 - 6.5" square
Medium/Blue: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles 8 - 3.5" x 1.5" rectangles, and 8 - 2.5" x 1.5" rectangles

Sewing Directions:

Center Unit:

Step 1:

Using the Medium/Pink 6.5" square and four Light/White 2.5" squares "snowball" the corners of the 6.5" square as shown in the picture below. Here are the first steps:

Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Light/White square.
Sew the Light/White square to the Medium/Pink square along the marked line (top left corner). Note the orientation of the marked line.
Match the corners of the Light/White square and press (top right corner).
Open the small square up and trim the seam allowance (bottom right corner).
Refold (bottom left corner).

Step 2:

Repeat Step 1 on all four corners of the large square to complete the unit.

Flying Geese Units:

Step 3:

Using eight Light/White 2.5" squares and four Medium/Blue 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 steps.

Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Light/White 2.5" squares.
Sew a Light/White 2.5" square to a Medium/Blue rectangle along the marked line (top image). Note the orientation of the marked line.
Match the corners of the Light/White square and press (second image).
Open the square up and trim the seam allowance (third image).
Refold (bottom image).

Step 4:

Repeat Step 3 on the adjacent corner of the Medium/Blue rectangle.

Step 5:

Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for a total of four Flying Geese units like the ones in the picture below.

Snowballed Rectangle Units:

Step 6:

Using the Light/White 1.5" squares and the Medium/Blue 1.5" x 3.5" rectangles, sew together eight snowballed rectangle units. Note: The orientation of the marked line on half of the units is in one direction (left side of the picture) and half are in a different direction (right side of the picture).

Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Light/White 1.5" squares.
Sew a Light/White 1.5" square to a Medium/Blue rectangle along the marked line (top image). Note the orientation of the marked line.
Match the corners of the Light/White square and press (second image).
Open the square up and trim the seam allowance (third image).
Refold (bottom image).

Step 7:

Repeat Step 6 for a total of eight snowballed rectangle units - four in one direction and four in the other direction - like the ones in the picture below.

Step 8:

Repeat Steps 6 and 7 only substituting Medium/Blue 1.5" x 2.5" rectangles for the 1.5" x 3.5" rectangles.

Middle Units:

Step 9:

Match up two Step 8 units (one of each orientation) and sew together as shown in the picture below. Press the seam allowance open.

Step 10:

Repeat Step 9 for a total of four units as shown in the picture below.

Step 11:

Sew together a Step 5 unit and a Step 10 unit as shown in the picture below. Press the seam allowance toward the Step 5 unit.

Step 12:

Repeat Step 11 for a total of four units like the ones in the picture below.

Step 13:

Match up two Step 7 units (one of each orientation) and a Step 12 unit as shown in the picture below.

Step 14:

Sew the units together and press the seam allowances toward the Step 7 units as shown below.

Step 15:

Repeat Steps 13 and 14 for a total of four Middle units.

Putting It All Together:

Step 16:

Lay out the Center unit, the four Middle units, and the four Light/White 3.5" squares as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like an uneven Nine Patch block.

Step 17:

Sew the units into three rows.

Step 18:

Press the seam allowances away from the Middle units as shown below.

Step 19:

Sew the three rows together to complete the block.

Step 20:

Press the seam allowances toward the center of the block. I like to press the final seams (Steps 18 and 20) in opposite directions. This is so that when you're sewing blocks together, you can rotate every other one and these seams will nest together nicely.

Layout Ideas:

This is the basic 4 x 4 layout using colors similar to the tutorial.

And here is the same layout but with narrow (1") sashing and cornerstones.

This is also a basic layout but uses an additional color in the block.

This example is an alternating design where every other block is a Snowball block.

Here we have a monochromatic on-point layout where the block extends into the setting triangles. Additionally, the block has an additional color added.

This is another on-point example using a Snowball block for the alternate block that also extends into the setting triangles.

Conclusion:

While the basic components of the Charleston block are relatively easy, getting those seams and points to line up was challenging. While my example is not perfect, it is close enough to not distract from the overall design of the block. I like that this block is a bit different from most and makes for some lovely layout options.

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. Looking for some beginner-friendly blocks? Take a look at these tutorials: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/tutorials_beginning-blocks

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

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