Using Color and Pattern to Capture South Dakota’s Unique Spirit in Your Quilt Block

Let me show you how to use color and pattern to capture South Dakota’s unique spirit in your quilt block. In 1912 Hearth and Home solicited quilters to submit a quilt block that they thought represented their State, and they then published them and I am recreating these blocks for us to make!

The South Dakota State Block looks like a lot, but it really is pretty simple to put together! It is a bunch of familiar quilt shapes put together to give us this stunning block. I break it down for us to put together a stunning South Dakota State block. I chose the State Flower – American Pasque as my color inspiration for this block.

I have provided rotary cutting instructions for this block so that there is no printing needed to get started on this block!

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To Begin With

This is a four color block. I would suggest using complimentary but contrasting colors for this block. You can even play with how the colors are laid out to make the block appealing to you! I tried to match colors of the South Dakota State Flower, the American Pasque as much as I could with my Batik Fat Quarter Stash.

Tips for this block before we start

1/4 seam″. A quarter inch sewing foot works great for this!
Cut your strips with the grain of the fabric. This will help prevent stretching the fabrics when sewing. We want the fabrics to keep their shape.
I have provided a block legend that you can use to color in your pieces so you can have an idea of how your colors will look in the block. It helps when figuring out which templates to use for each color.
Use the cutting instructions and replace your colors so you know which pieces to cut from each color.
Cut your pieces by the color of the fabric.

Step 1 -Choose Your Fabrics and Cut The Pieces

I like to cut my pieces by color and I use Alphabitties to keep track of of my pieces by letter.

Note that the A pieces will be cut on the diagonal once you have cut the square. I have provided the number of triangles that it will yield for each fabric in the rotary cutting instructions.

Also, piece C will be used to make HST blocks for the pinwheels, and piece E will be used to make the corner HST’s.

Step 2 – Make HST’s

Make the 4 corner HST’s.

Mark the diagonal on the back of the Fabric 3 (E) pieces.
Layer Fabric 3(E) and Fabric 1(E) right sides together.
Sew 1/4″ on each side of the diagonal line.
Cut on the diagonal line.
Iron towards Fabric 1.
Trim to 2.5″ square.

Make 16 Pinwheel HST’s.

Mark the diagonal on the back of the Fabric 3 (C) pieces.
Layer Fabric 3(C) and Fabric 1(C) right sides together.
Sew 1/4″ on each side of the diagonal line.
Cut on the diagonal line.
Iron towards Fabric 1.
Trim to 1.5″ square.

Step 3 – Make Pinwheels

Line up 4 of the Fabric 2/3 HST’s in the formation of a Pinwheel. Sew the top row and iron to the left, sew the bottom row and iron to the right. Sew the two rows together and iron to one side. Make 4 Pinwheel’s.

Step 3 – Assemble the Center

Make 2 Outer Rows Iron towards the solid patch, Make 1 Inner Row Iron towards the Fabric 2 patches. Arrange rows as shown and iron in the direction of the arrows

Step 4 – Assemble Corners

Put together the top row and iron away from the HST. Put together the middle row and iron towards the Fabric 4 patch. Add the Fabric 2 triangle to the bottom of the middle row and iron towards the Fabric 2 triangle. Put the two units together and iron away from the HST row. Make 4 corners.

Step 4 -Assemble the Block

Add corners to opposite ends of the center unit, iron towards the corner. Add the other two corners to the other sides of the center unit and iron towards the corner. Unfinished block will be 12.5″ square.