Bear's Paw quilt block
Four paws, each a large square with a row of triangle claws on two sides, arranged around a central cross. A big, bold block with real presence.
Also known as Bears Paw, Duck's Foot in the Mud, Hand of Friendship, Best Friend.
Bear's Paw carries several regional names for the same geometry: Duck's Foot in the Mud on Long Island, Hand of Friendship among Philadelphia Quakers, Best Friend elsewhere. The renaming tells you how far the pattern travelled and how differently people saw the same shape. It has been popular since at least the mid-nineteenth century.
Bear's Paw cutting chart
Cut sizes include a ¼″ seam allowance: ½″ on squares and rectangles, ⅞″ on half-square triangles, and 1¼″ on quarter-square triangles. Pick a finished block size:
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 1¾" × 1¾" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Background | Rectangle | 1⅜" × 3⅛" | 2 | finishes ⅞" × 2⅝" |
| Background | Rectangle | 3⅛" × 1⅜" | 2 | finishes 2⅝" × ⅞" |
| Background | Square | 1⅜" × 1⅜" | 4 | finishes ⅞" × ⅞" |
| Dark | HST square | 1¾" × 1¾" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | Square | 1⅜" × 1⅜" | 1 | finishes ⅞" × ⅞" |
| Dark | Square | 2¼" × 2¼" | 4 | finishes 1¾" × 1¾" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 2⅛" × 2⅛" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Background | Rectangle | 1¾" × 4⅜" | 2 | finishes 1¼" × 3⅞" |
| Background | Rectangle | 4⅜" × 1¾" | 2 | finishes 3⅞" × 1¼" |
| Background | Square | 1¾" × 1¾" | 4 | finishes 1¼" × 1¼" |
| Dark | HST square | 2⅛" × 2⅛" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | Square | 1¾" × 1¾" | 1 | finishes 1¼" × 1¼" |
| Dark | Square | 3⅛" × 3⅛" | 4 | finishes 2⅝" × 2⅝" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 2¼" × 2¼" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Background | Rectangle | 1⅞" × 4¾" | 2 | finishes 1⅜" × 4¼" |
| Background | Rectangle | 4¾" × 1⅞" | 2 | finishes 4¼" × 1⅜" |
| Background | Square | 1⅞" × 1⅞" | 4 | finishes 1⅜" × 1⅜" |
| Dark | HST square | 2¼" × 2¼" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | Square | 1⅞" × 1⅞" | 1 | finishes 1⅜" × 1⅜" |
| Dark | Square | 3⅜" × 3⅜" | 4 | finishes 2⅞" × 2⅞" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 2⅝" × 2⅝" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Background | Rectangle | 2¼" × 5⅝" | 2 | finishes 1¾" × 5⅛" |
| Background | Rectangle | 5⅝" × 2¼" | 2 | finishes 5⅛" × 1¾" |
| Background | Square | 2¼" × 2¼" | 4 | finishes 1¾" × 1¾" |
| Dark | HST square | 2⅝" × 2⅝" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | Square | 2¼" × 2¼" | 1 | finishes 1¾" × 1¾" |
| Dark | Square | 3⅞" × 3⅞" | 4 | finishes 3⅜" × 3⅜" |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background | HST square | 3" × 3" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Background | Rectangle | 2⅝" × 6⅞" | 2 | finishes 2⅛" × 6⅜" |
| Background | Rectangle | 6⅞" × 2⅝" | 2 | finishes 6⅜" × 2⅛" |
| Background | Square | 2⅝" × 2⅝" | 4 | finishes 2⅛" × 2⅛" |
| Dark | HST square | 3" × 3" | 8 | cut once on the diagonal → 16 triangles |
| Dark | Square | 2⅝" × 2⅝" | 1 | finishes 2⅛" × 2⅛" |
| Dark | Square | 4¾" × 4¾" | 4 | finishes 4¼" × 4¼" |
How it goes together
Each paw is a large square, four half-square triangle claws along two sides, and a small corner square. Four paws surround a cross of sashing strips with a centre square. Sixteen HSTs total, so accuracy in the units matters.
Tips
- All four claws on a paw must point away from the block centre. This is the classic Bear's Paw mistake and it is invisible until the block is together.
- Make and trim all sixteen HSTs before assembling anything.
- The block is large by nature — 12 or 14 inches suits it better than 9.
How much fabric for a Bear's Paw quilt?
Yardage for a whole quilt of Bear's Paw blocks, computed the way the studio does it — every piece packed across a 40″ usable width with 10% added for waste.
| Quilt size | Blocks | Finished | Top fabric | Backing | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby 36×48 | 12 | 36" × 48" | Background 1¼ yd · Dark 1¼ yd | 2½ yd | ⅜ yd |
| Throw 60×72 | 30 | 60" × 72" | Background 3 yd · Dark 2⅞ yd | 3⅞ yd | ½ yd |
| Queen 90×108 | 72 | 96" × 108" | Background 7⅛ yd · Dark 6⅞ yd | 8¾ yd | ⅞ yd |
What it looks like in a quilt
A single block only tells you half the story. Set sixteen of them together and the secondary pattern appears where the blocks touch:
Bear's Paw questions
How many half-square triangles are in a Bear's Paw?
Sixteen — four claws on each of the four paws.
Why is it called Hand of Friendship?
It is the same block under a different regional name, recorded among Philadelphia Quakers. Duck's Foot in the Mud is the Long Island version.