April Showers: Stitch a Scrappy Umbrella Quilt Block

This bright umbrella quilt block pattern will be sure to chase away the blues during those frequent April showers!

April Showers Umbrella quilt block

This block is 8 1/2″ and will be 8″ once it is sewn into a project. It is made almost entirely of 1 1/2″ strips just like the other month blocks (see the full list at the end of this post!)

Materials needed:

  • From the background fabric cut: 2 strips 1 1/2″ x 6 1/2″, 2 strips 1 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, 1 square 1” x 1”, 1 square 5 1/2” cut once on the diagonal
  • From the black for the handle fabric cut: 1 strip 1 1/2” x 5”
  • From the scraps for the umbrella cut: 1 strip 1 1/2” x 9”, 1 strip 1 1/2” x 7”, 1 strip 1 1/2” x 5”, 1 strip 1 1/2” x 3”
  • Always use a 1/4” seam allowance when sewing this block.

cut fabrics for the umbrella block

Step 1:

Arrange the blocks as shown below and sew the triangles to the handle strip. Press the seams toward the background triangles.

umbrella block layout

Step 2:

Fold the umbrella strips in half and finger press to find the center.

finger pressing the strips to mark the center

Step 3:

Sew the strips together matching the center crease. Press the seams away from the longest strip.

umbrella strips sewn together

Step 4:

Sew the small background square to the center of the shortest strip and press the seams toward the square.

umbrella strips with background square added

Step 5:

Sew the umbrella strip unit to the handle unit. Press the seam toward the umbrella.

block center sewn together

Step 6:

Using a 6 1/2” square ruler, trim the block to exactly 6 1/2”. Line the 45-degree angle mark along the seam that joins the umbrella to the background. Please note that if you use a scant 1/4” seam allowance you may trim off almost all of the background 1” square.

trimming the block

Step 7:

Sew the top and bottom borders to the block. Press the seams toward the borders. Then sew the side borders to the block. Again, press the seams toward the borders. The block will be 8 1/2”. Trim if necessary.

adding the borders

Loving this tutorial? Download this easy, printable PDF, and enjoy it anytime, anywhere, forever!

If you missed any of the free scrappy block patterns, they can be found here: 

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4 Responses to “April Showers: Stitch a Scrappy Umbrella Quilt Block”

  1. Jay

    While these patterns are useable and easy to copy to my laptop, the colors and pattern materials are horrid! I quilted from the age of 3 with my Grandmother and see the responses here. PDF's after joining Craftsy can be bought, but are not free. Nowhere in the mention of these patterns is PDF and the word free connected. Please be aware of this in future when searching the Internet for Basic Quilt Patterns if they are from Craftsy.

  2. Lyn Wise

    How do i download PDFApril Showers- stitch an umbrella quilt block

  3. Patricia Baudais

    Where is the PDF as mentioned

  4. sherwinje19591582

    3/2021 all of your monthly scrappy patterns mention a pdf however there is no pdf or link to be found