Learn how to make the classic Wagon Tracks quilt block – also known as Road to Arkansas, Pacific Rail Road, and Railroad – with this easy, beginner-friendly tutorial! This traditional 12-inch quilt block comes together quickly using just two simple units: half-square triangles and squares.
Whether you’re a new quilter looking for a fast confidence-building project or an experienced quilter who loves a scrappy, historic pattern, the Wagon Tracks block is a perfect choice. With its bold diagonal lines and timeless appeal, this versatile block looks stunning on its own or repeated across a full quilt. Let’s get stitching!
Fabric Requirements for a 12″ Finished Wagon Tracks Quilt Block:
- Light/White: 2 – 5″ squares, and 10 – 2.5″ squares
- Medium/Pink: 10 – 2.5″ squares
- Dark/Blue: 2 – 5″ squares
Sewing Directions:
Four Patch Units:
Step 1:
Using the Light/White 2.5″ squares and the Medium/Pink 2.5″ squares sew together Four Patch units as follows:
- Lay out 2 squares of each color as shown below and sew into two rows (upper left image)
- Press the seam allowances toward the Medium/Pink squares (upper right image)
- Sew the two rows together (lower left image)
- Press the seam allowances (lower right image) As you can see, I pressed the seam allowance using the tweak/twirl/furl method but you can press however you wish
- You can find a detailed tutorial for making Four Patch units at https://quiltembroiderypdf.com/how-to-sew-a-basic-four-patch-quilt-block
- If I were making multiple blocks, I would use the strip piecing method for making these units (which you can find in the Four Patch tutorial linked above).
Step 2:
Repeat Step 1 for a total of 5 Four Patch units like the ones in the picture below.
Half Square Triangle Units:
Step 3:
Using a Light/White 5″ square and a Dark/Blue 5″ square, make Half Square Triangle (HST) units as shown. Here are the first steps.
- Match up a Light/White square and a Dark/Blue square right sides together.
- Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the Light/White square and sew 1/4″ (or a little less) on each side of the line.
- Cut along the diagonal line. You will have 2 half-square triangle patches.
Step 4:
- Open up the patch and press the seam allowance toward the Dark/Blue fabric.
Square up/trim the units to 4.5″ square. - You can find my tutorial for making HST units at https://quiltembroiderypdf.com/how-to-sew-a-basic-half-square-triangle-block
Step 5:
Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for a total of four Half Square Triangle units like the one in the photo below.
Putting It All Together:
Step 6:
Lay out the Step 2 Four Patch units and the Step 5 Half Square Triangle units as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like a typical Nine Patch block.
Step 7:
Sew the units into three rows as shown below.
Step 8:
Press the seam allowances toward the Four Patch units as shown in the picture below.
Step 9:
To finish, sew the three rows together and…
Step 10:
Press the seam allowances toward the center of the block. That was quick and easy!
Layout Ideas:
This is the basic 4 x 4 layout using colors similar to the tutorial.
And this is what happens when you rotate every other block!
This is the same layout as above but using two different color blocks. I kept the dark blue but switched out the pink fabric for a green for the second block.
This is an example of what a scrappy version of the block could look like. The background color and the dark color are kept the same for all the blocks so the quilt doesn’t look too busy.
This is an on-point example using black in place of the light background fabric. The block also extends into the setting triangles. What a difference!
This is another on-point version. I added in another color and used modified blocks for the setting triangles.
