Learn how to sew an X-quisite Quilt Block during week 8 of our Spring Block of the Week! This block is a fun one to make!! The pattern of squares repeat throughout the nine-patch block to create what looks like little sideways bow ties or even a slanted star.
As a little teaser, the technique for making the squares in this block will be expanded on for next week’s block! Building blocks if you will, lol!!
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Week 8 – X-quisite Quilt Block
This X-quisite Quilt Block uses squares that have a corner piece sewn onto two opposite corners of a bigger square. When you put the squares together to make the block is when the pattern really stands out! Such a cute block!!
The finished block will measure 12 ½” x 12 ½” square.
Cut the fabric for the block…
Cut nine 4 ½” squares of light-colored fabric.
Also cut eighteen 2 ½” squares of dark-colored fabric.
You can also flipflop these colors for a different contrast than mine!! I’ve also seen this block done with all different corner colors, which is super cute too!!
If you’re new to quilting or cutting squares for quilts, you can take a peek at my post on using a rotary cutter or the post on basic quilt supplies!
Sewing the corners to the squares…
Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each 2 ½” square.
Place 2 ½” squares on two opposite corners of a 4 ½” square. Pin in place.
Sew along the diagonal line to connect the 2 ½” squares to the 4 ½” squares.
Trim ¼” from the sewn seams. Press seams toward the dark corners. Measure and trim square, if necessary, so it measures 4 ½” x 4 ½” squared.
I absolutely love the contrast in this square!!!
Plan the block layout…
Follow this diagram to plan the layout of the sewn squares.
It might sound very simplistic, but sometimes I actually take a picture of the planned-out blocks so I don’t mess up when I start sewing them together. Then I can refer to the picture to help me get all the blocks in the right order!!
Chain piece the squares of each row…
Begin sewing the squares together row by row. I like to pin the first two blocks in each row before I start sewing them. This way I can easily “chain piece” them together. You can read about chain piecing from this previous post!
Starting with row one, place the first two squares right sides together. Place a pin in the middle and on the end.
Using a ¼” seam allowance, stitch the two squares together. Don’t sew over the pins, remove them as you come up to them. The corners will form points that match up once you are finished sewing the squares together. Don’t they look nice?!
When you have the first two blocks of all three rows sewn together, then snip them apart from each other.
Line them up in their correct row placement again.
Place the last block right sides together to each of the middle squares and pin. Stitch the last block onto row one. Again, rather than snip when you get to the end, you can chain piece the last square of each row onto the middle square of that row.
Snip them apart when you have all the rows sewn.
I like to use this chain piecing technique to sew quilt squares together. As an alternative you can also sew each of the squares individually if you prefer!!
Pressing the seams…
Press the seams of row one to the right. Press the seams of row two to the left. And press the seams of row three to the right again. This way the seams will “nest” together nicely when you sew the rows to each other!
Sewing the rows together…
With rows one and two right sides together, “nest” the seams together and place a pin in these lined up seams. I also like to place a pin at the end of the rows, and a couple in the middle.
Sew the rows to each other, removing the pins as you come up to them. Be careful not to let the seam from the bottom row fold over the wrong way as you come up to it! This happens sometimes.
Press the seams of each row all in the same direction, either toward the top or toward the bottom. This way your block will lay nice and flat.
Nicely pressed seams look so pretty!!! And they help to create smooth quilting patterns later!
Finishing the block…
Using the measurements for the individuals squares that make up this block, the final quilt block should end up measure 12 ½” x 12 ½”. Once you’ve pressed it, lay it out on your cutting mat and square the block to make sure it’s 12 ½” square. Your square will probably be very close to being 12 ½” square, you might just need to trim a few threads!
I have a 12 ½” square Omnigrip plastic “ruler” that works great for squaring up large quilt blocks!
Aren’t the blocks looking cute??
I can’t believe there are only 5 more different blocks to make in the Spring Block of the Week project!!! Then we’ll put them together into a quilt!!
Have fun making this X-quisite Quilt Block, and have a great week!!
~Bonnie
