Free Hour Glass Quilt Pattern

Turn simple hourglass quilt blocks into a stunning quilt top—perfect for layer cakes and pre-cut fabric lovers!

If you’ve already fallen in love with making hourglass blocks (and let’s be honest—they’re super satisfying to sew!), this tutorial will walk you through how to turn those blocks into a complete quilt top.

It’s quick, it’s beginner-friendly, and it’s a great way to finally use that layer cake you’ve been saving for the perfect project.

We’ll start with 10″ squares—either from a pre-cut bundle like a layer cake or charm pack or cut from your stash—and I’ll guide you through block layout ideas, sewing rows, and assembling your top step by step.

The hourglass block gives a lot of movement and visual interest, and depending on your fabric choices, you can go totally modern or classic scrappy.

Here’s why this project is a favorite:

• Pre-cut friendly = less cutting, more sewing.
• It’s easy to customize the size—just make more or fewer blocks depending on the quilt size you want.
• The design looks more complicated than it is (win!).

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Whether you’re looking to make a cozy throw or a full-size bed quilt, this layout is flexible and beginner-approved. I’ve included measurements, tips for trimming and pressing, and a simple way to keep your rows organized—because no one likes unpicking rows that got turned around!

Let’s get started and sew up something beautiful, one hourglass block at a time.

Materials Needed:

1 layer cake OR 42- 10″ x 10″ squares with a variety of colors including lights and darks

You’ll want to separate the squares into pairs – one light and one dark.

Notice that I sewed one blue and background HST and one red and background HST – then mixed them up so they were one red and one blue in the same hour glass block.

For this version, I used a full layer cake—42 pre-cut 10″ squares—paired up, sewn into hourglass blocks, and trimmed down to 9″ square.

I ended up with a 6 block by 7 block layout, which makes a great throw-size quilt. It’s slightly longer than it is wide, which adds a nice drape for the back of a couch or the foot of a bed.

I alternated the direction of the blocks as I laid them out, which gave the center sections a fun pinwheel effect—especially in the darker blues. It’s subtle (and kind of disappears with the extra row), but it adds just enough movement to keep things interesting without overcomplicating the layout.

This design works beautifully with patriotic colors like red, white, and blue (as shown), but it would be just as charming in autumn tones, holiday fabrics, or even a scrappy rainbow mix.

The hourglass shape lets each print show off, and since there’s no sashing or borders in this version, it goes together fast and keeps the focus on the blocks themselves.

If you’re using yardage or scraps instead of a layer cake, just cut your fabrics into 10″ squares to start—and you’re good to go!

Video Tutorial walking you through the process.

For full instructions go to the Hour Glass Quilt Block Pattern

Hour Glass Quilt Pattern Instructions:

1- Sew up a total of 42 hour glass quilt blocks. Mine were trimmed to 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ square

2- Lay the blocks out in a pattern of 6 blocks in 7 rows

Here’s a look at the quilt on the design wall.

3- Sew the rows together

4- Add a border if you’d like to make the quilt larger

Finishing The Quilt

1. Cut or piece together your batting and a piece of quilt backing fabric.

2. Make a quilt sandwich with the backing, batting, and top.

3. Baste together with fusible batting, pins or basting spray.

3. Quilt as desired. A few of my favorite ways to quilt are Straight line quilting or cross hatch quilting. Use a walking foot on your sewing machine. Trim away the extra batting and backing.

4. Cut strips of fabric for the binding. Cut 2 1/2” tall (sometimes I use 2 1/4″) binding strips. Sew the binding strips together and bind using your favorite technique.

Here’s a look at the quilting design – I did swirls in a meander style.

I put flannel on the backing – so it’s super soft and snuggly. I need to still wash it – then it will wrinkle and be even better.

More Free Patriotic Patterns:

Sweet Liberty Quilt – fun mix of flag, star and ribbon quilt blocks.

Patriotic Pinwheels – a quilt using the disappearing quilt block technique. It makes two different quilt blocks.

No Sew – Star banner tutorial

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