Cross Quilt Block Pattern

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Sewing a cross quilt block involves some basic sewing skills and knowledge of quilting techniques. Here are the steps to make a cross quilt block:

Materials:

• Fabric squares in two contrasting colors (one for the background and one for the cross)
• Sewing machine
• Rotary cutter and mat
• Ruler
• Iron and ironing board

Steps:

1. Cut the fabric squares: Cut the background fabric into a square that measures 10 1/2 inches. Cut the cross fabric into a strip that measures 2 1/2 inches wide.

2. Sew the cross fabric strip onto the background fabric: Place the cross fabric strip on top of the background fabric square, right sides facing each other. Pin in place and sew using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Press the seam allowance towards the cross fabric.

3. Cut the cross fabric strip: Cut the cross fabric strip in half perpendicular to the seam you just sewed. This will give you two pieces that form the cross.

4. Sew the cross pieces onto the background fabric: Take one of the cross pieces and place it on top of the background fabric square, right sides facing each other. Pin in place and sew using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Repeat with the other cross piece, making sure to align it with the first piece to form a complete cross. Press the seam allowances towards the cross pieces.

5. Trim the block: Trim the block to 10 1/2 inches square using your ruler and rotary cutter.

6. Repeat: Repeat these steps to make as many cross quilt blocks as you need for your project.

Once you have made enough cross quilt blocks, you can sew them together to make a quilt top. Arrange them in a pleasing pattern and sew them together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Add batting and backing to complete your quilt.

 

The secret to the nine patch is all about ironing seams so that they butt when they are joined.

Cut 5 A squares and 4 B squares in the required size.

Chain piecing, join a B square to only 3 of the A squares, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. No need to press just yet.

The result will be:

Next, take the remaining A and B squares and, chain piecing, join them to these units, right sides together, with a one 1/4 inch seam allowance:

 Your result will be:

 

To make this faster you can cut strips.

Cut A and B strips for the appropriate width, and join them into A/B/A and B/A/B units. Note you will need twice the length of B/A/B strips, as there are two of these units. Once your strips are joined, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Press every seam towards the dark fabric.

Cut across your pre-joined strips to create the units needed for the nine patch:

You will achieve the same result as above, but this method is faster.

 

To make a standard 9 patch, the width of the unit cut from pre-joined strips is the same as the width of the original strips.

Press all the seams to the dark fabric so that all the seems butt up.

Join the B/A/B units to your A/B/A units with butted seams, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

The direction of the final, central seam is optional. But guided by the placement of the block in the larger scheme, and wherever possible, iron to facilitate budding the seam joints.

Wider Application:

Just as the 4 patch, you can apply this methodology to all kinds of 9 patch blocks. As long as the patch has an underlying 3x3 grid, no matter how many pieces, the basic principle applies. It is repeated over and over, each 9 patch laying adjacent to the next 9 patch. As long as you keep pressing seams in pairs of opposite directions, piecing will be smooth sailing.

Try these out. Each block has an underlying 3x3 grid, and can be pieaced as a 9 patch.

Sometimes it is not obvious which direction is the dark with complicated blocks like those above. Just remember the basic ironing plan is:

 

How to Resize Quilt Blocks:

The first step in modifying any quilt block is to decide on the size of your finished quilt block. You can come to a decision based on a number of factors: doubling a pattern, cutting your pattern in half, or choosing the size based on your available fabric.

NOTE: When working from a pattern’s cutting instructions, make sure you remove the seam allowance before doubling or tripling the size. For instance, if your pattern calls for 3-1/2″ squares, first you’ll subtract the sum of the seam allowances (1/2″), double the finished block size (from 3″ to 6″), and add the seam allowance back in (1/2″). So, when all is said and done, you will cut a 6-1/2″ piece of fabric.

Resizing Square Blocks:

Square blocks are the easiest to resize. Simply add to your finished block measurement. For example, if you’d like your finished block to be a 4″ square, you’ll need to cut a 4-1/2″ square of fabric.

Resizing Rectangular Blocks:

Similarly to the square, for rectangle blocks, you’ll add to the length and width measurements of your finished block. If you’re doubling block that measures 3″ x 4″ in your quilt, you’ll cut a 6-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ rectangle of fabric.

Resizing Half-Square Triangle Blocks:

When you want to change the size of a Half-Square Triangle block, add 7/8″ to the desired finished block size. To make a 4″ finished block, you’d cut 4-7/8″ squares.

Resizing Quarter Square Triangle:

Since there are two cut lines and two seam lines in a Quarter-Square Triangle block you’ll need to add 1-1/4″ to the desired finished block size. For a finished block that’s 4″, you’d cut your squares 5-1/4″.