How to Make a Snowball Quilt Block~ Easy Tutorial

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The Snowball Quilt Block has to be one of the easiest blocks to make! At least one of the easiest that introduces a triangle to the block instead of just squares….

Last year our Block of the Month (which is still available for free download at the time of writing this post, check it out here!) consisted of embroidered flowers inside a star quilt block.

This year we will be making a snowball lap size quilt using the simple snowball block with pretty embroidery in the center square. 

What is a Snowball Quilt Block?

A snowball block is an easy quilt block. It consists of a large square with smaller triangles in each corner, creating the illusion of a round “snowball” in the center.  The corner triangles are usually made with smaller squares and are mostly the same color or design of fabric. 

Being a simple quilt block, it is a great choice for beginners, however, it also allows seasoned quilters to get creative with fabric choices and layout patterns – with endless design possibilities. For example, while the corner triangles are usually the same, a scrappy snowball quilt would be fun to make – with each triangle a different fabric. 

Changing the size of the snowball corners is also a great way to create different looks – there is no set size that the corners need to be. Having different colors and/or different fabrics will make the quilt unique. 

Sizes of Snowball Quilt Blocks

For the purpose of this tutorial, we will be making a 6″ finished size snowball block. However, this block can be made in any size and the great thing is that there is no rule for the proportions of the corners triangles to the center block. Changing the size of the corner squares of the block will make the “snowball” look different, so it is fun to experiment and see which size you like best! 

Materials Needed for This Sample Block

• Fabric A: white fabric as the main fabric for the center of the block
• Fabric B: another fabric for the corners
• rotary cutter, cutting board, and other general sewing supplies
• sewing machine

A 1/4″ seam allowance is used for this block

Cutting Instructions

– from Fabric A cut ONE  6 1/2″ square

– from Fabric B cut FOUR  2″  squares

Block Preparation

​Using a pen or pencil, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each of the Fabric B squares. This will be the sewing line. 

Sewing the Block

We will be sewing the small squares to the corners of the larger square. 

1. Take one of the small squares and place it right sides together in a corner of the large square.

​Sew on the line:

Do the same with the other squares so that you have one in each of the corners of the square

Shortcut Tip!

Instead of drawing diagonal lines, you could also use this Diagonal Seam Tape from Cluck Cluck Sew:

I didn’t use it for this tutorial, but I did for all of the blocks for next year’s bom, and it was so nice not to have to draw the lines! Once you line up the corners properly, you can just sew, keeping the bottom corner on the red line.. works like a treat!

Trimming the Block

To make the corners of the snowball into triangles, we will trim the excess fabric.

2. Using a rotary cutter or scissors, cut a quarter of an inch away from the sewn line (to the right) like this:

Do this with all the corners so that it looks like this:

It looks a bit like a snowball now, doesn’t it?!

Press the Block

3. Press the corners of the block away from the center block.

And you now have a finished block!

Finished Snowball Quilts

There you go, I told you it would be a simple block, didn’t I?

As a beginner myself, I made this block into two quilts way back in 2009 – one for my eldest son:

and one for Alice’s son:

I was scared of the triangles in the block and was worried I would be sewing bits of fabric with bias edges, but thankfully the pattern I found had this shortcut method where you don’t need to work with the bias. 

I only used two types of fabrics for those quilts (because I had a whole bolt of blue soccer fabric!), and I loved how they looked. 

I also paired the snowball block with a nine-patch block… and instead of a white/light fabric in the center of the snowball, I used the blue, giving it a totally different look. So as you can see there are lots of variations and combinations you could use.

As I am writing up this tutorial, I think I need to make a scrappy one…… in all my spare time!! 

2025 Block of the Month

Next week I will be launching our new Block of the Month called… “Snowballs and Snowflakes”!

These are the instructions for the “snowball” part of the quilt – stay tuned for the “snowflake” part!