Layer Cake Hourglass Quilt Tutorial – Beginner Friendly

For this quilt we are going to use one layer cake and some contrasting fabric. When you look into this quilt you will see an hourglass block, a pinwheel block and maybe even a star if you look close enough. But it’s made using only one base block. So it’s super easy to make.

Quilt Size

The Quilt measures approximately 72″ x 84″.

Fabric Requirements

  • One layer cake (I used Prints Charming by Moda)

Tip: If you don’t have a layer cake, you can cut your own 10″ squares

  • Contrasting fabric – 3 yards (I used a tone-on-tone white) OR you could use a Moda Bella Solids or Kona Solids (aff links) layer cake pack of 42 plain coloured squares.

Tools Used in this Tutorial

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Watch the video tutorial below or scroll down for written instructions

(Can’t see the video. Click here to watch on YouTube.)



Step 1: Cut Contrasting 10″ Squares

  • If you are not using a Moda or Kona Solids layer cake pack, you will need to cut 42 squares measuring 10″ x 10″ of you contrasting colour. I used white.
  • I cut 11 strips of white fabric measuring 10″ x WOF (width of fabric) and then sub-cut each strip into 10″ x 10″ squares.
  • You will need a total of 42 squares in total.

Tip: Use a large ruler or your cutting mat lines to measure and cut the 10″ squares

Step 2: Sew the Squares Together

  • Pair each layer cake square with on of the contrasting squares,

  • Place them right sides together.

  • Pin to secure if needed.
  • Sew a 1/4″ seam around all four edges of the square.
  • Repeat for all 42 pairs.

Tip: You can pivot at the corners or sew off the edge as I do – either method works.

Step 3: Cut into Half-Square Triangles

  • Place the sewn square on your mat.

  • Cut diagonally from corner to corner.

  • Rotate the mat and cut diagonally again to form an “X”.
  • You now have 4 Half-Square Triangles (HSTs) per square.

Step 4: Trim & Press HSTs

  • Square up your HSTs to be uniform in size (optional but recommended).
  • You can use your mat, a square ruler

  • Or you can use a trimming ruler like the Creative Grids 4-in-1 Triangle Ruler. I have only just discovered this ruler and I absolutely love it, it has certainly made trimming up HST’s so quick and easy.

  • Press each HST open, pressing toward the darker fabric.

  • Now that you have all your half square triangles trimmed you will want to also trim off the dog ears to reduce the bulk in the seams.

  • You can use the 4 in 1 ruler to do this….

  • Or, you can also just snip these bits off with your scissors.

Step 5: Assemble Hourglass Blocks

  • Lay out 4 HSTs to form an hourglass pattern as shown below.

  • I find that it pays to be consistent how you lay out the blocks, so I continue to copy the configuration that I start with. In this case I have one of the white squares in the top corner.

  • Sew top two blocks together by placing one on top of the other and sewing them together with a ¼” seam.
  • Then sew the bottom two blocks together by placing one on top of the other and sewing them together with a ¼” seam.

  • Press seams in opposite directions so that they nest together neatly. (Watch the video above to see this in action.)

  • Join the two rows together to complete the block.
  • Repeat this with all of the half square triangles.

Step 8: Quilt Layout

  1. Lay out your blocks in a 6 x 7 grid (6 across, 7 down).
  2. Rearrange the blocks until you’re happy with the design.
  3. Take a photo for reference.

Step 9: Assemble the Quilt Top

***Important – watch the video above to see how to lay these out so that the seams nest nicely.

  1. Start with the first two blocks in a row and sew them together with a 1/4″ seam.
  2. Continue joining the blocks to complete each row.

Join the Rows

  1. Place one row on top of the next, right sides together.
  2. Line up and pin the seams.
  3. Sew the rows together with a 1/4″ seam.
  4. Repeat until the entire top is assembled.

And there you have it your Hourglass Layer Cake quilt is complete. Now all you need to do is add the backing and batting before quilting your quilt. Finish off the quilt with binding.