Jacob’s Ladder Quilt Block Tutorial

Folk Sampler Sew Along Block 15

Jacob’s Ladder is another classic traditional quilt block. This block is very subtly featured in the sampler quilt example that I shared at the beginning of the quilt along. Go back and see if you can spot it here! I love how the quilt maker chose the most subtle contrasting fabrics for this block. It almost looks like a plain white block but if you zoom in on it you can see that it’s a Jacob’s Ladder block. I chose low contrast fabrics for my first block, and high contrast for my second. I’m excited to see what you guys come up with! This is a really easy block consisting of only squares and Half Square Triangles, but there a lot of pieces (36!) so let’s get right to it.

The finished size of this block is 12” (the unfinished size is 12 1/2”) because that’s what we’re working with in the Folk Sampler Sew Along. As with all quilt blocks you can change the size of the block by changing the size of the pieces within which is explained in this post. Throughout the following instructions I will refer to the colors as the ones I chose for my low contrast block shown on the left in the photo above: white, and Hopi Sunflower tan. As you plan your block, swap my colors for your personal choices.

For the natural dyers, I shared a recipe for Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers in this post and I plan to post a more detailed recipe soon.

Finished Block Size 12”

1/4” seam allowance

Cut List

For the Squares:

Cut 14 white squares: 2 1/2”

Cut 14 tan squares: 2 1/2”

For the Half Square Triangles:

Cut 4 white squares: 3”

Cut 4 tan squares: 3”

Make the HST’s

Gather the 4 white and 4 tan (3”) squares you cut for the HST’s and head over to my HST tutorial to make a total of 8 HST’s. Begin the tutorial at the part where it says ASSEMBLE. When you get to the TRIM part, trim your 8 HST’s to 2 1/2”.

Now we have all the pieces we need to make a Jacob’s Ladder block. Arrange the pieces on your work surface as shown below.

There are a lot of pieces so be careful to keep them oriented correctly as you work. Sew the pieces together to form 6 horizontal rows as shown below. Press the seams open or to the side if you prefer.

Sew the rows together one at a time being careful to match the seams by pinning. Press the seams open or to the side if you prefer.

And there we have a Jacob’s Ladder block!

We are now officially 3/4 of our way through this 20 week sew along adventure! If you have any questions be sure to ask them in the comment section below for all to reference. Please continue to share your gorgeous work on Instagram and use the tag #folksamplersewalong. The photos you guys are sharing there are super gorgeous and inspiring. I can’t wait to see these quilts come together in the weeks to come!