Creative articles about quilting

Old Block Quilt-Along, Part 20: Grandmother’s Cross


Andrea from Quiltmanufaktur and author for the German BERNINA blog is your guide for this fantastic quilt-along over the next 12 months. Together, you will sew classic patchwork blocks and combine them into a sampler. The completed quilt will be traditional, yet modern! The next part has been written and we are delighted that you join this quilt project.


Today I am going to show you the 20th block for the Old Sampler Quilt-Along! It is called “Grandmother’s Cross”.

This block is from Ruby Short McKim.

“Ruby Short McKim (born Short; July 27, 1891 – July 26, 1976) was an American quilt designer, entrepreneur, teacher, writer, and magazine editor. She developed an early interest in drawing, and graduated from the New York School of Fine and Applied Art in 1912. McKim taught drawing in the Missouri public school system and became a contributor to The Kansas City Star, where her quilting work was first published.

She was appointed editor of various magazines and founded the McKim Studios with her husband Arthur McKim in 1925 as a means of distributing her work widely.” (Source: Ruby McKim – Wikipedia)

The following image of the original pattern is from the site 101 Patchwork Patterns:

As you can see, I’ve simplified the pattern a bit and straightened the mitered corners. This doesn’t detract from this simple but striking block ;-).

We are sewing the “Grandmother’s Cross” patchwork block.

The “Grandmother’s Cross” block is a 6-inch block (6.5 inches including the seam allowance) and is made using pattern templates.

Download the patchwork templates

For cutting out, I have created three PDF documents to download:

  • The first is a coloring sheet. This allows you to try out colors and designs for this block to see what they look like.
  • On the second PDF you will find the templates

On the PDF with the templates, I have put a control square with a side length of 1 inch so that you can check whether your printout of the templates is the right size. It is important to set your print options to “Actual size”.

Here are the downloads:

“Grandmother’s Cross” coloring sheet

“Grandmother’s Cross” pattern templates

Cutting out the pattern pieces

You will need to cut out the following quantities for each pattern piece:

  • Template A: 2 x patterned fabric
  • Template B: 2 x patterned fabric
  • Template C: 2 x patterned fabric
  • Template D: 2 x patterned fabric
  • Template E: 2 x patterned / 4 x background fabric
  • Template F: 4 x patterned fabric
  • Template G: 1 x patterned fabric

Sewing the “Grandmother’s Cross” patchwork block

In contrast to all the previous blocks, the Grandmother’s Cross has a pattern fabric on the outside – it’s a bit like “inside out sushi”… This means that the initially laid out pattern pieces also look different than usual. So don’t be surprised ;-).

In the first step, we will make the center block. Join together the E pieces for each row.

Then the center block is completed.

Now make the four outer strips using the triangles.

First the two strips are sewn onto the right and left of the center block…

…and then the three rows are sewn together. And now this block is finished too!

How do you like the small blocks so far? Do you have ideas for how they could be made into complete quilts?

As always, it would be great if you shared your blocks with us all! You can post them here on the BERNINA blog in the Community area – there are now an amazing number of great results for this quilt-along. It is a feast for the eyes to look at all the brilliant creations. It’s also a fantastic source of inspiration if you’re unsure about a block!

There are also an amazing number of fantastic blocks for you to admire on Facebook and Instagram! If you have accounts and want to share your blocks there, please don’t forget to use the hashtag #BERNINAOldBlockSampler. This ensures that all the blocks are together in one place and are visible.

New here?

Have you only just discovered the quilt-along? No problem! You can join at any time. Registration is not required, and you can win a BERNINA 570 QE! All the posts will remain permanently available:

In the first post, which was the invitation to participate in the quilt-along, you will find the important initial information about our joint project:

Old Block Quilt-Along – who’s in?

You can find the rest of the blocks from the quilt-along that have already been published here:

Old Block Quilt-Along – overview of all the posts

I’m glad you’re taking part and I hope to see more wonderful pictures of your blocks!

All the best, 
Andrea

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