How Many 6 Inch Blocks Do I Need to Make a Quilt?
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Have you ever found yourself wondering how many quilt blocks you need to make a quilt? It’s a common question and in this post, I’ll dive into how many 6″ blocks you need to make any size quilt.
Because of the popularity of the 6″ block size, you may find yourself with several leftover blocks hanging around. Or perhaps you’ve found a block pattern that you LOVE and you want to make an entire quilt out of the design.
IMPORTANT: A 6″ finished block means that it is 6″ after it is sewn into the quilt top. A single block would be 6 1/2″ due to the 1/4″ seam allowance on every side. In this post, I am referring to a 6″ finished, 6 1/2″ unfinished quilt block size.
Let’s put those blocks to good use and discover how many 6″ blocks you need to make a quilt. But how do you determine how many 6″ blocks you’ll need for your project? Let’s find out.
Before you can determine how many 6″ blocks you need for a project, you’ll need to decide on what size quilt you want to make. If the quilt you’re making is meant for a bed, you can use the mattress size. Remember to add several inches if you want the quilt to hang off of the bed.
Check out my free printable quilt size chart if you need a refresher on quilt sizes!
If your quilt is not meant for a bed, you can be more flexible with your measurements and use some of the suggested sizes in the examples below.
After you know your desired quilt size, you can calculate how many 6″ blocks you need for your quilt, or you can use my example calculations below to get a general idea of how many you’ll need.
My calculations do not account for sashing or borders. If you want to add sashing or add borders, you’ll need to adjust these calculations.
Please use my calculations for reference only, and be sure to double-check your quilt math!
Want to save this information for later? Download this FREE 6″ Blocks in a Quilt cheat sheet! This cheat sheet shows how many 6″ finished blocks are needed for 11 different sizes of quilts.
How Many 6 Inch Blocks Does It Take to Make a Baby Quilt?
In order to make a 30″ x 42″ baby quilt you will need 35 6″ finished blocks arranged in a 5 x 7 grid.
Want to make the quilt a little bigger? Try adding sashing and borders.
How Many 6 Inch Blocks Does It Take to Make a Throw Size Quilt?
To make a 48″ x 66″ small throw size quilt you will need 88 6″ finished blocks arranged in an 8 x 11 grid.
If you’d like to make a larger throw quilt, try using 120 6″ finished blocks arranged in a 10 x 12 grid. This will give you a generous 60″ x 72″ throw quilt.
How Many 6 Inch Blocks Does It Take to Make a Twin Size Quilt?
To make a 72″ x 90″ twin size quilt, you will need 180 6″ finished blocks arranged in a 12 x 15 grid.
How Many 6 Inch Blocks Does It Take to Make a Full Size Quilt?
To make a 84″ x 108″ full size quilt, you will need 252 6″ finished blocks arranged in a 14 x 18 grid.
How Many 6 Inch Blocks Does It Take to Make a Queen Size Quilt?
To make a 90″ x 108″ queen size quilt, you will need 270 6″ finished blocks arranged in a 15 x 18 grid.
How Many 6 Inch Blocks Does It Take to Make a King Size Quilt?
To make a 108″ x 108″ king size quilt you will need 324 6″ finished blocks arranged in a 18 x 18 grid.
How to Calculate How Many 6 Inch Blocks Are Needed For a Quilt
Sometimes the suggested quilt sizes just won’t do and you want to make a custom size quilt! In that case, a bit of math is required to figure out exactly how many blocks you’ll need for your project. Learn how to do the quilt math below!
Let’s do a quick example:
We want to make a baby quilt. According to these quilt size guidelines, a good baby size quilt is 30″ x 40″. We’ll base our measurements on that guideline.
To determine the number of 6″ finished blocks needed, divide 30” / 6” to get 5. We will need 5 blocks to reach the desired quilt width of 30”.
Now let’s do the length. Divide 40” x 6” to get 6.67. Because we don’t want to use a partial block, let’s round that up to the nearest whole number: 7. We will need 7 blocks to reach the desired quilt length of 40″. The length will technically be 42″ (6 x 7 = 42).
To get the total number of blocks needed, multiply the number of blocks together. 5 x 7 = 35 blocks. We need thirty-five 6″ finished blocks to make a 30″ x 42″ baby size quilt.
Apply the same math to any quilt size to make your own custom quilt!
HELPFUL TIP: When calculating how many 6″ blocks you need for a quilt, be sure to account for any sashing or borders you may want to add. Adding sashing and borders will lower the number of blocks you need in your quilt.
For example, if you want a 4-inch border around your quilt, subtract your desired quilt size by 8” to account for your borders BEFORE you calculate how many blocks you will need.
Want to skip the quilt math?
Check out the Blocks in a Quilt Guide! This digital reference tool does all the quilt math for you and will allow you to see exactly how many quilt blocks you need to make a quilt of any size!
6 Inch Block Quilt Size Chart
Below is a chart that shows suggested sizes for quilts using 6″ finished blocks.
| Quilt Size | Inches | Number of Blocks | Block Layout |
| Pillow | 18″ x 18″ | 9 | 3 x 3 |
| Wall Hanging | 24″ x 24″ | 16 | 4 x 4 |
| Baby | 30″ x 42″ | 35 | 5 x 7 |
| Lap | 36″ x 48″ | 48 | 6 x 8 |
| Small Throw | 48″ x 66″ | 88 | 8 x 11 |
| Large Throw | 60″ x 72″ | 120 | 10 x 12 |
| Twin | 72″ x 90″ | 180 | 12 x 15 |
| Full/Double | 84″ x 108″ | 252 | 14 x 18 |
| Queen | 90″ x 108″ | 270 | 15 x 18 |
| King | 108″ x 108″ | 324 | 18 x 18 |
| California King | 102″ x 114″ | 323 | 17 x 19 |
Now you know how to figure out exactly how many 6″ blocks you’ll need to make a quilt! Remember to download the free cheat sheet so you can save this information for later!
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