October Block of the Month: Maple Leaf Block on Point

Hello my lovely quilters!

Fall is in the air! Leaves are changing color! And we have the perfect fall block for you!

This is the Maple Leaf Block on Point.

It’s quite a simple block and quite a classic! You’ll see this quilt block all over once you start looking for it!

The only tricky party is the stem, but I’ve got step by step instructions for that. First you will need:

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS

BACKGROUND FABRIC	DARK FABRIC
(2) 7 ¼” squares	(1) 1 ¼” x 5 ¼” rectangle
(3) 3 ¾” squares	(2) 3 ¾” squares
(1) 3 ¼” squares	(3) 3 ¼” squares

Sewing Instructions

Start off by drawing a diagonal line on the wrong side of all the 3 ¾” background squares.

Place the background squares right sides together with (2) 3 ¾” dark fabric squares. Sew a ¼” seam on either side of the drawn diagonal line.

Carefully cut directly on the drawn diagonal line, and then press the seams toward the dark fabric.

Making the Stem

Next, take the remaining 3 ¾” background square and cut in half along the drawn diagonal line to create two triangles.

Layout the background triangles with the dark fabric strip in the center.

Mark the center of the triangle by folding it in half and finger pressing along the long side.

Take (1) 1 ¼” x 5 ¼” dark fabric rectangle. Mark the center of the dark fabric strip by folding in half and finger pressing.

Match up the center of the triangle with the center of the dark fabric strip. Pin and sew ¼” seam.

Repeat with the other background triangle by marking the centers and pinning in place.

Sew a ¼” seam and press the seams toward the background triangles. Trim the stem block to 3 ¼” square.

Pro tip: The stem block is larger than it needs to be. This allows for centering the stem block before trimming it, and to help get great points!

Layout

Follow the photo for the layout of the block. You’ll want to keep the leaf oriented in the same direction as you sew all the rows together to help keep the HSTs pointing in the right direction. Sew it together using ¼” seam. This is also where it’s very important that you trimmed all the pieces in the previous steps. It helps keep the maple leaf nice and square.

Now that your maple leaf is done, we’ll be putting it “on point”. That means we add triangles to all four sides of the maple leaf block so that the maple leaf looks like it is turned on its point.

Start but cutting both 7 ¼” background squares on the diagonal to create 4 large triangles.

Place two triangles on either side of the maple leaf block. Mark the center by folding the triangle in half and finger pressing along the long side. Mark the center of the maple leaf block by folding it in half and finger pressing. Pin together and sew a ¼” seam.

Repeat with the last two triangles on the top and bottom of the maple leaf block. Please note that there will be quite a bit of overhang from the background triangles. This is necessary for the block to finish at the correct size and to keep the maple leaf centered.