How to Make a 6 1/2″ Bear’s Paw Quilt Block
Originally part of my 2020 Sparkling Sampler Mystery Quilt Along, this tutorial shows you how to make the fun Bear’s Paw quilt block. For the mystery quilt, we made two blocks, so the information listed in this article is for 2 of them. Adjust accordingly, depending on how many blocks you want to make.
Did you figure out what block we are doing for May? Hopefully the clue helped you. It’s a fun one, and not too hard. It’s the Bear’s Paw block and you’ll be making two of them. Find out everything you need to know with these May mystery block instructions.
I made quite a few of these blocks while testing this pattern and for some reason I had issues getting the point in the corner to line up. Finally I figured out what I was, or more appropriately, was not doing, and that was pinning.
I’ll let you in on a little secret here, I am not someone who pins a lot. I think it’s because of the way I taught myself to quilt. Over the years I have gained a huge appreciation for pinning, but I often slip back into my old bad habits.
Because you want your piecing to be precise when you are sewing this block together, I recommend pinning as needed.
*Download the Free May Block PDF Pattern Here*
Fabric Requirements
Fabrics
- A – Fat Eighth (In my block, the white with green dots)
- B – 9″ Square (In my block, the green with flowers)
- C – 7″ Square (In my block, the blue fabric
The fabrics I used for this were all from Moda and include Kelly Green on White from the Essential Dots collection. They also include Flowers on Green from the Sweet Harmony collection by American Jane Fabrics and Blue Double Wreaths from the Flower Sacks collection by Me & My Sister Designs.
The block in the video tutorial is made up of various fabrics from my stash.
Items That May Help You With This Block
You can find many of the items that I used to make this project in my Amazon Store.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Video Tutorial
For my readers who enjoy watching video tutorials, you can find this block as well as all of the other months on my YouTube channel.
Cutting (For Both Blocks)
- Two Squares of Fabric A – 2 ½ inches by 2 ½ inches
- Four Squares of Fabric A – 3 ¼ inches by 3 ¼ inches
- Two Squares of Fabric B – 4 ½ inches by 4 ½ inches
- Four Squares of Fabric C – 3 ¼ inches by 3 ¼ inches
May Mystery Block Instructions
Make the Half Square Triangles
To begin, you will need to make four half square triangles for each block.
Take one of the 3 ¼ inch squares from fabric A and one from fabric C.
Draw a diagonal line on the back (wrong) side of the square of fabric A. This will be your sewing guide.
Next, line up fabric A on top of fabric C with front (right) sides facing each other.
Using a scant ¼ inch seam allowance, sew along both sides of the line drawn earlier.
Using your ruler and rotary cutter, cut down the center, along the line that was drawn earlier. As a result, you will have two blocks that now need to be pressed open.
Trim the units down to 2 ½ by 2 ½ inches.
Repeat one time. You will have four half square triangles and you are ready to assemble your block.
Assembling the block
Lay out the pieces that make up the block.
Taking two of the half square triangles and sew them together.
Repeat with the remaining two half square triangle and add the corner square. Note the placement of the half square triangles.
Sew the shorter row of half square triangles to the top of the large square.
Finally, join the rows together and you will have one completed block.
Repeat all steps to make another one. You will have two bear paw blocks. The blocks should measure 6 ½ inches by 6 ½ inches.
This block is fun to do, but it can be a little bit tricky to get the points to line up just right.
June’s Clue: It can be kind of lonely when you get older and you haven’t married!
Feel free to join in the quilt along. You can find all of the details here.
I also have this FB group for people who are participating. It’s a fun place to see what other people are doing for their blocks.
Check out what fun blocks we’ve done so far!
Show off your progress on social media! Make sure to use the hashtag #createwithclaudiaqal if you post any pictures!
*This mystery quilt along is for entertainment purposes only. There are no prizes or giveaways.* Best efforts have been made to ensure that the instructions are correct, however sometime errors occur. If you have any questions, please contact us at claudia{at}createwithclaudia{dot}com*
