Snowball Quilt Block

The snowball pattern is one of the best-known of all Amish quilt blocks. It is a pattern that fools the eye by creating an optical illusion. From a distance, a snowball block looks like a round circle, but it is actually an octagon, an eight-sided figure. Snowballs are easily formed by taking a square of cloth and sewing a triangle across each of the 4 corners.

A Quick Way to make Snowball Blocks

The easy way to make Snowball blocks is to use the "quick corner" method. I show a sample below using sizes for a finished size 9" block, but this same principle is used for all sizes.

To calculate the size of the small square used to make the corner triangle: Take the desired size of the finished sewn block, divide it by 3. Add 1/2 inch to that and you will have the size to make the small corner square. Thus, for a 6" block, you will cut the small square to be 2.5 inches. Some instructions I have seen tell you to draw a line on the small square for the sewing line. I usually find this unnecessary. You can easily "eyeball" the sewing line. Or, if you must have a line, try folding the small squares in half diagonally and pressing them. This will make a line to follow without having to draw on them. If you wish to draw a line, I prefer to use a pencil. When you sew the small square to the larger square, be sure to put the right side of the two squares together. Trim the seam as shown at left to a 1/4" seam and press the triangle out to form the finished corner. Do this 4 times and you have a finished Snowball block. You can make these more quickly by chain piecing the corners several at a time. Cut a stack of small squares and a stack of larger squares, put them next to your sewing machine and make snowballs!