Modern Quilt Month: What's That Block?

What's that block, you may ask? This fascinating quilt explores aperiodic tiling - a mathematical concept where shapes cover a surface without gaps and without the layout ever repeating. We love the way in which the blocks "fade" into the gray background on the edges of the design. 

English Paper Piecing was used to create this quirky geometric challenge.  Read on for details and a FREE pattern link!

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What's That Block? by Beth Norris, quilted by Jessica Dickinson.  

The “Einstein Tile” is a thirteen-sided shape, discovered in 2022 by David Smith, as a shape that covers a plane using only itself, with no gaps, and no repeats in the placement. It is called an Einstein Tile, not after Albert Einstein, but a play on “ein stein” in German, meaning “one stone”.  

 

Can you see the 13-sided shape in magenta, in the closeup photo below?  NOTE: The FREE Einstein Tile Design can be found at PaperPieces.com !

 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Arizona Quilters Guild show.