Single Chain and Knot Quilt Block

Another block from the Irish Chain family

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Skill Level: Beginner

The Single Chain and Knot quilt block is a variation on a single Irish Chain with patches half the normal size in the corners.

The Pennsylvania quilt block is a close cousin that you might also want to consider.

By combining a bit of strip piecing with some traditional techniques it's quick and simple to make.

Once you've chosen a block, what do you do with it?

Don't worry, there are examples of a dozen different ways of using this very block to inspire you.

Let's knot waste a minute more! It's time to quilt.

Single Chain and Knot quilt block tutorial

📋 General Instructions

If you need help printing this tutorial, you'll find it here.

These abbreviations are used on this page:

SA - seam allowance

RST - right sides together

SA are all a 1/4" and are pressed toward the darker fabric unless otherwise noted.

Pressing instructions are highlighted in yellow to make them easier for you to quickly find. SAs that nest make matching seams so much faster and more accurate.

The newest quilt fabrics to tickle your fancy...

Click the images below to see the full collection. We share any commercial and/or free patterns that showcase them, too. (For inspiration, of course!)

Dutchy Blues Batiks fabric collection by Jacqueline de Jonge for Anthology Fabrics

Dutchy Blues Batiks
Jacqueline de Jonge
Anthology Fabrics

Deco Glow II fabric collection by Giucy Giuce for Andover

Deco Glow II
Giucy Giuce
Andover

Magnolia
Andover

Step 1: Cut patches for a Single Chain and Knot block

Single Chain and Knot quilt block design

Single Chain and Knot design

Sample Size: 5" finished / 5½" unfinished

Grid: 10x10

Attributed to: Nancy Cabot

Design Type: Irish Chain, Uneven 9-patch large center, 25 squares

Particularly for the 5" version, use fabrics that read as a solid. At this size, the small square in the four-patches measure 1/2" finished—a big print would just muddle the design.

This block makes an adorable scrappy quilt as you'll see on the following design page.

Choose fabrics with high contrasting value so that all your piecing shows in the finished design.

			Cutting Chart for a Single Knot and Chain Quilt Block ~ Traditional Piecing ~
Patch	Fabric	Qty	Finished Block Size
Patch	Fabric	Qty	5''	10''	15''
1	Dark	5	1½" x 1½''	2½'' x 2½''	3½'' x 3½''
2	Light	4	1½'' x 1½''	2½'' x 2½''	3½'' x 3½''
3	Light	4	1½'' x 3½''	2½'' x 6½''	3½'' x 9½''
4	Dark	1	1'' x 9''	1½'' x 13''	2'' x 17''
5	Light	1	1'' x 9''	1½'' x 13''	2'' x 17''
Unfinished Block Size			5½''	10½''	15½''
Grid Size			½"	1''	1½''

Step 2: Creating the Single Chain and Knot Units

For the pieced units, traditional piecing methods are used for one, strip piecing for the other. If you were making several identical blocks, I recommend using strip piecing for both.

Nine Patch

Make 1

With right sides together (RST) stitch a #1 to a #2. Make a total of three pairs.

Press.

Stitch a #1 to a #2 for a total of 3 pairs

Add a #1 to two of the pairs (above, right) and a #2 to the third (above, left) so that the fabrics alternate.

Press.

Arrange the patches into a nine-patch with a dark center and corners. Stitch the units together. The seams nest to make matching easier. Use pins if it helps you.

Arrange the units into a nine patch with dark corners

Press. The direction of the SA doesn't matter for these seams because this unit is surrounded by solid cut rectangles.

Four Patches

Make 4

With RST sew the long #4 and #5 strips together.

Press.

Start your stitching on a spider(see arrow)—just a scrap of fabric—to get a better first stitch!

Helpful Tip

I like to use starched quilt fabric, and particularly so for creating strip sets. I find that it's much easier to fingerpress the seam open and then press it at the iron—there's less chance of getting a tuck at the SA.

Check the width of your sew strip set against the measurements in the chart below. Adjust if necessary.

StripSet Widths
Finished Block Size	Stripset Width after stitching	SubCut Width	Dimensions after sewing 4-patch
5"	1½"	1"	1½" x 1½"
10"	2½"	1½"	2½" x 2½"
15"	3½"	2"	3½" x 3½"

Straighten the short edge with your rotary cutter.

Position a line on your ruler directly on the seam line (see arrow). Trim just enough to straighten the edge.

Then subcut it into 8 segments equal to the width in the 'Subcut Width' column (chart above). Our segments for this 5" sample are cut 1" wide.

Arrange them as shown below.

There's just a little leftover scrap.

Stitch the pairs together. Press.

Step 3: Assembling the Single Chain and Knot quilt block

Arrange the pieces into the Single Chain and Knot design—dark fabrics in the outside corners.

Lay out the patches into rows to form the design

Stitch the pieces in each row together, pressing away from the sewn units.

And finally stitch the rows together, pinning if needed to help keep the SA aligned properly.

This is the finished Single Chain and Knot quilt block.

A Single Chain and Knot quilt block—finished!

Our finished Single Chain and Knot quilt block!

That outermost square in each corner looks a bit funky now, but that's only because its seam allowance is still showing. Once it's sewn into a quilt, all will be fine!

Now that you've made a block, let's explore some of your options...

More blocks that form chain designs

There are many patterns on this website that form chain designs just like this New Irish Chain. Each of them has either a four- or nine-patch in the corner to create the design.

Note, too, that sometimes it's all four corners. Other times it's only two diagonal corners. Then the chains run in only one direction through your quilt design.

Click any image below to go directly to instructions to make that block.

Click here for the Rocky Road to California quilt block tutorial

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:

A-D

E-M

N-Z

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: