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110 Free 12 Inch Quilt Block Patterns to Make
From our Free Quilt Block Patterns Library
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12 inch quilt block patterns are perfect for the beginning quilter!
- It doesn't take so many blocks to make bed-sized quilts.
- You have a little wiggle room to ease seams together if your patches aren't quite perfect
- There's plenty of opportunity to show off those dazzling focus fabrics you're just itching to use
- There are several star quilt blocks...12 inch of course! included in this library, free for you to download.
And, they're perfectly sized to showcase machine embroidery whose standard stitch-out size is 4" square, too!
There's so much design variety!
12" is evenly divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12 which gives you six different grid sizes—6-, 4-, 3-, 2-, 1-1/2- and 1 inch respectively—to design with.
That's a whole lotta design potential.
Moreover, these sizes are ALL rotary cutter friendly. You needn't resort to using templates to make them!
On this page, you'll find:
- The complete list of all the 12-inch finished quilt block patterns currently listed on this website, sorted by grid size and then listed alphabetically—each is a clickable link to its tutorial
- A quick review of grids, definitions, and examples
- Links to instructions how to print what you want from the various tutorials available to you on this site
A quick review of the grids found in 12 inch quilt block patterns
The patchwork designs below are sorted first by grid units per side and then alphabetically.
2x2
3x3
4x4
6x6
8x8
12x12A grid is pretty much the graph paper on which we draft our designs.
Grid size is the value we assign to each square (i.e., 1", 1-1/2", 2", etc.).
Grid units are the squares in each row and column.
Finished size is the product of grid units x size, i.e., 6 units x 2" equals a block that finishes at 12" square'. (Remember that when we talk about a 12" finished block, after you do the stitching you have 12 1/2 inch quilt blocks. That's the unfinished size. The extra 1/2" is taken up by the seam allowances.)
There are no rectangular blocks in this collection.
All but one are pieced on a sewing machine with all rotary cutter friendly measurements (1/8’s, 1/4’s, 1/2’s and whole numbers).
All the blocks' unfinished size—from cut edge to cut edge—is 12-1/2" square.
12 inch block patterns sorted by grid units
The patchwork designs below are sorted first by grid units per side and then alphabetically.
But there's always an exception, isn't there?
Out of all the 12-inch quilt block patterns shared here, the Carolina Lily is the only one whose patches are cut completely with templates (which are free and downloadable, of course).
It's probably a better candidate for hand piecing than machine piecing.
It is also the only one without a tutorial.
Furthermore, it was created as the result of a reader request for templates. It simply hasn't come to the top of the list to write a tutorial for yet. Hand piecing isn't really my thing.
The rest are all rotary cutter friendly.
With more than seventy 12 inch finished patterns to choose from, it's time to cut up and sew from our library of classic quilt patterns!
2x2 (6")
3x3 (4")
4x4 (3")
6x6 (2")
8x8 (1½")
12x12 (1")
Looking for a different block size?
Click here to see the different sorting of blocks by size available to you, as well as an alphabetical listing of all the block tutorials on this website.
Click here, if you're looking for blocks with at least some paper piecing.
And finally, if you're looking for the basic building blocks of quilting, i.e., Flying Geese, half square triangles, quarter square triangles, etc., along with several techniques to make each, click here.
If you like big blocks…and you cannot lie… :)
In the plans for this year is a page for free 16 inch quilt block patterns and larger.
Once this content is live on the site, you'll find it on the NAV Bar at the top under 'Quilt Patterns'.
Rulers to improve your accuracy while making 12 inch quilt block patterns
If you gravitate towards 12 inch finished blocks, consider adding a 12-1/2 inch square ruler to your collection.
That way you can position it once and just turn the mat to do the final squaring up.
My favorite one for this job is the 12-1/2" ruler by Quilter's Select.
There's a 'grippy' yellowish film on the back side that keeps the ruler from slipping.
Yes, they come in many sizes—not just 12-1/2"—and are my go-to rulers for all my trimming needs.
Check them out here if you're interested.
For trimming 'units'—those repeating, standard parts of blocks—to the correct size before piecing them together into a block, have you tried BlocLoc rulers?
The frosted area (red arrow) is the 'well' on the backside of the ruler that holds the seam allowanceThey are engineered with a 'well' in the back of the ruler just big enough to hold a 1/4" seam allowance. This helps quickly position the ruler in the right spot.
It literally grabs the seam allowance for stability and accuracy as you cut. Sweet!
A big help for all us 'sew it bigger, trim to perfection' quilters like myself.
These specialty rulers are rather pricey, though.
Thankfully, Green Fairy Quilts sometimes runs specials for as much as 30% off. Click here to go to Green Fairy, then click 'Notions & Tools' in the left-hand column, and then 'Rulers, Templates & Mats' to check what their current pricing is.
The Fat Quarter Shop frequently has them discounted by a bit depending on the day.
They carry BlocLoc Rulers engineered for:
- Half Square Triangles—the 4-1/2" version meets just about all my piecing needs and is pictured above
- Half Rectangles—these rulers come in mirror-imaged sets of two because your seam can go up to the right or up to the left. Unlike the symmetrical HST, you can't just flip the unit to get the angle going in the right direction.
The right tool for the job makes for more accurate cutting and speeds up the process.
There's no good reason for something to take longer than it should. :)
Printing Assistance
On each tutorial, look for the pink box under General instructions for printing help.
You can print the unfinished 12 1/2 inch quilt block patterns free block tutorials. Simply click that box for instructions using the PrintFriendly.com website. It allows you the freedom to choose which parts of the tutorial you need to have and which you can omit.
It's your ink and your paper.
It's not for me to choose how you spend it…and these are complete, step-by-step, illustrated tutorials. They can be very long to print and suck up a bunch of ink.
If the tutorial includes paper piecing or the use of templates, those downloads are free for your own personal use. You are welcome to print as many as you like.
Just be sure to check that your printer is set up to print at the correct size ('100%' or 'Actual Size' usually does it in the Print Menu.)
There are printing instructions specific to each tutorial on each page.
What about a different quilt block?
For a list of all the 220+ quilt block patterns on this site, start here.
If you know the name of the block, shorten your search by using these links:
Click here if you're looking for blocks with at least some paper piecing.
Click here if you're looking for the basic building blocks of quilting, i.e., Flying Geese, half square triangles, quarter square triangles, etc., along with several techniques to make each.
And finally, use these links to find blocks in these finished sizes:
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