Winged Square Quilt Block Tutorial – Easy, Versatile, and Perfect for Scraps!
The Winged Square quilt block is a striking yet simple design that comes together using just half-square triangles and squares—perfect for confident beginners looking to build their skills!
This versatile 12" finished block can be made with a scrappy mix of fabrics for a charming, eclectic look or a carefully planned color arrangement for bold, graphic impact. With multiple layout possibilities, the Winged Square is a fantastic addition to any sampler quilt or stand-alone project. In this tutorial, I'll guide you through the step-by-step process to create this dynamic block with precision and ease!
(Note: This block is completely different than the other Winged Square tutorial I did awhile back!)
Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Winged Square Quilt Block:
- Light/White: 2 - 4.5" squares, and 12 - 3" squares
- Assorted Prints: 1 - 4.5" square, and 12 - 3" squares
Sewing Directions:
Half Square Triangles:
Step 1:
Using the Light/White 3" squares and the Assorted Prints 3" squares, make Half Square Triangle (HST) 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 White square and an Assorted Prints square right sides together. Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the White 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 Assorted Prints fabric.
- Square up/trim the units to 2.5" square.
- Repeat for a total of 24 HST units.
- You can find my tutorial for making HST units at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-half-square-triangle-block
Four HST Units:
Step 2:
Lay out four of the Half Square Triangle units as shown below.
Step 3:
Sew the units into two rows and press the seam allowances as shown in the picture below.
Step 4:
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 and I recommend this method for this block.
Step 5:
Repeat for a total of six units like the ones in the picture below.
Putting It All Together:
Step 6:
Layout the Step 5 units, the two Light/White 4.5" squares, and the Assorted Prints 4.5" square as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like a basic Nine Patch block.
Step 7:
Sew the units into three rows as shown below.
Step 8:
- Press the seam allowances in the top and bottom row away from the center.
- Press the seam allowances in the middle row toward the center.
Step 9:
Then sew the three rows together to complete the block.
Step 10:
And finally press the seam allowances toward the center of the block as shown in the picture below.
Layout Ideas:
Here's an example of the basic 4 x 4 layout using the traditional coloring (2 darks and a background) of the block.
This is the same layout as above but with every other block being rotated 90 degrees (and using a scrappy block).
This example had narrow sashing and cornerstones added to the above layout.
And look what happens when you change the light fabric to black!
This version shows what a planned color placement could look like.
This is an on-point layout example using a monochromatic color scheme and background fabric for the setting triangles. This is lovely!
Alternative Block Layouts:
Technically, the next two block layouts wouldn't be called Winged Square. However, the same components are used so I'm including them here.
So I wondered what would happen if I turned all the HST units around 180 degrees.
Here's the layout example for the above block layout. Really changed everything up!
For this block version I turned four of the Step 5 units so that the colored fabric points meet.
And what a difference that block layout makes!
Conclusion:
The Winged Square block is fairly easy to sew together - the individual units are easy but there are a lot of seams to match. I enjoyed playing around with the different layout options too!
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 scrap-busting blocks? Check out this roundup blog post: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/40-of-the-best-free-scrappy-quilt-block-tutorials
P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406