Courthouse Steps Quilt ~ A Quilt in Progress

Here is what I have been up to this week. Piecing, piecing, piecing. And truly this is my favorite way to work; playing with color as well as low volume fabrics, and sewing blocks with small strips of fabric. It has been a good week. Busy. But good.

This quilt is my interpretation of my new(ish) IKEA rug (and yes I did have to vacuum the rug before taking this photo because I don't have any doubt that you would already know that it is usually decorated with threads). This quilt and the rug both say much about me. Although I LOVE color and I love working with color, my home furnishings and my clothing preference is much more reserved. Instead I add pops of color with my quilts and pillows, and in Winter a colorful knitted shawl drapes permanently around my neck.

This quilt is made up of traditional Courthouse Steps block. It is a simple block and is pieced from the center out, starting with the small - red with white polka dot - square and adding strips to both sides of that square, alternating color (light/dark) as you go. It was time consuming but I soon found my sewing rhythm. This quilt and layout also required some fabric/color planning as each Courthouse Step block is made up of two adjoining fabrics.

Here is what each block looks like. My block measures 7.5" x 7.5" which includes the seam allowances, and the fabric pieces are cut as follows - starting with the center square:

A 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches (red fabric with white polka dots)
B 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches
C 1.5 inches x 3.5 inches (square up block to measure 3.5" x 3.5")
D 1.5 inches x 3.5 inches
E 1.5 inches x 5.5 inches (square up block to measure 5.5" x 5.5")
F 1.5 inches x 5.5 inches
G 1.5 inches x 7.5 inches (square up block to measure 7.5" x 7.5")

B D and F are low volume fabrics (low contrast fabrics with a light/white background).
C E and G are printed/color fabrics. I have chosen small scale designs for stronger contrast and color blocking.

I prefer to piece by slightly over-sizing units and trimming back. For example, I cut my strips 1/8th of an inch wider than the 1.5 inch requirement for units C - G and then trimmed back the block at intervals as noted above.

My quilt top isn't yet finished. I'd like to add another two rows each of 8 blocks. So it is back to the sewing machine for me.

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Courthouse Steps Quilt in Progress II
Courthouse Steps Quilt ~ A Finished Quilt