October's Block: plus (also known as a modern cross)

Hello Everyone!

Why is it so absolutely difficult to find a solid gray fabric? Not just any gray but a true grayscale gray...all of the gray's are sooo blue. Which means they end up looking purple. I even ended up ordering yards of gray fabric online only to be disappointed once it arrived. Grrr.

After working on the pattern I wanted to use for the block this month for the past few weeks I thought I was going to have to totally change directions at the last minute because I couldn't find the background fabric I wanted. All that said, on Saturday I finally found a background fabric that is going to have to work and decided it would be okay with my original pattern after all.

Okay, so here it is...

When I have seen similar designs to this all I can think of is a plus sign but patterns like this one are also often labeled a modern cross. I have a number of sample pictures I am including below and hope everyone can make it all the way through this post.

Sample full quilt illustration:



Sample individual block illustrations:

Individual block pattern:

Sample sewn blocks and a peek at the fabric (that I promise will be in the mail to you tomorrow):


(sorry, the second one is a horrible picture and if I get a chance to take another one in the daytime I will be sure to replace this one on the blog)

Info on how to make the blocks:

The larger of the two blocks above is sort of my intended base unit size (of 2" square) and finished is about 16" square (16.5" with the seam allowances). But as I made up my sample I started thinking that it may be interesting to have a variation in the size blocks that are created (hence the smaller version based on a 1" square). The key will be to decide on the unit you want to use and then cut your strips/squares accordingly.

I will be sending a stack of fabric to each of you, way more than you will actually need to make your one or two blocks. The cream and gray geometric line fabric (about 1/4 yd) is for the base color or the background and then there is an assortment of red, blue, yellow and cream fabrics (some of them are strangely shaped) to use for the +'s. Just send back what you don't use.

My assembly recommendation is to decide what your individual finished square size should be (1", 1.5", 2", 2.5"), map out where you want your colored +'s, and cut squares and strips as appropriate including seam allowance. Sew each row and then the rows together.

For example, in the larger of the two sample blocks I assembled my base unit was a 2" square. My first row consisted of a strip of the base fabric that was 2.5" high (an extra .5" for .25" seam allowance) and 8.5" long, a 2.5" square of the red fabric, and a 2.5" x 6.5" strip of the base gray. You could assemble the whole thing as squares if you want to, but I generally prefer to minimize the number of seams I have to sew in a project. The block pattern posted above is 8 units by 8 units but I am totally okay if you wanted to add an additional row or two to any side to continue the pattern.

Feel free to use as many or as few of the colored fabrics as you want, my only request is that you don't have any unfinished +'s hanging off the sides. I suppose if someone wanted to throw in a "-" without the top and bottom squares I would be okay with that.

I hope this pattern doesn't feel to restrictive after just finishing Maryanne's super free-form "make it up as you go along" blocks from last month! Thank you everyone for helping me make this quilt.

Happy sewing!