Shoofly quilt block
Four half-square triangles in the corners, four background squares on the sides and a center square. The dark triangles point in toward the center.
The Shoofly is pieced on a 3 × 3 grid, so a 12" block has 4" grid squares.
Also called Shoo Fly.


Cutting for 6", 7½", 9", 12" blocks
| Fabric | Pieces | Cut | 6" block | 7½" block | 9" block | 12" block |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| background | Half-square triangles | 2 | 2⅞" | 3⅜" | 3⅞" | 4⅞" |
| main | Half-square triangles | 2 | 2⅞" | 3⅜" | 3⅞" | 4⅞" |
| background | Squares | 4 | 2½" | 3" | 3½" | 4½" |
| accent | Squares | 1 | 2½" | 3" | 3½" | 4½" |
Cut sizes include ¼" seam allowances.
How to sew a 12" Shoofly block


Make 4 half-square triangles, 4" finished. Pair a 4⅞" background square with a 4⅞" 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 3 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.
Quilts made with the Shoofly block
To paint it on a board, the Shoofly 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.











