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Block Patterns

Bow Tie

A four-patch block with two colored squares and two background squares, shaped by a stitch-and-flip corner to create a bow-tie silhouette.

The Bow Tie block is a simple four-patch with a clever twist: a stitch-and-flip triangle on one corner of each solid square creates the distinctive narrow center of the bow tie shape. Two solid squares (the bow-tie fabric) sit diagonally opposite, and two background squares fill the other two corners. When identical Bow Tie blocks are set side by side, the bow-tie shapes appear to float against the background. The block is particularly effective in scrappy quilts where each bow tie is a different fabric.

Related Terms

Four PatchA 2×2 grid block made from four squares of two alternating fabrics.Stitch and FlipA piecing method where a small square is sewn diagonally onto a corner, then flipped and trimmed to create a triangle corner.

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