Bonnie Scotsman is assembled with straight grain bars and squares -- no stretchy bias edges to deal with, and that means it's definitely a beginner-friendly patchwork quilt block. You'll find instructions for assembling it one patch at a time, which is perfect for scrappy quilts, and also a strip piecing option for anyone who wants to make a batch of identical blocks.
I've included two layout suggestions for 35 blocks (plus yardages), but many more arrangements are possible for this versatile design.
Bonnie Scotsman finishes at 10-inches square.
Dutchman's Puzzle is an all-time favorite traditional quilt block. I'm showing an example of a quilt here, rather than the block itself, because this pattern's color value arrangement is split vertically, and deviates from the norm, with a dark background in one half of the block and a light background in the other. The pattern walks you through the construction of two quilt blocks, and although they have the same components, they're sewn together in different ways.
Five Patch Chain is another block that can be used to create dramatic diagonal movement on the face of your quilt. All pieces are cut along the straight grain -- no stretchy bias edges means it's super easy to assemble. The quilt block finishes at 10" square, and I've included a layout example showing 18 Five Patch Chains alternated with Snowballs.
This colorful version of the Double Nine Patch quilt block is assembled using a slightly different color value layout in the small corner nine patches than is typical of the traditional design. The block finishes at 11-1/4" square, and can be assembled quickly by strip piecing (most) rows.