Go big with cross blocks: free cross quilt pattern

If you enjoy sewing along with us, don’t forget to check out the rest of our free quilt patterns and follow designer Lynne Goldsworthy on Instagram @lilyquilts to catch up with her latest quilting adventures! For more quilt inspo, don’t forget to check out the rest of our awesome quilt ideas from the Love Patchwork & Quilting team.

You will need

• Print fabrics: 25 fat eighths
• Solid fabrics: 25 fat eighths
• Background fabric: 1¼yds
• Backing fabric: 3¾yds
• Batting: 68in square
• Binding fabric: ½yd

Finished size

60in square approx

Notes

• Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise noted.
• Press seams open after sewing each one, unless otherwise instructed.
• RST = right sides together.
• WOF = width of fabric.
• WST = wrong sides together.

Fabrics used

The fabrics used in our quilt were supplied by Duck Egg Threads – one of our fave places to go to indulge our Liberty lust! They have a huge range of the pretty prints and you can buy them in small cuts, which is ideal for topping up your stash without breaking the bank! If you’re a total Liberty addict then you can even sign up to their We Love Liberty club and receive their curated bundles of the cult fabric through your letterbox every month.

For this quilt, we’ve used:

• Print fabrics are all from collections by Liberty.
• Solid fabrics are from collections by Makower.
• Background fabric is from the Sunprints collection by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics.

Top tip

Swap solids for low-volume prints to add even more print and pattern into your quilt!

Cutting out

Step one

From each of thirteen (13) of the print fat eighths cut four (4) 4½in x 5in rectangles for the Block A crosses. You will have thirteen (13) sets of Block A print rectangles in total.

Step two

From each of the twelve (12) remaining print fat eighths cut:

• One (1) 4½in square for the Block B centres.
• One (1) 5½in square. Subcut across both diagonals to give four triangles for the Block B corners.

You will have a total of twelve (12) sets of Block B print square and triangles.

Step three

From each of twelve (12) of the solid fat eighths cut four (4) 4½in x 5in rectangles for the Block B crosses. You will have a total of twelve (12) sets of Block B solid rectangles.

Step four

From each of the thirteen (13) remaining solid fat eighths cut:

• One (1) 4½in square for the Block A centres.
• One (1) 5½in square. Subcut across both diagonals to give four triangles for the Block A corners.

You will have a total of thirteen (13) sets of Block A solid square and triangles.

Top tip: Keep pieces cut from the same print or solid together in sets.

Step five

From the background fabric cut eight (8) 5½in x WOF strips. Subcut into fifty (50) 5½in squares. Cut each square in half diagonally to give a total of one hundred (100) triangles.

Step six

From the binding fabric cut seven (7) 2½in x WOF strips.

Piecing the blocks

Step seven

Take one set of Block A print rectangles, one set of Block A solid square and triangles and four background triangles. Arrange into five rows as shown.

Step eight

Join the pieces into rows. Press the seams away from the rectangles.

Step nine

Join the rows. Press and trim to 12½in square. This completes one Block A.

Step 10

Repeat steps 7–9 to make a total of thirteen of Block A.

Step 11

Take one set of Block B solid rectangles, one set of Block B print square and triangles, and four background triangles. Arrange into five rows as for Block A, but this time the positions of the print and solid pieces will be swapped. Repeat steps 8–9 to complete one Block B.

Step 12

Repeat step 11 to make a total of twelve of Block B.

Assembling the quilt top

Step 13

Arrange the blocks into five rows of five blocks each as shown. Try to get a good balance of prints and solids, and colours, across the quilt top.

Step 14

Once you are happy with your layout, sew the blocks into rows and then sew the rows together to complete the quilt top.

Quilting and finishing

Step 15

Cut the backing fabric in half across the width. Remove the selvedges and re-join the pieces along the length with a ½in seam. Press the seam open.

Step 16

Press the quilt top and backing well. Make a quilt sandwich by placing the backing fabric right side down, the batting on top, then the quilt top centrally and right side up. The backing and batting are slightly larger than the quilt top. Baste the layers together using your preferred method.

Step 17

Quilt as desired. Lynne quilted straight horizontal lines, approximately 1in apart.

Step 18

Trim off excess batting and backing fabric and square up the quilt.

Step 19

Join the binding strips together end-to-end using diagonal seams. Press the seams open and trim away the dog ears. Fold in half lengthwise, WST, and press.

Step 20

Sew the binding to the right side of the quilt, folding a mitre at each corner, then fold the binding over to the back of the quilt and hand stitch in place to finish.

Do you have a quilt that you’re proud of? Why not enter it into the Festival of Quilts Virtual Competition 2020?

Lynne Goldsworthy

Lynne Goldsworthy is a modern British quilter who over blogs at Lily’s Quilts (so called because her Welsh husband calls her Lily). She’s a prolific quilt designer and co-founder of The Thread House. Her work is regularly featured in Today’s Quilter and Love Patchwork and Quilting magazines. She’s authored books including 500 Quilt Blocks and Quick & Easy Quilts and co-edited Fat Quarterly E-zine. Sewing since she was a little child, on a business trip to America she fell in love with American quilts and tried her hand at the craft. Then life and family happened and she didn’t pick up another one for a few years, until she discovered Flickr, blogs and online shopping, and immediately ordered some pre-cuts, started her own blog and has never looked back! Find her on Instagram @lilysquilts

See author's posts