Traditional Quilt Block - Friendship Block
Today we're going to create the traditional quilt block called Friendship Block - not to be confused with the Friendship Star quilt block! It is a lovely block that finishes at 12" square and uses only three basic units - four patch, flying geese, and square in a square. Let's get started!
Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Friendship Block:
- Light/Ivory: 20 - 2.5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
- Medium/Tan: 1 - 4.5" square, and 8 - 2.5" squares
- Dark/Red: 8 - 2.5" squares, and 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
Sewing Directions:
Four Patch Unit:
Step 1:
Using 2 Light/Ivory 2.5" squares and 2 Medium/Tan 2.5" squares, make a basic Four Patch block. You can find my tutorial for making a Four Patch block at: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-four-patch-quilt-block
Step 2:
Press the seam allowances as shown in the picture below. I would not use the tweak/twirl/furl method of pressing for this particular block.
Step 3:
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for a total of 4 Four Patch units.
Square in a Square Unit:
Step 4:
Using the Medium/Tan 4.5" square and four Light/Ivory 2.5" squares, make a Square in a Square block as shown in the picture below. My tutorial for making a basic Square in a Square block is at: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-square-in-a-square-block
Flying Geese Units:
Step 5:
Using the Light/Ivory 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles and the Dark/Red 2.5" squares, make a total of four Flying Geese units as shown in the picture below. You can find my tutorial for making Flying Geese blocks at: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-flying-geese-block
Step 6:
Now you can make Flying Geese units that are the opposite color orientation from Step 5. So using the Dark/Red 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles and 8 Light/Ivory 2.5" squares, make four Flying Geese units as shown below.
Step 7:
Now you need to sew one Step 5 unit and one Step 6 together as shown in the picture of below.
Step 8:
And press the seam allowance in the same direction as the points of the Flying Geese units as shown in the picture below.
Putting It All Together:
Step 9:
Lay out the Four Patch units, the center Square in a Square unit, and the Flying Geese units as shown in the picture below. Now the block can be sewn together like a basic Nine Patch block.
Step 10:
Sew the units together into three rows as shown below.
Step 11:
And press the seam allowances away from the Flying Geese units as shown in the picture below.
Step 12:
Now you sew the three rows together to complete the block!
Step 13:
And press the seam allowances toward the center of the block as shown below. You are done!
Layout Ideas:
Here's the basic 4 x 4 layout using colors similar to the tutorial. I think the lovely block design gets lost in this plain setting.
This is the same layout as above but with sashing and cornerstones added. Much better!
This version uses a simple chain block for an alternating block.
This layout utilizes an alternate block that blends with the Friendship block, making it hard to determine where one block ends and another begins.
This is an on-point example with light purple sashing and cornerstones and light blue in the setting triangles.
And this on-point layout has an alternating block that extends into the setting triangles. This is the same block as in the fourth quilt above.
Conclusion:
This was a fun block to put together. The individual units aren't difficult so the Friendship Block went together quickly. If you changed up the color orientation and number of colors, you would get a totally different look.
I hope you've enjoyed this Friendship Block! If you like this tutorial 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 Nine Patch style blocks? Take a look at these blocks: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/nine-patch-blocks
P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406