Quilt block · Nine-patch · First quilt
Snowball quilt block
One big square with each corner cut off by a small triangle, so it reads as a circle when the blocks are set together. Also called Octagon.
What to cut for one block
A 6″ finished block measures 6½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Dark · Navy in the picture
4 corner triangles
- B4 squares 2½″stitch and flip: the corners
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
The snowball
- A1 square 6½″
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 9″ finished block measures 9½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Dark · Navy in the picture
4 corner triangles
- B4 squares 3½″stitch and flip: the corners
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
The snowball
- A1 square 9½″
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 12″ finished block measures 12½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Dark · Navy in the picture
4 corner triangles
- B4 squares 4½″stitch and flip: the corners
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
The snowball
- A1 square 12½″
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
How it’s sewn
For the 6″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Add a corner square to each corner
Lay a Dark B square on each corner, one at a time, right sides together, and sew corner to corner across it. Trim ¼″ beyond the seam and press toward the corner. The block measures 6½″ (6″ finished).
For the 9″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Add a corner square to each corner
Lay a Dark B square on each corner, one at a time, right sides together, and sew corner to corner across it. Trim ¼″ beyond the seam and press toward the corner. The block measures 9½″ (9″ finished).
For the 12″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Add a corner square to each corner
Lay a Dark B square on each corner, one at a time, right sides together, and sew corner to corner across it. Trim ¼″ beyond the seam and press toward the corner. The block measures 12½″ (12″ finished).
Blocks like it
More like this: Nine-patch quilt blocks · all quilt blocks
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
Is Snowball the same block as Octagon?
Usually, yes. Block names vary by region and by book, and the same block is often sold under several. Our library lists Octagon as other name for this one, so a search for any of them finds it.
What size should I make it?
Its 3 × 3 grid lands on the ⅛″ marks at 6″, 9″ and 12″, so every piece measures with a ruler at all three. It also cuts cleanly at 15″ and 18″. In Quarter Inch you can make it any size, and it says when a cut falls between the lines.
Can I paper piece it?
Yes. It sews on one paper, its pieces added in order. In Quarter Inch, the Foundations tab prints its papers at true size (with Quilter).
Is it a good block for a beginner?
It’s a first-quilt block: 5 pieces in 2 different shapes. Nothing in it curves or has to be set in. We work the level out from the block’s own geometry, never by eye.