Little Tulip Quilt Block

Spring arrived in Helsinki earlier than expected this year. To be very frank, three weeks ago I had planned a completely different project for my March post for the Quilt Calendar with @pfaff-suomi. But the blue sky, melting snow, and bright, warm sun suddenly put me into a spring mood. I found myself dreaming about the first flowers of the season.

When spring is still cold, tulips often grow with shorter stems, so the flowers sit low among the leaves. If they suddenly appeared here right now, they might look exactly like the little block I designed. That is where the inspiration for this block came from.

It is easy and relatively quick to make, which makes it perfect for beginners. At the same time, I think even seasoned quilters might find the piecing interesting.

In this tutorial, I show how to sew the 4" × 4" (10.2 x 10.2 cm) Little Tulip quilt block, and I will also share a few examples of what you can create with it.

Let´s start!

Finished size: 4" × 4" (10.2 x 10.2 cm)

Note: All seam allowances in this project are 1/4" (0.6 cm).

I highly recommend using a ¼″ sewing machine foot for piecing. I use the Pfaff Perfect 1/4″ Foot with Guide, and it is the foot I use most often for sewing patchwork.

Pfaff Perfect 1/4" foot with Guide

It helps you sew an accurate ¼″ (6 mm) seam allowance, which is essential for quilting. The built-in guide keeps the fabric aligned so your seams stay consistent, and the oval-shaped needle opening allows small needle adjustments for precise stitching if you need a slightly narrower scant ¼″ seam.

Materials and cutting instructions

(all measurements are width × height, the letters indicate the placement of the pieces (see photo 1 for details)

• (4) 4″ × 1¾″ (10.2 × 4.5 cm) solid-coloured fabric (linen or cotton) (A)

• (2) 1½″ × 1¾″ (3.8 × 4.4 cm) pink fabric for the flower (linen or cotton) (B)

• (2) 3″ × 1¾″ (7.6 × 4.4 cm) solid-coloured fabric for the flower (C)

• (2) 3″ × 1½″ (7.6 × 3.8 cm) green fabric for the leaves (D)

• (2) 3″ × 1½″ (7.6 × 3.8 cm) solid-coloured fabric for the leaves (E)

• cutting mat, ruler, rotary cutter, sewing machine, thread

Photo 1. Layout of the fabric pieces for the block

A Note on Materials: For this project, I recommend using cotton or linen/cotton fabrics. Quilting cotton, in particular, has a tight weave and stretches less than pure linen, which makes it easier to achieve accurate piecing.

For my block, I used Mochi Unbleached Linen (70% cotton / 30% linen) from the Mochi collection by Moda Fabrics and cotton fabrics.

Ohjeet suomeksi löytyy täältä 

1. Cut the pieces according to the cutting instructions and lay them out as shown in Photo 1.

2. Make the leaves: Place piece E on top of piece D, right sides together, as shown in Photo 2A, and mark the stitching lines. Stitch on the marked line using a 2.0 stitch length.

   Place the ¼″ (0.6 cm) mark on your ruler on the stitched line and trim off the corner, leaving a ¼″ seam allowance (SA) (see Photo 2B). Press the seam open (2C).

   Make two units. Note that the leaves face opposite directions and are mirror images of each other (see Photo 2D).

   
   

   

   Photo 2. Making the leaves

3. Make the flower: sew pieces B and C together and press the seam open. Repeat to make the second unit (Photo 3).

   
   

   

   Photo 3. Layout of the strip sets

4. Lay out the two strip sets. In one set, offset the strips ¾″ (1.9 cm) to the right; in the other set, offset them ¾″ (1.9 cm) to the left (see Photo 3).

5. Sew the strips together and press the seams open (Photo 4).

   
   

   

   Photo 4. The sewn panels for the block before trimming

6. Trim both panels to a width of 2¼″ (5.7 cm). First, place the ruler along the offset edge of the panel, positioning it so the ruler’s edge is approximately 3/8″ (1 cm) from the tip of the flower (Photo 5). Then measure a width of 2¼″ (5.7 cm) and trim off the excess fabric (Photo 6).

   
   

   

   Photo 5. Trimming the panel.

   

   Photo 6. The trimmed panels.

7. Sew the panels together, press the seam open, and trim the length of the block to 4″ (10.2 cm). Your block is ready!

   
   

Photo 7. Little Tulip Quilt Block

Ideas/Inspiration

Your little tulip block is very versatile! Here are some ways to use it:

Small Projects (1 Block):

Even a single tulip block can become a charming small project:

• Pouch

• Coaster

• Mug rug

Larger Projects (Multiple Blocks):

• Minimalist Cushion: Make four tulip blocks, add five 4″ × 4″ (10.2 × 10.2 cm) solid-coloured blocks, and sew them into a nine-patch (3 rows of 3 blocks). Trim to 11″ × 11″ (28 × 28 cm) and add border strips if desired.

• Spring Tote Bag: Use the same nine-patch layout for the front panel of a tote. The tulip blocks add a cheerful, spring-inspired touch.

Alternate Versions:

• Add coloured squares between the tulips for a playful variation.

• Keep it simple with all solid-coloured blocks for a minimalist look.

A quilt: You can even make a baby quilt using this block! Of course, it involves a lot of sewing, but I couldn’t resist making a couple of mock-ups. 😊

If you decide to make a Spring Tulip block using this tutorial and share it on Instagram, please tag me @nordiccrafter and @pfaff_suomi so we can admire your work!

Happy Sewing!❤