Cross within a Cross and a Swiss Cross in the Middle

 

For each block use the background color and two additional colors. I had planed on using the specially designed Swiss fabrics that were custom made as Indonesian batiks and given to my by my best friend. She in turn had received them from her brother who was stationed at the Swiss Consulate in Bali, Indonesia. 

I received three fabrics that were either blue or green. (See above) And three different red batik fabrics. (see below).

 

 

 

For each block in addition to the background I used one red and one green/blue fabric.

 

Material requirement for a nine (9) block quilt:

1 1/4 yd background fabric* (grey & white flying geese print) * 1 yd, if the fabric is 42" or wider.

1/2 yd of each green or blue fabric

1/2 yd of each red fabric prints

1/4 yd solid white fabric

piece of 62" x 62" fabric for backing

generous 1/4 yd for binding (1 1/2" single fold)

batting

thread for piecing and quilting

bloc_loc ruler for half square tringle (https://blocloc.com/product/half-square-triangle-ruler-6-1-2-x-6-1-2/)*

bloc_loc ruler (flying geese) 3 1/2" X 6 1/2" (https://blocloc.com/product/flying-geese-ruler-3-x-6/)*

*optional, but makes the piecing much easier.

Cutting instructions:

First cut the grey & white flying geese (background) fabric. Cut the 7 1/4" strip first and subcut what is left over as needed

(9) 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" square  [cut (2) 7 1/4" strips. from those cut nine 7 1/4" squares and use the left over to cut 7" squares.

(18) 7" x 7" square  [cut (3 or 4) strips 7" as needed]; draw a diagonal line on the back of each square

Each blue or green fabric will be used three times.

From each blue or green fabric cut:

six (6) 7" x 7" squares  [one (1) 7" strip, cut required squares, use leftover to cut needed 4" squares]

twelve (12) 4" x 4" squares [one (1) 4" strip]; draw a diagonal line on each square

From each red fabric cut

twelve (12) 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle [ cut one (1) 3 1/2" strip and one (1) 6 1/2" strip. Cut 6 rectangles from each strip. You do this to help when using a directional print.

Cut one (1) 2 7/8" strip subcut into twelve (12) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares (you should be able to cut eleven from that strip. Cut the pissing square from the leftover 3 1/2" or 6 1/2" strip.

Cut twelve (12) 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" squares from leftover from the 3 1/2" or 6 1/2" strips.

 2 Two (2) solid white 1 3/4" strips to use in all blocks:

For one block cut from that strip one (1) 4 1/8" piece and two (2) 1 11/16" piece. (Needed to preserve the Swiss specific cross proportions).

After cutting assemble what you need for each block as listed below.

Two (2) background color 7" x 7" squares  (white & grey flying geese print)

One (1) 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" square background color  (white & grey flying geese print)

Two (2) blue or green color 7" x 7" squares 

Four (4) 4" x 4" squares (blue or green fabric)

Four (4) 6 1/2" x 3 1/2" inner cross fabric (red)

Four (4) 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" squares (red)

Four (4) 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" square inner cross fabric (red)

Solid white fabric: One 1 3/4" x 4 1/8" piece and two (2) 1 11/16" x 1 11/26"pieces

Piecing:

1) Take two (2) background and two (2) blue or green 7" squares. Lay the light colored background on top of the blue or green fabric and sew with a 1/2" seam on each side of the line. Cut apart on the pencil line, open and iron the seam allowance to the dark fabric. Use the bloc_loc ruler to square the HST to 6 1/2". You will have four of those.

2) Take one (1) background 7 1/4" square on the table. Place two (2) blue or green fabric squares (4") in opposite corners. The drawn diagonal line should continue and form one line. Using a 1/4" seam allowance sew along both sides of this line. Cut apart on the line and iron the seam allowance to the dark color. You have a kind of triangle with wings. Place the two other squares in the corner and sew along both sides. Cut apart and you will have four (4) flying geese units with small dark side triangles.

Geese construction. Green squares have a white diagonal line and 1/4" stitching on both sides.

After cutting apart and triangles ironed away for big white triangle.

Last two squares, line drawn and ready for stitching.

Just before squaring up.

 

3) Use the bloc_loc flying geese ruler and square the units up.

 

 

 

 

 

4) Take a 1 11/16" x 1 3/4" piece and sew a red 1 3/4" square on one side. Do the same for the other 1 11/16" piece.

5) Sew one (1) 2 7/8" square on each side of the small white strip that you created before. Sew the second red square on the opposite side and make another unit just like that again.

6) Take the white 4 1/8" x 1 3/4" piece and sew a small 1 3/4" square on each side. 

7) Fold the white rectangle with the red tips in half and also fold the short white piece with the red squares in half to mark the centers. Place on top and sew the seam. The edges will not be even you will trim the unit later.

8) Do the same to the other side. You created the center cross. Trim to 6 1/2".

9) Lay out the block. Take the HST you made in step 1 and place them in the corners. Take the Flying Geese units from step 2 and 3 and place them between the HST. Take a red rectangle and place by the geese units, toward the center. The center cross unit is place in the middle.

10) Sew the red rectangle to the flying geese unit.

11) Sew all the parts together to make a cross within a cross block.

12) Make eight (8) more blocks. Once blocks are completed, lay them out as desired and complete quilt top.

How to use fabric efficiently?

When making my usual calculations, with how much background fabric I would need to make this double cross, with a smaller Swiss cross in the center of the block, I came up with this:

 

Cut: (3) three 7" wide strips

from each I will then get (5) five 7" squares. By cutting (3) three strips I would get 15 squares. I need 18.

But I also have to cut 7 1/4" strips and I can get the three missing 7" squares from the three 7 1/4" strip. 

Cut (9) nine 7 1/4" squares, (each strip will give me 4 squares).

This would mean I need 1 1/4 yd of the white print background fabric.

Which I didn't have. 

I had 1 yard.

But my fabric was a bit wider than the assumed 40". It was 42" excluding the selvage. This allowed me to cut the 9 squares from (2) two 7 1/4" strips and I then had exactly 21" of yardage left to cut 3 strips of 7", subcut each strip into 6 squares. 

3 strips x 6 (7" squares) = 18 squares, 2 for each block = 9 blocks = enough fabric for nine blocks.

Chosen lay-out: 3 x 3 block.

Finished Quilt bound in light grey, 52" x 52" after washing. Pieced blocks measured 18" before quilting.

Back, quilted with an orange peel straight line pattern on a 3" grid