The Bear’s Paw is a classic quilt block. While not the most difficult block in my Fourth of July quilt Old Glory, it requires a lot of baby steps.

Here is the how-to for a Bear’s Paw Quilt Block

Note: These measurements are for an 8″ block. Sew using a scant 1/4″ seam allowance.

Cut fabric:

• 8 squares 2 1/4″ white
• 8 squares 2 1/4″ red
• 4 squares 1 5/8″ white
• 1 square 1 5/8″ red
• 4 rectangles 1 5/8″ x 3 7/8″ white
• 4 squares 2 3/4″ red

Use the 8 squares of 2 1/4″ red and white to create 16 Half Square Triangles (HSTs) trimmed down to 1 5/8″. Click here for my tutorial on how to make Half Square Triangles. If you’ve been following my previous tutorials you’ll now know why I went through the time to create bonus HSTs from Flying Geese and Square in a Square!

Lay out your HSTs and remaining pieces of fabric into the Bear’s Paw:

Looking at one paw print at a time, sew the two horizontal HSTs together and sew the vertical HSTs to the white square:

Then sew the horizontal HSTs to the red square before sewing the vertical to the paw print:

Complete the remaining three paw prints and then follow my tutorial for sashing to complete the block: