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23+ Stunning 12 inch Quilt Block Patterns – Easy Designs to Make

Quilting can be like solving a puzzle, and choosing the right pattern is a crucial piece. If you have the urge to quilt something new, these easy 12-inch quilt block patterns are the perfect size to start with—big enough to showcase your fabric choices, yet small enough to finish quickly.

There’s a certain magic in picking a pattern for your new quilt and finding the right one feels like finding hidden treasure. Spark your creativity without hurting your wallet. Why stick to one style when there’s a whole world of patterns to explore? From classic blocks like the Log Cabin to the more adventurous Flying Geese, there’s a design for everyone. You can also mix and match these blocks to create a unique quilt of 12 inch blocks.

FIY: 12 inch finished means the block size when placed in a quilt. Unfinished is when you are done making the block but before it is put in the quilt, so it’s unfinished size is 12 1/2 inches which includes two 1/4″ seam allowances on either side.

Easy 12 1/2 inch quilt blocks

Churn dash block

Churn dash block

There’s no reason to be intimidated by the appearance of this quilting block because it’s easy to make even though it seems otherwise, all you have to do is make a 3 x 3 grid of blocks that alternate between half-square triangles and squares with two contrasting vertical or horizontal lines, then arrange them around a solid square as instructed in the pattern.

by Aquiltinglife

Nine Patch Star (Friendship Star)

Nine Patch Star

This block reminds us of those little paper windmills we all played with when we were kids due to its design with four half-square triangles placed around a solid square so each one has a different orientation, and four more solid squares in the block corners that contrast the central one in color.

by Epidastudio

Christmas Quilts with 12-inch Quilt Blocks

Christmas Quilts with 12-inch Quilt Blocks

Here’s a set of nine Christmas blocks that include three different blocks with Froebel stars as main motifs, three blocks with birds as main motifs, one block with a Christmas tree, one block with a thin windmill, and one block that has a design featuring floral ornaments.

by Piecedbrain

Susannah Quilt Block

Susannah Quilt Block

This gorgeous block has an interesting design with a 4 x 4 grid of square and half-square triangle blocks that utilize three different colors and are arranged in an inventive way so they form an interesting wide plus shape with a big diamond shape in its center that matches the background in color.

by Generations-quilt-patterns

12” rose quilt block pattern

12” rose quilt block pattern

Spread the romantic feelings onto your next quilting project with a block you can make with this pattern, featuring a big diagonally oriented polygonal rose with a crimson base made of three petals, a yellow interior, two green leaves, and three thorny stems under the flower head.

by Martyquilts

12” heart quilt block pattern

12” heart quilt block pattern

You got the love but so will your next quilt if you use this pattern and sew one or more of these adorable blocks in two slightly different variations, one with a big heart on a white square, and the other almost identical with an additional white outer frame made of four rectangles around the white square.

by Cluckclucksew

12” bow tie quilt block

12” bow tie quilt block

Minimalistic designs can look extremely lovely, as you can see in this pattern that shows you how to sew a block with four squares in two contrasting and alternating colors and a small square in the center that matches the two diagonal squares in color so it creates a depiction of a big, diagonally oriented bow tie.

by Generations-quilt-patterns

12” fancy foot quilt block

12” fancy foot quilt block

Solid squares, half-square triangles, and half-rectangle triangles in four colors on a white background produce this interesting and creative block that has a design that could be described as an abstract windmill with a white diamond in its center and four blades in different colors around it.

by Generations-quilt-patterns

Virginia Reel Quilt block

Virginia Reel Quilt block

Here’s a wonderful block that you can turn into borders, larger blocks, and even entire quilts if you put many of them together, thanks to its dynamic appearance with four polygonal arrows in two colors and a white background set in a 2 x 2 grid so they form a square spiral.

by Pieceandquilt

Almost 150 patterns for a 12”finished block!

Almost 150 patterns for a 12”finished block!

This block will make you think you’re passing through multiple doorways in a line with its sets of four rectangles in two colors that form frames put inside each other around a patterned square in the center of the block, with the hues of the rectangles turning brighter closer to the central square block.

by Delawarequilts

Mother’s favorite quilt block

Mother’s favorite quilt block

Two colors on a white background, one color for the diamond frame, and another, darker color for the square in the middle of the diamond frame and the pairs of triangles in two sizes placed around it so they point towards the center, that’s what you can see on this quilting block.

by Allpeoplequilt

Arrows block quilt pattern

Arrows block quilt pattern

Despite its name, this block doesn’t have anything to do with arrows, but it does have only squares and half-square triangles as its elements, and it offers you a possibility to completely change its design by just rotating one of its four large blocks in any direction by 90 degrees.

by Patchworksquare

Yankee puzzle 12” block

Yankee puzzle 12” block

It’s windmills inside windmills inside windmills on this fun and colorful quilt block pattern that shows you how a 4 x 4 grid of creatively arranged half-square triangles in three colors can form a design that reminds you of those fast-spinning fireworks with its dynamic spiral look.

by Delawarequilts

Vinca Quilt Block 12” quilt block

Vinca Quilt Block 12” quilt block

There’s a special regal charm to this quilt block thanks to its appearance that leans towards Renaissance aesthetically, featuring a dark background with a bright square in the center and four pentagon shapes split in half by color set around the square, as well as contrasting squares in the block corners and the corners of the central motif.

by Thecraftyquilter

Card trick quilt block

Card trick quilt block

Magic tricks with cards found their way onto quilts too, just look at this beautiful block that has a combination of half-square triangles and hourglass blocks that you arrange so that they form four diamond shapes in different colors set in two rows as if they’re merging as they slice into each other.

by Lakegirlquilts

12-inch Lost ships block

12-inch Lost ships block

Pour a dose of positive energy into your next quilt with this block that features a large half-square triangle in the middle, and a frame made up of twenty small half-square triangles, each of them with one half white, and another half in different shades of blue and green patterned fabrics.

by Fabric406

Salem block = free 12-inch quilt block

Salem block = free 12-inch quilt block

Here’s a block that looks amazing as the main motif in the center of a quilt, thanks to its inventive use of half-square triangles set to form a large square with contrasting triangles in the corners and a big sawtooth star that has four hourglass diamonds in two rows in its middle.

by Fabric406

Bear tracks quilt block

Bear tracks quilt block

This block will have you wondering if a bear decided to paint with their paws on its surface due to the vibrant look with four squares in different colors and half-square triangles around them in matching colors that create the characteristic bear paw shapes, each one oriented differently.

by Allpeoplequilt

Qube Flock of geese pattern

Qube Flock of geese pattern

Here comes a minimalistic representation of a flock of geese flying in the sky at dusk or dawn, with two large orange half-square triangles placed diagonally next to each other, and eight smaller blue and whiteish half-square triangles in two 2 x 2 blocks next to the orange ones.

by Accuquilt

Free 12 inch Star quilt block patterns

Honeymoon 12” star quilt block

Honeymoon 12” star quilt block

This block demonstrates how a small addition can change a design into an entirely new thing, like the Froebel star we have here, placed on a white background and improved with four more double tips between the existing ones, giving the star more of a flowery appearance.

by Generations-quilt-patterns

12” Sawtooth star quilt block

Unfinished size: 12 ½”

Finished block size: 12”

12” Sawtooth star quilt block

You can’t go wrong if you decide to add some colorful sawtooth stars to your next quilting project, especially if you go with this block that features a bright background and a simple but lovely sawtooth star that has a contrasting square in its center and a diamond inside that square.

by Createwithclaudia

Maple star quilt block

Maple star quilt block

The fun block we have here has a bright square in its center with a frame with dark squares in the corners around it, and four pairs of triangles that match those corners in color, placed around the frame to give the design a look that resembles a Froebel star.

by Diaryofaquilter

Aunt Eliza’s star

Aunt Eliza’s star

This block looks like it has a regular basic sawtooth star on a white background as the only notable feature, but it also has a subtle detail that gives it a special charm, and that’s the addition of four triangles in a pastel color sitting inside the star and pointing towards its tips.

by Pieceandquilt

You’re now equipped with enough block patterns to make anything from regular to giant quilts you’ll proudly show off to your house guests! Be a good sport and let ms know which block you liked the most in the comments, your feedback is precious for all the readers! Feel free to subscribe to the mailing list afterwards and you’ll get notified when new content gets released. Until then, have fun quilting these blocks!

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