A black and white cross quilt

I love quilts that come together quickly. And this quilt would have come together quickly if not for an emergency visit to my local sewing shop.

But once I got my machine back from repairs, it was good as new and I had this cute little cross quilt within about 4 hours of working time.

I made it in contrasting black and white. And the best part of it is that it took almost no cutting.

I often get questions and comments about doing tutorials for quilts. The truth – I just make it up as I go along. I look at a quilt I want to replicate and then I just break it down into squares and triangles to recreate.

This case is no different. Michelle (of Decor and the Dog fame) wanted her own Swiss cross quilt for her babushka so I just looked her quilt and figured out how to make it myself. However, this is so stinkin’ simple that you could create it in a few hours with just the most basic of sewing knowledge.

I’ll do a quick walk through.

You’ll need:

• 41 black 5×5 squares
• 58 white 5×5 squares
• Binding (I used a stripe fabric Michelle gave me)
• Backing (I found a black and white pattern at Hancock)
• Batting (I like Warm and White)

Here’s a look at the full pattern, if it’s helpful. I like to lay out the pattern on the floor and just sew together each row individually.

Once the 11 rows are assembled, I pressed the seams and assemble them together, trying my best to get the seams to line up for crisp squares.

Finally, I press it all again and make a little quilt sandwich with the batting and the backing. I take my time to get it smooth and then I pin it all together. (Full instructions at Make and Takes.)

I chose a great black and white graphic print for the back.

Then, it’s time for quilting (I just did a straight line vertically.) I personally don’t worry about perfection when it comes to quilting. I do my best and know that once it’s together it will all come together.

Finally, I added the binding. (Full instructions from Red Pepper Quilts.)

In the end, I was happy with how it turned out. It’s a very graphic, modern quilt that’s perfect for a boy or girl.

I wouldn’t mind one myself, actually.