Haver Square Quilt Pattern | Village Bound Quilts

Haver Square is now available for instant PDF download! Click here to get it.
This pattern comes in four different sizes: baby, throw, twin & generous queen, and can be Fat Eighth or Fat Quarter friendly!

A little background...

I have a soft spot for mid-century modern design. Trendy or not, it's true. When we lived in Arizona our bungalow was sprinkled with touches of MCM pieces, some we still have, most we don't. Sometimes I wish that we still owned the set of vintage orange and yellow schoolhouse Herman Miller fiberglass shell chairs complete with the interlocking legs. And don't even get my husband started on the fact that we left our Nelson Bubble Lamp behind. You can't imagine the tough choices that have to be made when you pack you life into 350 cubic feet. But I'm getting sidetracked (which is not unlike the rest of my life)..

The point is, I really came to have an adoration for the retro shapes, designs and colors as defined by mid-century modern art, furniture and architecture. As a quilter, I often found (and still find) myself attracted to breeze blocks: a decorative yet functional masonry wall which provides screen and shade from the sun while allowing breezes to pass through. It's probably because they are very patchwork-like, stacked neatly into rows and columns with repeating designs. And oh, the designs! How someone decided that concrete blocks could be lovely I can't know, but they did and I'm grateful for it.

Various mid-century homes featuring my favorite breeze block. Image sources: midcenturyhome.com, lushome.com — *Various mid-century homes featuring my favorite breeze block. Image sources:* *midcenturyhome.com*, *lushome.com*

Based on one of my favorite architectural screen blocks, I've named this quilt after a prominent MCM architect in Phoenix. While he was not the originator of this block, Ralph Haver's (Hey-vr, not have-r) designs, especially in the 1950's, embody mid-century construction in the desert - low profile homes, gently sloping roofs, clerestory windows, masonry construction, and patio-ports which were often framed with - you guessed it - breeze blocks.

And so, without further ado, I present Haver Square!

Haver Square, a mid-century inspired quilt | Village Bound Quilts

For this bold and saturated version I used a mix of solids in rich tones using a subtle cream background to really make the blocks pop. I added a coordinating color for the binding, and I love this fun floral fabric for the backing! You'll notice that the colors play well with the front but aren't matchy-match - a great pairing for these vintage-inspired blocks. For the quilting I decided on a diamond pattern in an off-white thread to match with the backing fabric. I marked lines in one direction across my quilt, spacing them 3" apart, and quilted them with a 3.5 stitch length on my domestic machine. Then I repeated the process in the opposite direction before finishing it up with a hand-sewn binding. I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Haver Square quilt, hand sewn binding | Village Bound Quilts

To achieve this look:

Color A: Cirrus Solid in Iris (similar: Kona Berry)
Color B: Early Bird Honey (similar: Kona Grellow)
Color C: Kona Prussian
Color D: Kona Sage
Background: Kona Bone
Binding: Cotton Couture Amber (similar: Kona Roasted Pecan)
Backing: Fields Forever in Midnight
Batting: Quilters Dream Request
Thread: Aurifil 2311

I love a good baby quilt-making session! They're fast and easy to piece together, they baste quickly, and quilt easily, even in the tiniest of domestic machines. They are a fun and easy way to experiment with new colors or to use up those last few bits of favorite fabrics. And they also make the perfect wall-hanging size!

For this version, I used up some remnants of my favorite wasabi & amber solids, as well as the last yardage I had of this ash-colored organic cotton. Another crosshatch quilting session (this time in squares, not diamonds) and a machine-stitched binding for durability, and this quilt is ready for drooling - from babies crawling on it or adults looking at it.

Materials for this quilt:

Color A: Cotton Couture Amber (similar: Kona Roasted Pecan)
Color B: Kona Snow
Color C: Kona Wasabi
Color D: Kona Sage
Background: Cirrus Ash (similar: Kona Haze or Kona Dove)
Binding: Kona Snow
Backing: Glimma Tove
Batting: Warm & Natural
Thread: Aurifil 2615

Haver Square quilt, Hemma fabric | Village Bound Quilts

And because I couldn't help myself, I started a new one! I didn't have time to finish it yet, but I wanted to share it with you anyways. For this fat-quarter friendly version, I finally decided to use cuts from a Fat Quarter bundle of Hemma fabric that I've been holding onto f o r. e v. e r. I'm so happy I did! I just love how these prints look inside these blocks, and couldn't be happier with the scrappier look. I made 2 blocks from each FQ, though I could have squeezed out 3 blocks from each! Now that I'm thinking of it, maybe I'll make a few more and make this throw size a little bigger ;)

You can easily make a scrappy Haver Square quilt by substituting one Fat Eighth (or 1/4 yard) for each block in your quilt size. Refer to the Baby size for Color cutting instructions (use Background instructions for the size you're making).

Materials for this quilt:

Colors: Various Hemma FQs
Background: Kona Snow

Other Colorways & Styles

The pattern is vintage-inspired, but the fabrics don't have to be! As it goes with quilting, simply changing the fabrics (prints, solids, colors, whatever!) will completely transform the look. And because it's available in 4 sizes (baby, throw, twin, queen), you can make a version for every style and size you'd like!

I just love seeing how others interpret this pattern - so many ways to make it your own!