Simple Bear Paw Barn Quilt Pattern
A classic barn quilt block you can customize and print as a paint-ready plan.
Member: Choose your size, borders & colors + personalized Paint Maps
Free: Complete 2' × 2' drawing grid + measurements
Planning the board? Use the sizing calculator for exact cell and border measurements, or read the paint color guide before you buy paint.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Grid
- 7 × 7
- Colors
- 5
- Suggested board sizes
- 2′ × 2′, 3′ × 3′, 4′ × 4′
Get the Free 2' × 2' Simple Bear Paw Pattern Plan
A complete, printable drawing plan: a large 2' × 2' grid diagram with every measurement you need, plus an example colorway.
What's in your free plan
- 2' × 2' drawing grid diagram
- Layout measurements
- Layer diagrams when applicable
- Example colorway + paint equivalents
- Measuring and marking instructions
Personalized Paint Maps — the diagrams showing exactly which pieces to paint each color — come with Designer Membership.
Want to make it your own?
Customize the size, borders and colors — and get personalized Paint Maps — with the Barn Quilt Designer.
Customize in DesignerFree plan vs. Designer Membership
The free plan gives you everything you need to draw the standard 2' × 2' barn quilt. Membership lets you make the plan fit your project.
| Feature | Free Plan | Membership |
|---|---|---|
| Printable 2' × 2' drawing plan | ||
| Layout measurements and grid markings | ||
| Measuring and marking instructions | ||
| Layer diagrams when applicable | ||
| Example colorway and paint equivalents | ||
| Choose your barn quilt size | ||
| Add or change borders | ||
| Customize colors | ||
| Automatically recalculated measurements | ||
| Personalized Paint Maps | ||
| Save and edit designs | ||
| Unlimited personalized plan downloads | ||
| Build your own patterns for the designer |
Want to make it your own?
Customize the size, borders and colors — and get personalized Paint Maps — with the Barn Quilt Designer.
Customize in DesignerAbout the Simple Bear Paw block
Bear Paw is a classic American patchwork design whose distinctive triangular “claws” grew from the sawtooth forms seen in early quilts. By the nineteenth century, versions of the block were appearing as recognizable patterns, although its name varied from place to place.
Bear’s Paw, Bear Claw and even Duck’s Foot in the Mud have all been associated with closely related designs. That naming history is a reminder that traditional quilt patterns often traveled between communities long before standardized pattern books gave them fixed names.
Learn more about the history
Tips for painting a Simple Bear Paw barn quilt
Prime both sides of your board and seal the edges before painting to keep moisture out.
Lay out the pattern in pencil first using a grid — every shape lines up on a regular fraction of the board.
Paint the lightest color first, then work toward the darkest so any drips can be covered.
Use painter's tape along straight edges and burnish it down with a credit card to prevent bleed-through.
Ready to design your Simple Bear Paw?
Customize the colors in the online designer and download a printable paint-by-color plan with a grid diagram.
Open in the designerPainted the Simple Bear Paw? Share your photo.
We feature finished quilts from real makers in the gallery — it helps other painters see how the Simple Bear Paw looks in different color combinations.