How to Make a Bear's Paw Quilt
The bear's claw (or sometimes, bear's paw) quilt block is a traditional block that has been made since early pioneering days. The block has been known by many names. Some historians believe that the sight of a bear's claw quilt served as a signal of a friendly house to travelers on the Underground Railroad. It is a fairly complex block pattern, requiring several triangles and squares in different sizes. Mastering this quilt block requires concentration and precision.
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Things You'll Need
- Light fabric
- Dark fabric
- Rotary cutter
- Cutting mat
- Clear quilting ruler
- Needle
- Thread
- Sewing machine (optional)
Instructions
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Bear's Claw Block
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1
Cut fabric. You will need a 2.5-inch square of the light fabric, two squares that are 3.5-inches of both fabrics and one patch of 5.5 inches of each fabric.
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2
Place the 3.5-inch square fabrics on top of each other with right sides together. You should have two sets of squares, with light fabric on top of dark fabric.
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3
Draw a line down the diagonal of the 3.5-inch square and stitch the squares together by sewing a line .25 inches on each side of the diagonal line.
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4
Use the rotary cutter to slice the squares on the diagonal line you drew. Press open the squares. You should now have four squares that are half dark fabric, half light fabric.
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5
Trim this square to make it 2.5 inches square.
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6
Repeat that process with the larger squares of dark and light fabric to create two large squares that are 3.5 inches when finished.
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7
Lay out your bear's claw pattern pieces. There will be two rows of fabric pieces in your bear's claw. The top row should have two of the small, triangle blocks you assembled and the small, light-colored square you cut. The triangles should be assembled with the light triangle on the top left. The top row will be two triangles and the small, light-colored square. The bottom row will have the large triangle square on the left side with the darker color on the left side. The other two small, triangle squares will be sewn together and attached to the right side of the large triangle square. The small triangle squares should be sewn with the darker triangle on top. The small triangles should be perpindicular to the small triangles in the top row.
The Traditional Bear's Claw Block
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8
Make four of the bear's claws from the previous section.
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9
Cut setting strips that are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches, and 2.5 inches square. You will need four 3.5-inch by 2.5-inch strips that are in the lighter color. You will need four 2.5-inch squares that are in the lighter color and one 2.5-inch square that is a darker color.
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10
Assemble the larger bear's claw block by placing the four bear's claws on the table with the triangles facing out toward the corners.
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11
Separate the two bear's claws in the top row with a 2.5-inch square and a 3.5-inch strip. Repeat Step 4 with the two bear's claws on the bottom row.
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12
Sew a strip of a small light square, a strip, the colored square, a strip and a light square. Sew the block together by placing this strip between the two strips with bear's claws. Assemble as many of these blocks as you desire to make a completed bear's claw quilt.
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