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Bryan House Quilts

Stairs of a different sort {WIP Wednesday}

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After seeing so many great quilts pieced from the court house stairs block, I simply had to make some.

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Pairing the block with black and white fabrics seemed natural but was inspired by recent postings by Alexis and Christopher on Instagram and their blogs. I feel like I used to be obsessed with black and white color schemes but forgot somehow… I love black and white.

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For these wee blocks, I’m not practicing precision. Here’s what I did: First I calculated how wide each strip should be. 8” finished block size divided by 9 strips in each block = about 7/8” finished + 1/2” for seam allowances. So from my fabric, I cut strips 1 3/8” x Width of Fabric (WOF = selvedge to selvedge). Then I cut the first 3 squares for each block (1 3/8” squares).

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After the first 3 squares were sewn, I just basically sewed the strips onto the base. (It’s like my chain sashing tutorial.) Then I trimmed the strips. (I even used scissors, as opposed to my rotary cutter. Seriously, just having fun… trimming brings me down.)

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I would note that with my Courthouse Stairs quilt top or for larger blocks, I would measure and cut each strip to a specific length. Otherwise I found my top getting bunchy and parachute like. No one likes a bunchy top.

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I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday. Hope you have a great day!

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  1. Jenny says

    these are adorable. I just finished a 40" baby quilt comprised of one log cabin block, and the pattern (free, by Malka Dubrawsky) does not call for cutting the precise length of strip that you need: It's trim-as-you-go. I knew getting it square was going to be a major challenge for me, careful or not. It's not bunchy, but it's definitely not flat! Nevertheless, it was a super fun sew and I *may* have basted it into submission.