My ode to fussy cutting is done… I finished my X Plus Quilt in time for submission to this year’s Canberra Quilters Exhibition which was held in August. I’m going to apologise up front because I adore this quilt and so there’s probably going to be an overabundance of adjectives in this post (more so than usual). This is my most favourite quilt that I’ve made (to this point at least). If I had to use a quilt to explain who I am as a quilter it would be this quilt.

When I started making these blocks they were just a way to have some fun in between secret squirrel projects. I had planned to make it a giant 10 x 10 and not use any repeating fabrics, but time got in the way of my ambition and so I settled on this 7 x 9 formation and I have to say it’s turned out better than I expected. There were so many lessons contained in this quilt and it’s forever changed the way I approach my accuracy. 

I floated the blocks off the edge with a think border of Steeping Awakening Metallic from Art Gallery Fabrics and continued the colours of the plus out to the edge. I was really worried that using this print would overpower the blocks and I’m still in two minds about whether it worked or not. I was limited for time and so instead of going with a mix of low volume as I had with the backgrounds of the blocks I went with a single print. I think it works, but I think it would have been a lot nicer if I’d taken the time to do it in low volume. Lesson learned.

There’s so many of my favourite fabric in this quilt. I am so amazed at how well all these busy fabrics play so well together and that’s because of the use of solids. Grouping the blocks by value also helped provide a focal point and interest. This quilt just goes to show that those novelty fabrics that we all love and adore can be used in so many more ways then just making kids quilts, clothes or iSpy quilts.

When I first started building this quilt I was thinking of having it custom quilted but in the end I decided that a simple edge-to-edge pattern would be enough for this quilt. It’s so busy that a custom job would just get lost in the fabrics. Gemma (of Pretty Bobbins Quilting) quilted it for me and I love the job. She did it in Aurifil #2510 which provides just melts into all these bright colours.

I don’t think my love affair with the X Plus block is over, I have plans for at least one more quilt using this block. There’s so much fun to be had in the components of this block and how they work when together. Plus I need to be able to justify buying even more novelty fabrics.

Links to X Plus Quilt Block Tutorials

• 7.5″ version – you can find the tutorial here.
• 12″ version –  you can find the tutorial here.
• 24″ version – you can find the tutorial here.

See my version of the 24″ blocks by clicking here.

Want to learn how to fussy cut the X Plus Block?

I’m teaching how to select fabrics and make these blocks so you can have your own X Plus quilt of awesomeness. If you’re interested you can find out more information and book into a class by clicking this link.