Shoofly Quilt Block — Cutting Chart for Any Size
2 fabrics · Difficulty 2 of 5
Shoofly is a 3×3 block of 13 pieces. Cut sizes for 6″, 9″, 12″, 15″, 18″ are below; for any other size it divides into cleanly, type the size and the chart recomputes.
Set the finished sizeAt a glance
- Grid
- 3×3
- Pieces you cut
- 9 — subcutting turns them into the 13 in the sewn block
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — easy How this is scored
Set the size
Nearest sizes that cut cleanly:
- Squares — Background
- 4½″
- Squares — Fabric A
- 4½″
- Squares for half-square triangles — Fabric A
- 4⅞″
- Squares for half-square triangles — Background
- 4⅞″
Reading focusCorner triangles read outward from the centrehalf-square-triangle unit
- Construction lattice
- 3 modules wide × 3 modules high
- Unit mix
- half-square-triangle unit, square
- Piece count
- 9 to cut · 13 in the diagram
Cut these pieces
Column headings are the FINISHED block size — the size it will be once it is sewn. Every number in the table is the size to CUT, which includes ¼″ of seam allowance on each edge. Rows that are subcut on a diagonal are cut larger still, so the allowance survives the extra cuts.
Scroll sideways to see every size.
| Patch | 6″ | 9″ | 12″ | 15″ | 18″ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squares — BackgroundCut 4 | 2½″ | 3½″ | 4½″ | 5½″ | 6½″ |
| Squares — Fabric ACut 1 | 2½″ | 3½″ | 4½″ | 5½″ | 6½″ |
| Squares for half-square triangles — Fabric ACut 2, cut once on the diagonal | 2⅞″ | 3⅞″ | 4⅞″ | 5⅞″ | 6⅞″ |
| Squares for half-square triangles — BackgroundCut 2, cut once on the diagonal | 2⅞″ | 3⅞″ | 4⅞″ | 5⅞″ | 6⅞″ |
Read the block
Match each fabric letter in the diagram to the same fabric name in the cutting table. The caption describes the generated geometry in text.
Fabrics in this block
- A — gold
- BG — background
Which sizes divide cleanly
Scroll sideways to see every column.
| Grid | Divides cleanly at | The first few sizes |
|---|---|---|
| 2×2 | every 1″ | 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 5″, 6″ … |
| 3×3this block | every 1½″ | 1½″, 3″, 4½″, 6″, 7½″, 9″ … |
| 4×4 | every 2″ | 2″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″, 12″ … |
| 5×5 | every 2½″ | 2½″, 5″, 7½″, 10″, 12½″, 15″ … |
| 7×7 | every 3½″ | 3½″, 7″, 10½″, 14″, 17½″, 21″ |
- A 5-patch block at 12″ would need 2.4″ units, which is not a mark on any ruler. Try 10″ or 12½″ instead — Sister's Choice is the 5-patch block on this site.
- A 7-patch block at 12″ would need 1.714…″ units, which is not a mark on any ruler. Try 10½″ or 14″ instead — Bear's Paw is the 7-patch block on this site.
More about the sizes that do not divide cleanly
The sizes in between
A 10″ Shoofly cannot be cut accurately on its 3×3 grid. Use 9″ or 10½″ instead; both cutting charts are on this page, computed by Quilt Block Atlas.
Both columns are FINISHED block sizes — the size a block will be once it is sewn, never a size to cut. Look the clean size up in the charts on this page for its cutting numbers.
Scroll sideways if the table is wider than your screen.
| Size you want | Nearest sizes that cut cleanly |
|---|---|
| 4″ | 3″ or 4½″ |
| 5″ | 4½″ or 6″ |
| 7″ | 6″ or 7½″ |
| 8″ | 7½″ or 9″ |
| 10″ | 9″ or 10½″ |
| 11″ | 10½″ or 12″ |
| 13″ | 12″ or 13½″ |
| 14″ | 13½″ or 15″ |
| 16″ | 15″ or 16½″ |
| 17″ | 16½″ or 18″ |
| 19″ | 18″ or 19½″ |
| 20″ | 19½″ or 21″ |
These sizes divide cleanly but sit between the main chart's columns — the same computed cuts, published here so they exist on paper too. Any other clean size still computes in the size input above.
Column headings are the FINISHED block size — the size it will be once it is sewn. Every number in the table is the size to CUT, which includes ¼″ of seam allowance on each edge. Rows that are subcut on a diagonal are cut larger still, so the allowance survives the extra cuts.
Scroll sideways to see every size.
| Patch | 4½″ | 7½″ | 10½″ | 13½″ | 16½″ | 19½″ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squares — BackgroundCut 4 | 2″ | 3″ | 4″ | 5″ | 6″ | 7″ |
| Squares — Fabric ACut 1 | 2″ | 3″ | 4″ | 5″ | 6″ | 7″ |
| Squares for half-square triangles — Fabric ACut 2, cut once on the diagonal | 2⅜″ | 3⅜″ | 4⅜″ | 5⅜″ | 6⅜″ | 7⅜″ |
| Squares for half-square triangles — BackgroundCut 2, cut once on the diagonal | 2⅜″ | 3⅜″ | 4⅜″ | 5⅜″ | 6⅜″ | 7⅜″ |
About this block
- Pieces in the finished block
- 13
- Unit types
- half-square-triangle unit, square
- Divides cleanly at
- 1½″, 3″, 4½″, 6″, 7½″, 9″, 10½″, 12″, 13½″, 15″, 16½″, 18″, 19½″ and 21″ finished.
- Also known as
- The Eight-Cornered Box, Fence Row, Simplicity
- Attribution
- Ladies Art Company catalog #276, 1897
- Fabric for one 12″ block
- ¾ yd total, rounded up to the nearest ⅛ yard, assuming 40″ of usable width.
Triangles sit only in the corner positions, which keeps every diagonal at the block's outside corners and leaves the interior crossings straight. Nest those straight seams and everything inside the perimeter falls into place. Square up each corner unit before assembly; its diagonal ends on the block's finished edge, right where the quilt top's joining seam will run.
Piecing order
Make the 4 half-square-triangle units.
Lay out row 1 of 3 and sew its pieces together, left to right.
Lay out row 2 of 3 and sew its pieces together, left to right.
Lay out row 3 of 3 and sew its pieces together, left to right.
Join the 3 rows, matching the seams.
Cutting oversize
The chart gives the standard cut sizes, nothing padded. Some quilters cut this block's triangle units a little oversize and trim back — published allowances genuinely disagree on how much, so the range with its sources is on how to square up a quilt block.
History
The American Farmer published the design in 1896 as The Eight-Cornered Box, and the Ladies Art Company catalogued it as Shoo Fly #276 in 1897 — a catalog number, not a Brackman one. The Kansas City Star ran Eveline Foland's whole-quilt version as Fence Row in 1931. Pattern writers treat it as a chameleon: several later blocks are elaborations of this same nine-cell structure.
Sources: Field Guide to Quilts — Shoofly; Generations Quilt Patterns — Shoofly.
Common questions
What size can I make Shoofly?
Any size it divides cleanly: 1½″, 3″, 4½″, 6″, 7½″, 9″, 10½″, 12″, 13½″, 15″, 16½″, 18″, 19½″ and 21″ finished. The chart above carries 6″, 9″, 12″, 15″, 18″ ready-worked, and the size input computes any other clean size without you doing arithmetic — every value computed by Quilt Block Atlas, none transcribed.
How many pieces are in a Shoofly block?
13 pieces make up the sewn block, but you cut 9. The difference is method: triangle units are cut as squares and subcut, so the chart's quantities are what your rotary cutter produces, not what you count in the diagram.
What sizes does a 3×3 block divide into cleanly?
1½″, 3″, 4½″, 6″, 7½″, 9″, 10½″, 12″, 13½″, 15″, 16½″, 18″, 19½″ and 21″ finished. The step is half the grid this block's cutting sizes are computed on, and the clean-size table above marks this block's row with the other families beside it.
Is Shoofly good for a beginner?
Yes — it scores 2 of 5, easy, on this site's computed scale: 13 pieces, with the half-square-triangle unit as its hardest unit. The scoring rule, and every block ranked by it, is on the difficulty page linked above.
How do finished size, sewn unfinished/trim size, and starting cut size differ?
Finished size is 12″ after the block is sewn into surrounding seams. Its sewn unfinished/trim size is 12½″ before those outer seams, derived with the plain-square allowance. Starting cut size is the method-specific input listed in the chart. Starting cut size equals the unfinished outer target only for a plain square or rectangle workflow; it is not generally the same for pieced triangle units.
Keep going
Related blocks
Where this block appears
- Every block in the library
- Quilt blocks for beginners
- 12 inch quilt blocks
- Quilt block sizes
- Half square triangle blocks
Calculators for this block
- Quilt block grid calculator
- Half square triangle calculator
- Quilt top size calculator
- Fabric yardage calculator
Reference
Before you print
Measure this square before you cut. It must be exactly 1 inch. If it isn't, your printer scaled the page — reprint at 100% or "Actual size", not "Fit to page".