Arkansas Crossroads QAL Step 2
Arkansas Crossroads Step 2: Making The “X” Blocks
Last week we assembled our 16 patch blocks. These should have come out at 8.5” square. If you need to trim your 16 patches to 8.5” and have not yet done so, go ahead and do this first, and set them aside.
This week we will begin cutting our background fabric to make our alternate “X” blocks. We will be cutting and using roughly half of our background fabric in this step, and saving the rest of it for step 3.
From your chosen background fabric, cut 32 (baby quilt) or 60 (throw size quilt) 4.5” squares from your background fabric. Four of these squares will make up your X blocks. You will be “snowballing” the corners of these blocks to make the points to complete your colored motifs. In this step we are only making the X blocks that fill in the center portion of the quilt.
If you are doing a random scrappy, you do not have to pay much attention to color placement at all. Just continue to go scrappy. HOWEVER, if you are doing the color-by-color layout, you will have to be careful to use the proper colors in the proper corners of your blocks.
Start by laying out your 16 patches on a design wall, bed, table or floor. Leave room for the X blocks in between them. Remember, the baby quilt is a 4 x 4 block layout, and the throw is a 5 x 6 block layout. Lay your blocks out in that configuration. THEN, layout 4 of the 4.5” blocks you cut from background fabric in between each 16 patch block, as in the photo below: