Bear's Paw
Four paws, each a large square with two half-square-triangle claws along each of its two outer sides and a small background square in the outer corner, separated by sashing strips around a centre square.
Log Cabin
A centre square wrapped in five rounds of logs that spiral around it, one log per side in turn; the logs on two adjacent sides are light and the other two are dark, so the block divides into light and dark halves along a diagonal.
Lone Star
An eight-pointed star of 45-degree diamonds, each point pieced from small diamonds in rings of colour that radiate from the centre, with set-in background corners and side triangles.
Ohio Star
A nine-patch star: plain corners, a centre square, and quarter-square-triangle side units whose triangles form eight points.
Alaska Homestead
Four large half-square triangle units in the corners with their inner halves framing a centre cross of five squares, the edge and centre squares in one fabric and the squares between them in another.
Anvil
Two large half-square triangles meet at the centre on one diagonal; the other two quarters each hold a square, a background square and two small triangles.
Balkan Puzzle
Sixteen half-square triangles: a square on point in the centre, framed by triangles, with two sets of geese chasing each other around the edges in a pinwheel.
Barbara Frietchie Star
Sixteen half-square triangles: pairs along each edge make eight star points, the corners are triangles, and the centre four units form a pinwheel.
Big Dipper
Four hourglass units, each turned a quarter from its neighbours, so the dark triangles form a pinwheel at the centre and another around the edges.
Birds in the Air
Half the block is one large triangle; the other half is a stair-step of six small triangles, all pointing the same way like a flock in flight.
Bow Tie
Two tie squares on one diagonal and two background squares whose centre corners are stitched-and-flipped in the tie fabric, so a small square knot forms where they meet.
Brick Wall
A one-patch of 2 by 4 in rectangles laid in rows like bricks, each row offset by half a brick; alternate rows end in half bricks that complete when blocks are joined. Traditionally scrappy.
Buckeye Beauty
Two large half-square triangles and two four-patches; the dark squares line up into a diagonal chain from corner to corner, framed by the light halves of the triangles.
Cain and Abel
Squares and eight half-square triangles: triangles in the outer corners point inwards while the triangles around the centre nine-patch point outwards, with a plus of squares through the middle.
Card Trick
Four fabrics form four square cards turned on point that overlap in a pinwheel around the centre, built from half-square-triangle corners, three-piece side units and a four-colour quarter-square-triangle centre.
Cathedral Windows
A folded-fabric technique producing diamond-shaped windows of colorful fabric revealed through muslin frames, resembling stained glass.
Chevron Log Cabin
Logs added on two sides of a corner square, each round a single fabric, so the block shows nested L-shaped chevrons alternating dark and light.
Chinese Coins
Columns of short horizontal strips stacked like coins, separated by plain vertical sashing; usually made from scraps.
Churn Dash
A nine patch with half-square-triangle corners and two-strip side units, the dark halves turned toward a light centre square so they form a square frame with pointed corners.
Clay's Choice
A four-by-four block of squares and half-square triangles: long dark blades spin around a small centre pinwheel, with a square in each corner.
Courthouse Steps
A log cabin variation built in opposite pairs: each round adds matching light logs above and below, then dark logs on both sides, so light steps stack up and down from the centre and dark steps run left and right.
Crosses and Losses
Two large half-square triangles on one diagonal alternate with two small quarters of two half-square triangles and two plain squares; the large dark triangles point into the centre.
Crown of Thorns
Each corner is four half-square triangles all angled towards the centre; the inner triangles and the squares beside the centre make a ring around a light centre square.
Diamond Cross
Bold center diamond framed by contrasting corners.
Diamond in a Square
A large square set on point inside a square, framed by a wide border with contrasting corner squares; the layout of the classic Amish centre-diamond quilt at block scale.
Double Four Patch
A large four-patch whose top-left and bottom-right quarters are small four-patches and whose other two quarters are plain squares, so the small checks run corner to corner.
Double Nine Patch
A nine patch whose corner and centre squares are themselves small nine patches, alternating with four large plain squares.
Double Wrench
A five-patch drafting of the churn-dash idea: large half-square triangle units in the corners, a two-square bar at the middle of each side with the dark square towards the centre, and a light centre square.
Drunkard's Path
Sixteen quarter-circle units, eight in each colourway, turned so the dark curves join into a staggering path that runs from each corner of the block to its centre.
Duck and Ducklings
Each corner is a birds-in-the-air unit: a large triangle pointing out to the corner with one small triangle following it, around a background cross and a small centre square.
Dutchman's Puzzle
Eight flying-geese units in four pairs; each quarter holds two geese flying the same way, and the quarters turn around the centre like a pinwheel.
Economy Block
An upright centre square framed by two rounds of triangles: the first round turns it on point, the second squares it up again, so the three squares nest at alternating angles.
Eight Hands Around
A small sawtooth star in the centre, ringed by background geese with dark wings and dark corner triangles, on an eight-by-eight grid.
English Wedding Ring
Corners of four half-square triangles angled towards the centre, with accent squares at the middle of each edge and in the centre separated by light squares.
Farmer's Daughter
A five-patch of squares and half-square triangles: the outer triangle halves join the edge squares into four arrow shapes that point at the corners, around a centre nine-patch with a contrasting plus.
Fifty-Four Forty or Fight
Four patches in the corners and centre with long, narrow star points on each side: the points sit on the centre four patch and reach out to the edge of the block.
Flying Geese Row
Four flying geese flying nose to tail along a row: each is a large goose triangle between two small sky triangles, and each goose's point touches the base of the next.
Fool's Puzzle
Sixteen Drunkard's Path units arranged so four circles sit in the quarters of the block, each three-quarters dark with its light quarter facing a block corner, while light curves pinwheel through the dark centre.
Fool's Square
A Sister's Choice-style star whose corner squares are half-square triangles, with dark triangles at the four outer corners echoing the dark centre square.
Four Patch
Four equal squares in two rows, light and dark alternating so each colour sits on one diagonal.
Friendship Star
A nine patch with plain corners, a centre square, and four half-square-triangle side units turned the same way round so the star points spin like a pinwheel.
Georgia
Mostly squares, with one half-square triangle in each corner of the centre nine-patch; the dark triangles and edge squares form a ring around a light plus and a centre square.
Grandmother's Choice
An uneven nine-patch on a five-patch grid: each corner is a large triangle unit whose outer half is a small square flanked by two small triangles, set around a cross of bars with a square at the centre.
Grandmother's Fan
A quarter-circle fan in one corner of the block: a small hub, six wedge-shaped blades radiating from it, and a plain background; this drawing ends the blades on a smooth arc.
Half Log Cabin
A log cabin built out from a corner square instead of a centre, adding logs on only two sides; the logs on one side are light and the logs on the other are dark.
Half Square Triangle
One square cut corner to corner into a dark and a light triangle; the unit many pieced blocks are built from.
Hens and Chickens
Laid out like Bear's Paw, but the small triangles sit with their long sides against the outer edge and share the corner-square fabric, so each large square is trimmed with a sawtooth of chickens.
Hovering Hawks
A four-by-four grid of plain squares and ten half-square triangles whose seams all run the same way; two groups of five dark triangles face each other across the diagonal.
Irish Chain (Single)
A five-by-five checkerboard; set beside plain blocks, its dark squares join into diagonal chains.
Jacob's Ladder
Four patches in the corners and centre, all turned the same way so their dark squares make a diagonal chain, with half-square triangles on the sides whose seams run parallel to the chain.
Kansas Troubles
Four quarters turned around the centre; each is split on the diagonal into a large plain triangle and a pieced triangle whose mid-size triangle is edged with small sawtooth triangles.
Lady of the Lake
A large half-square triangle framed by sixteen small half-square triangles that all face the same way, light above the diagonal and dark below it in the centre, with the small units reversed.
LeMoyne Star
Eight 45 degree diamonds meet at the centre to form an eight-pointed star whose tips touch the block edges; corner squares and side triangles are set into the gaps. The diamonds often alternate two fabrics.
Maple Leaf
A leaf on the diagonal of a nine patch: three solid leaf squares, four half-square-triangle points along the top and left, a plain background corner, and a narrow diagonal stem in the opposite corner.
Miller's Daughter
Eight triangle points around a checkerboard nine-patch centre, with background squares at the corners and at the middle of each edge.
Mrs. Keller's Nine Patch
A centre nine-patch framed by corners of three half-square triangles angled towards the middle, with accent squares at the middle of each edge.
Nine Patch
Nine equal squares in three rows, alternating dark and light so the dark squares sit in the corners and the centre.
Off-Center Log Cabin
A spiralling log cabin whose light logs are half the width of its dark logs, so the centre square sits off-centre toward the light corner; set together, the blocks suggest curves.
Old Maid's Puzzle
Two large triangles meet at the centre along one diagonal, each with a small triangle tucked into its corner; the other two quarters hold pairs of small triangles facing each other across the other diagonal.
Orange Peel
Four square units, each holding a pointed oval (a peel) on its diagonal, turned so the four peels meet at the centre like a four-petal flower; each peel is bounded by two quarter-circle arcs as wide as the unit.
Pineapple
A log cabin variation in which rounds of logs alternate between the sides and the corners of the growing centre, each log trimmed at 45 degrees; the dark corner logs and corner triangles form a broad X of blades radiating from the centre square.
Pinwheel
Four half-square triangles turned so their seams run from the corners to the centre and the dark halves spin around the middle like the sails of a toy pinwheel.
Pinwheel Breeze
Spinning half-square triangles in an 8″ block.
Prickly Pear
A seven-patch with a sawtooth border of twenty half-square triangles and plain corner squares, enclosing a five-patch centre where eight triangles and five squares make an on-point star around a cross of accent squares. The sawtooth runs one way round, so the block has turning symmetry but no mirror.
Queen Charlotte's Crown
A diagonal five-patch: large half-square triangles fill two opposite corners, and the other two corners are squares with pairs of small triangle points on each side, around a stepped block of centre squares.
Rail Fence
A square cut from a strip set of four equal rails; turning alternate blocks a quarter turn in the quilt makes the zigzag fence.
Rail Fence Trio
Four square units of three parallel rails, turned alternately horizontal and vertical so the rails zigzag across the quilt.
Rising Star
A sawtooth star whose centre square is itself a smaller sawtooth star, drawn on an eight-by-eight grid.
Road to Oklahoma
A four-by-four grid with a chain of dark squares from one corner to the opposite corner, crossed by pairs of dark half-square triangles near the other two corners; a four-patch sits in the middle.
Rolling Stone
A nine patch with square-in-a-square corners, two-strip side units and a plain centre; the on-point corner squares and outer strips form a light ring around a dark cross.
Roman Stripe
A square split on the diagonal: one half is a plain triangle and the other is pieced from narrow stripes running parallel to the diagonal.
Sawtooth Star
A four-by-four star: a large centre square, four flying-geese units whose small triangles make eight star points, and plain corner squares.
Shoofly
A nine patch with half-square-triangle corners whose dark halves point in to a dark centre square, making a dark X on light side squares.
Sister's Choice
A five-patch star built from squares and half-square triangles: a centre nine-patch with a light plus and dark centre, ringed by eight triangle points that run out towards the light corner squares, with a dark square at the middle of each side.
Snail's Trail
A two-colour four-patch at the centre, wrapped in four rounds of ever-larger triangles that alternately set it on point and square it up; each triangle continues the colour of the piece it grows from, so light and dark arms spiral out like a snail shell.
Snowball
A large square with a triangle cut from each corner, each triangle one third of the side, so the square reads as an octagon; set side by side the corners meet as small diamonds.
Spider Web
Eight triangular wedges, each pieced from strips parallel to its outer edge, join into an octagon so the strips read as concentric rings of a web; plain triangles fill the corners.
Split Nine Patch
A nine patch split corner to corner: three half-square triangles run along one diagonal, with light squares on one side and dark squares on the other.
Square in a Square
A square set on point, its corners touching the middle of each side, with four half-square triangles filling the corners.
Storm at Sea
Square-in-a-square corners, long diamonds in the side rectangles, and a double square-in-a-square centre; repeated, the straight seams read as rolling curves.
Thousand Pyramids
A one-patch of equilateral triangles in rows, alternately pointing up and down; contrast between the up and down triangles makes rows of pyramids. Half triangles at the row ends complete across the block edge.
Tumbling Blocks
A one-patch of 60 degree diamonds, three to a hexagon, shaded light, medium and dark so each hexagon reads as a cube; this rectangular repeat holds three cubes across and cuts diamonds at its edges so blocks tile exactly.