Stitching History: The Porto Rico Quilt Block and Its Patriotic Legacy
The Porto Rico quilt block is steeped in history, reflecting a significant era in Puerto Rico’s story. After the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States acquired Puerto Rico and, for a time, renamed it “Porto Rico.” This name remained in use until Congress officially restored the island’s original name in 1932. It was during this transitional period that the Porto Rico quilt block was designed, capturing both historical and cultural significance.
A traditional block, it showcases bold geometric patterns that create striking secondary designs when joined together. Traditionally pieced in red, white, and blue—colors of Puerto Rico’s flag—the block serves as a tribute to the island’s identity and enduring spirit. Let's sew together this unique block!
Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Porto Rico (or Puerto Rico) Quilt Block:
- Light/Cream: 5 - 4" squares, and 2 - 2.5" squares
- Red: 2 - 4" squares, 2 - 2.5" squares, and 10 - 2" squares
- Blue: 3 - 4" squares, and 10 - 2" squares
Sewing Directions:
Half Square Triangle Units:
Step 1:
Using three Light/Cream 4" squares and three Blue 4" squares, make Half Square Triangle units as shown. Here are the steps corresponding to the images in the picture below by going from left to right, top to bottom.
- Match up a Light/Cream square and a Blue square right sides together. Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Light/Cream square and sew 1/4" (or a little less) on each side of the line.
- Cut along the diagonal line. You will have 2 half-square triangle patches.
- Open up the patch and press the seam allowance toward the Light/Cream fabric. (I pressed in the wrong direction for this picture and had to repress the units when I sewed the block together!)
- Square up/trim the units to 3.5" square.
Step 2:
Repeat Step 1 for a total of six Cream/Blue Half Square Triangle units as shown in the picture below.
Step 3:
Repeat Step 1 only using the two remaining Light/Cream 4" squares and the two Red 4" squares for a total of four Cream/Red large Half Square Triangle units.
Step 4:
Repeat Step 3 only using the Light/Cream 2.5" squares and the Red 2.5" squares. Trim the units to 2" square.
Four Patch Units:
Step 5:
- Lay out two Red 2" squares and two Blue 2" squares as shown in the picture below.
- Sew the squares into two rows and press the seam allowances toward the Blue fabric.
- Then sew the two rows together and press the seam allowance. You can see in the picture below that I pressed using the tweak/twirl/furl method but you can press however you prefer.
Step 6:
Repeat for a total of four Four Patch units like the ones in the picture below.
Step 7:
Lay out a Red 2" square, a Blue 2" square, and the two small Half Square Triangle units as shown below.
Step 8:
Sew the units into two rows and press the seam allowances away from the Half Square Triangle units.
Step 9:
Sew the two rows together and press the seam allowance. Once again you can see in the picture below that I pressed using the tweak/twirl/furl method but you can press however you prefer.
Step 10:
Repeat for a total of two units like the ones in the picture below.
Putting It All Together:
Step 11:
Lay out all the units as shown in the picture below.
Step 12:
Sew the units into four rows as shown below.
(You could also sew the block together by making 4 four patch units and then sewing those units together.)
Step 13:
Press the seam allowances in opposite directions from row to row as shown in the picture below. Rows 1 and 3 go toward the right, and rows 2 and 4 go left.
You can also see that I repressed the Cream/Blue Half Square Triangles so that the seam allowance goes toward the Cream fabric. This allows the seam allowances to nest better and create better points.
Step 14:
Sew the four rows together to finish up!
Step 15:
Press the seam allowances however you prefer. I pressed the two outside seams toward the outside and the middle one to one side.
Optional Block Layout:
This is the original layout for the Porto Rico block. The only difference is the orientation of the corner Four Patch units. I liked the look of my layout when blocks are sewn together.
This is a quilt layout using the above optional block layout.
Layout Ideas:
Here's the basic 4 x 4 layout using the block as I put it together. Notice that a 16-patch appears where the blocks join.
Here's the same layout as above but with sashing and cornerstones added.
In this example I changed up the coloring and used an alternating chain block.
Of course I had to see what a scrappy block might look like!
This is an on-point version with a dark sashing added and background cream fabric for the setting triangles.
Another on-point example using pastel colors and an alternating simple chain block that extends to the setting triangles.
Conclusion:
I enjoyed putting the Porto Rico (or Puerto Rico) block together and playing around with colors. I also enjoyed learning a bit about Puerto Rico history and how this block fits into that time period.
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 more 12" blocks? Check out this link: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/12-blocks
P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406