Block 7: Cross tucking – Textured quilt sampler tutorial

Block type: log cabin

Block size: 11 inches

Colour scheme: reds and neutrals

Texture/fabric manipulation: cross tucking

Quilt size: The finished quilt is 52 ½ x 52 ½.

Needs:

one 10 in x 10 in square in white for the textured centre square
two 5 in x 3 1/2 in rectangles and two 11 in x 3 1/2 in rectangles for the border

Making the cross tucks

Mark your fabric on the reverse side at 1 1/4 in | 3/4 in | 3/4 in | 1 in | 3/4 | 3/4 | 1 in …. intervals (see picture) on both directions.

Press along the lines in one direction.

Now stitch with the following seam allowances, starting on the side where the first press is at 1 1/4 inch from the edge and make a 1/4 inch tuck. Then the following two tucks are 1/8 in depth, the next one is 1/4 inch and so on, i.e. depth of tucks: 1/4 | 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/4| 1/8 | 1/8…

Now press all the tucks to one side.

Time to press along the cross lines now to mark where the cross tucks will go.

The pressing may not produce a very squared piece of fabric. This is fine. We will be trimming the square to 5 inches later.

Stitch the tucks with the same depth as before starting with a 1/4 tuck from the side where the first interval was marked at 1 1/4. Then make a 1/8 tuck and another one. The next one will be 1/4 deep, i.e. 1/4 | 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/4| 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/4 and so on.

Iron the tucks to one side again as you did before. Press well.

When finished, square the resulting piece into a 5 inch square. The result may not be quite straight as far as tucks go but that’s fine. This quilt is about texture not perfection!

Cut two 5 in x 3 1/2 in rectangles and two 11 in x 3 1/2 in rectangles for the border

You’re done!

Textured blocks tutorials

This is the 7th block in a series of 25 exploring texture in fabric.

Each block is made out of a centre 5 inch square featuring some fabric texture such as pin tucks, smocking, shirring and the like. Then a 3 1/2 wide border encloses each centre square.

The colour scheme is red and white/cream alternating reds and white/cream for the centre square and border.

Some of the textures show better on plain colours than on heavily patterned fabric.

See all Textured quilt sampler tutorials for this quilt.