The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Gorgeous Washington State Quilt Block! If you’re a fan of quilting and history, then you’re in for a treat. In the early 1900s, the Hearth and Home magazines held a state quilt block pattern submission contest, where people from all over the US submitted their designs. While the winners were published in the magazine, many of the beautiful and unique submissions were lost to posterity. That’s why we’re embarking on a state quilt block journey to recreate some of these stunning designs and celebrate the creativity of quilters from the past. Join us on this journey as we discover and recreate these lost state quilt blocks, and learn more about the history behind them.

The Washington State Quilt Block is a beautiful and intricate design that has been recreated in a stunning green darner dragonfly color scheme. This block is a unique and challenging puzzle to piece together, but the end result is well worth the effort. To make it more accessible to quilters, we’ve broken down the block from the original and simplified the instructions so that you won’t need to print any templates. Despite its challenges, this block is a fun and rewarding project that will add a touch of Pacific Northwest beauty to any quilt. So gather your fabric and let’s dive into the fascinating world of the Washington State Quilt Block!

National Washington State Day is Wednesday May 10, 2023! I am going to try to release the State blocks on their National day throughout 2023!

, The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Gorgeous Washington State Quilt Block

If you would like to make this block, sign up for the password to get into our Free Resource Library and download the pattern and come back here and make it today!

Supplies

Three Fabric Colors for this block, contrasting enough that all elements of the block stand apart.
Rulers large enough to cut the pieces
Chain Piece cutter is optional
Rotary blade
Thread – I used Aurifil Thread 50wt.
Iron – I have a cordless iron that makes it easy to iron next to my machine.

Step 1 – Build out the corners

Flying Geese – Make 8 flying geese units like the figures below. There will be four of each set of flying geese.

1. “B” & light “E”

2. “B” & dark “E”

make 4 of each set 8 total

Assemble 4 light “C”‘s and dark “C”‘s to build the following units.

Add the “A” pieces to the above unit that was just built, always add the “A” to the dark side of the above unit.

Put 4 dark “B” and 4 light “B” pieces together as shown below.

Put the 4 “D” pieces together with 4 of the “E” pieces. Refer to the pictures below.

Put the Remaining “E” and “C” pieces together and set up below.

Add the D/E unit and the E/C unit together as follows:

Put the remaining flying geese units on the side of the above units. Take care to match colors of the corners of the flying geese with the units they are going against.

Now put the two completed units together!

Add the remaining light “B” pieces to both ends of two of the above units. These will be the SHORT corners.

Add the B/B units to the other two corners units from above. These will be the LONG corners.

Step 2 – Build the center unit

Lay out the “F”, “G” and “H” pieces out as shown below. Sew the “F” to the “G” and iron towards “F”. Then sew the F/G unit to the “H” strip and iron towards the F/G unit.

Add the short corner to opposite sides of the center unit (1). Center the corner and the center unit when lining them up. Then add the long corners centering the corner and center unit and lining up seams (2).

Congratulations on Making the Washington State Block!

Congratulations on making the Washington State Block. Your unfinished block will measure 12.5″ square. Share your block on social media by using hastag #washingtonstateblockcc.