Oriental Courtyards Quilt Pattern

By Janet Wickell

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Quilt Pattern for Your Asian Themed Fabrics

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Oriental Courtyards Quilt. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

Oriental Courtyards is a quilt pattern designed with two blocks, the always-popular Snowball and a block I'll call Courtyard. I designed it while experimenting with patchwork, but it's very likely the block already exists (since there's nothing truly new under the sun).

The example uses Asian style fabrics, some in smaller scale prints since most units in the Courtyard blocks are only 2" square. You can easily use larger scale fabrics in the Snowball blocks, at the center of the Courtyard blocks and in the borders.

If you aren't a fan of Asian fabrics, switch the fabrics completely to create a different theme.

Finished block size: 10" x 10"

Finished quilt size: 65" x 85"

Make additional blocks to increase the quilt's size (How to Calculate Quilt Yardage)

Fabrics & Other Materials

Yardages allow for shrinkage. You'll need more of fabrics that are shorter than 42" in width.

Muted green print (for Snowball centers)

1-5/8 yards

Multicolor on black print (for Snowball corners)

1-1/4 yards

Gold Print (for Courtyard centers and outer border)

1-5/8 yards (assumes you will piece crosswise grain strips to achieve length; 3 yards for one-piece borders, cut Courtyard center strips first; when you make borders, cut side borders first

White or very light print (for Courtyard center corners)

3/4 yard

Black print (for squares in Courtyard blocks)

3/4 yard

Green/gold/yellow print (for squares in Courtyard blocks)

3/4 yard

Red/gold print for inner border

5/8 yard (assumes you will piece crosswise grain strips to achieve length; 2-1/2 yards for one-piece borders, cut side borders first

Binding, about 325 running inches of doublefold binding (How to Make Quilt Binding)

Backing, 3 yards (Backing Instructions)

Batting, about 80" x 100"

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Make Snowball Quilt Blocks for the Oriental Courtyards Quilt

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Snowball Quilt Block Pattern - Janet Wickell

Assemble the Oriental Snowballs Blocks. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

Snowball Quilt Block Instructions

Cut only enough fabric to assemble a test block -- for this quilt and for every quilt pattern you assemble.

Cutting:

Muted green for Snowball centers: cut (4) 10-1/2" x selvage width strips and (1) 10-1/2" x 22" strips; cut (18) 10-1/2" x 10-1/2" squares from strips.
Black multicolor print for Snowball corners: cut (8) 4-1/2" x selvage width strips; cut (72) 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" squares from the strips.

Snowball Quilt Block Assembly

Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner on each of your 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" squares.
Align a small square in each corner of a large square as shown, right sides together and edges matched. Sew a seam 1/4" from each diagonal line (on the side closest to the corners).
Cut through both layers 1/4" from seam lines (on sides closest to corners).
Carefully press the Snowball corners open. The Snowball quilt block should measure 10-1/2" x 10-1/2".
Make a total of (18) Snowball quilt blocks.

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Make the Courtyards Quilt Blocks

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Assemble the Courtyard Quilt Blocks. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

To begin, cut only enough fabric to assemble a test block.

Cutting:

Gold print for Courtyard centers: cut (2) 6-1/2" x selvage width strips; cut (17) 6-1/2" 6-1/2" squares from strips
White or very light print: cut (4) 2-1/2" x selvage width strips and (1) 2-1/2" x 11" strip; cut (68) 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" squares from strips
Black print: cut (4) 2-1/2" x selvage width strips and (1) 2-1/2" x 11" strip; cut (68) 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" squares from strips

Black print: cut (4) 2-1/2" x selvage width strips and (1) 2-1/2" x 11" strip
Green/gold/yellow print: cut (8) 2-1/2" x selvage width strips and (1) 2-1/2" x 22" strip

Courtyard Quilt Blocks

Sew 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" white squares to corners of 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" gold squares to make Snowball units, using the same technique as for large Snowball blocks. Make 17.
Sew a green/gold 2-1/2" wide strip lengthwise to a black print strip of the same size. Sew another gold/green strip to the other side of the black strip. Press seam allowances towards the black strip. Repeat, matching up green/gold strips to black strips of the same length.
Square up one end of each strip set (you'll have four in two different lengths) and cut (68) 2-1/2" segments.
Sew a black 2-1/2" square to each end of (34) strip sets. Press seam allowances towards green/gold strips.
Arrange block components as shown, lower left of illustration.
Sew sides to the center section. Press seam allowances towards the side units. Sew longer units to the top and bottom. Press seam allowances either way. The block should measure 1-1/2" x 10-1/2".

Make a total of (17) Courtyard quilt blocks.

Half of the strips sets could have been wider, with black fabric on each side. Sometimes long sets are difficult to keep from skewing, so I wrote instructions to add black squares after strip set assembly.

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Assemble the Oriental Courtyards Quilt

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Assemble the Oriental Courtyards Quilt. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

Assemble the Oriental Courtyards Quilt

Arrange the quilt blocks into seven rows, each row with five blocks. Rows 1, 3, 5 and 7 begin and end with a Snowball; Rows 2, 4 and 6 begin and end with a Courtyard quilt block.
Sew blocks in each row together, matching seam intersections carefully. Press seam allowances towards Courtyard quilt blocks.
Sew rows together, again matching seam intersections carefully. Press the quilt top.

Add borders. Use 3" wide strips of red print to make the narrow inner border. Use 5-1/2" wide strips of gold to make the wider outer border.
Be sure to measure for borders and sew them to the quilt as explained in How to Sew Butted Borders. Beginning quilters -- don't be tempted to measure your quilt along its outer edges -- they will be skewed. Adding borders is an opportunity to bring the quilt back into square, don't miss the opportunity.
Mark for quilting if necessary. Sandwich with batting and backing and baste the layers. Quilt the quilt and bind its edges with doublefold binding strips.