Old Maid's Puzzle quilt block
Squares and half-square triangles on a four-by-four grid: two large dark triangles built from smaller units, with accent triangles between them.
The Old Maid's Puzzle is pieced on a 4 × 4 grid, so a 12" block has 3" grid squares.
Cutting for 6", 8", 10", 12" blocks
| Fabric | Pieces | Cut | 6" block | 8" block | 10" block | 12" block |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| background | Half-square triangles | 5 | 2⅜" | 2⅞" | 3⅜" | 3⅞" |
| accent | Half-square triangles | 2 | 2⅜" | 2⅞" | 3⅜" | 3⅞" |
| background | Squares | 4 | 2" | 2½" | 3" | 3½" |
| main | Half-square triangles | 3 | 2⅜" | 2⅞" | 3⅜" | 3⅞" |
| main | Squares | 2 | 2" | 2½" | 3" | 3½" |
Cut sizes include ¼" seam allowances.
How to sew a 12" Old Maid's Puzzle block
Make 4 half-square triangles, 3" finished. Pair a 3⅞" background square with a 3⅞" accent square right sides together. Draw a line corner to corner, sew ¼" on both sides of it, cut on the line and press. Each pair makes 2.
Make 6 half-square triangles, 3" finished. Pair a 3⅞" background square with a 3⅞" main square right sides together. Draw a line corner to corner, sew ¼" on both sides of it, cut on the line and press. Each pair makes 2.
Lay out the units as drawn and sew them into 4 rows. Press the seams of each row the opposite way from the one before so they nest, then sew the rows together. The block measures 12" finished, 12½" with seam allowance.
To paint it on a board, the Old Maid's Puzzle barn quilt pattern has the measurements for 2, 4 and 8 ft boards and the paint for each color.
Design a quilt with this block
Quiltspiration draws it in your own fabric and gives the cut list for any size.
