New Pattern: The Bear Paw Block 🐾 | Step-by-Step Tutorial

Amelia Fridrich
Apr 16
2 min read

Hey friends!I’ve got a brand new quilt block to share with you today, and it’s one of my all-time favorites—the Bear Paw Block! It’s a cozy, classic pattern that brings just the right amount of rustic charm and patchwork fun to any quilt.

Whether you're new to quilting or just looking for your next project, this is a great block to add to your lineup. Let’s get right into it!

🧵 What You’ll Need

You’ll be using three different fabrics for this block:

Background Color
Paw Color
Center Color

✂️ Cutting Instructions:

From your background fabric, cut:

Four (4) – 2.5” squares
Eight (8) – 2.75” squares
Four (4) – 2” x 5.75” rectangles

From your paw fabric, cut:

Eight (8) – 2.75” squares
Four (4) – 4” squares

From your center fabric, cut:

One (1) – 2” square

🧷 Piecing the Block

Step 1: Make Half-Square Triangles (HSTs)Take the 2.75” background squares and pair each one with a 2.75” paw square (8 pairs total). Draw a diagonal line on the back of each background square.

Sew two lines—one on each side of the drawn line, with your presser foot edge aligned with the line.

Then, cut along the line you drew. You’ll now have 16 HST units.

Step 2: Press & TrimOpen your HSTs and press the seams open. Then trim any excess so they’re all neat and square.

🧩 Assembly Time!

Now comes the fun part: layout! Arrange all your pieces to match the layout below (just like the photo):

Each paw is made of one 4" square (the paw pad), surrounded by HSTs to form the claws, one 2.5" square and a background rectangle to square out the paw. The center 2” square ties it all together.

Sew your pieces together by rows, then join the rows to complete the block. Make sure your seams are aligned, and give it a good press once you're done!

💬 Let’s Chat Quilting!

I love how bold and beautiful this block turns out—especially in those warm plaid tones and soft green background. If you try this one out, I’d love to see your version! Drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram @thefridrichstitchingco.

And if you have any ideas for the next block you'd love to see here on the blog—let me know! I'm always down for a good quilt-along. 🧵💛

Happy stitching!

Amelia

The Fridrich Stitching Co.