The Honeymoon Quilt Block - a Free Tutorial

The Honeymoon quilt block is a fun star block to sew together and it is easier than you might think. With only half square triangles, hourglass units, and squares, it goes together quickly! Let's get started!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Honeymoon Block:

• Light/White: 2 - 5.5" squares, 4 - 3" squares, and 4 - 2.5" squares
• Medium 1/Floral: 1 - 4.5" square and 4 - 2.5" squares
• Medium 2/Yellow: 4 - 3" squares
• Dark/Triangles: 2 - 5.5" squares

Sewing Directions:

Half Square Triangle Units:

Step 1:

Using the four Light/White 3" squares and the four Medium 2/Yellow 3" squares, sew together eight Half Square Triangle units as shown in the picture below. You can find the 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 Trim/square up the units to 2.5" square.

Hourglass Units:

Step 2:

Next you will need to make four Hourglass units (also known as Quarter Square Triangle units) using the two Light/White 5.5" squares and the two Dark/Triangles 5.5" squares like shown in the picture below. You can find a tutorial for making an Hourglass block (and some color variations) at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-hourglass-or-quarter-square-triangle-block. Trim/square up the units to 4.5" square.

Corner Units:

Step 3:

To make the Corner unit, layout a Light/White 2.5" square, two Half Square Triangle units, and one Medium 1/Floral 2.5" square as shown in the picture below.

Step 4:

Now you can sew these patches together like a simple Four Patch block. Just sew them into two rows and press the seam allowances away from the Half Square Triangle units as shown below.

Step 5:

Finish the unit by sewing the two rows together and pressing the seam allowance. You can press the seam allowance however you wish. You can see in the picture below that I used the tweak/twirl/furl method to press mine. Repeat for a total of four Corner units. 

Putting It All Together:

Step 6:

Now you can arrange the Corner units, the Hourglass units, and the Medium 1/Floral 4.5" square in the layout shown below. 

Step 7:

As this block is based on a Nine Patch block, it can be sewn together the same way. First, sew the units into three rows as shown in the picture below.

Step 8:

Then press the seam allowances toward the Hourglass units as shown below.

Step 9:

Sew those three rows together to complete the block!

Step 10:

All that's left is to press the seam allowances toward the outside of the block as shown in the picture below. All done!

Conclusion:

I found the Honeymoon quilt block to be quite fun to put together and it went together quickly. I did add in an extra color - the Half Square Triangles were supposed to be made with the Light/White and Dark/Triangle fabric. I just like more fabric colors!

Layout Options:

First of all, you've got to see how different this block is with just a rotation of the Hourglass units. Isn't that wild?

Okay, back to the original block. Here's just a plain and simple 4 x 4 layout. Notice how the yellow triangles make an Ohio Star block appear where the blocks intersect. I really like this!

In the layout below, I've just added 2" sashing and cornerstones. I think the light blue sashing really frames the block nicely.

Below I've alternated the Honeymoon block with an Hourglass block. (Oops - I have the wrong color in one of the Hourglasses - but you get the idea.) The Hourglass block creates a nice frame around the Honeymoon block.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial for the Honeymoon block and all the layout examples. 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. If you would like a PDF of this tutorial, check it out at https://www.etsy.com/listing/1077194841/honeymoon-block-pdf-star-quilt-block

P.P.S. To figure out yardage for a quilt, check out this post: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-much-fabric-do-i-need