Midwest Crossings Quilt

I can not think of any crisper colors that go together well such as indigo and white. It is the color combination that actually lasts the whole year round. Its fresh as a cold crisp winter’s day, rain fall in the spring, a sailing excursion in the summer and a new pair of blue jeans you get every fall. If there ever was a great collection that exerts the color of indigo it would be Indigo Crossing by Minick & Simpson!

The quilt I have created for the Moda Bake Shop is called Midwest Crossings. The Midwest Crossing quilt consist of sixteen traditional Cats & Mouse quilt blocks that alternate the indigo hues of Ingigo Crossings to give the quilt a chain effect. Naming this quilt “Midwest Crossing” was not only for it’s “X” like stars but because here in America you have to cross through the highways and biways of the Midwest to get from one coast line to the other, and the Midwest is the heart of America! – J.L. Overstreet

Midwest Crossing is a 76″ x 76″ quilt

(1) Fat Quarter Bundle – Indigo Crossings AB 40 skus 14750AB Moda Precuts
(3) yards of Bella White #9900-98
(3 1/2) yards of Indigo Crossings Indigo #14757-13

Please read all instruction prior to starting this project.
*All seam will be 1/4″ unless stated other wise.
Please do use a heavy starch on all fabrics since these blocks deal with a bias cut!

Cutting Directions:

From the Fat Quarters

First gather all the blue fat quarters from the bundle.
Take each blue fat quarter and cut:
(2) strips into 4 1/2″x wof then cut the strips down to (5) 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ squares. You will need 80 total squares.
(3) strips into 2 1/2″ x wof then cut strip down to (16) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares. You will need 256 total squares.

Gather 16 various cream fat quarters and cut:

(1) 4 1/2″ x wof then cut the strip into (4) 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangles. You need 64 rectangles.

From the cream fat quarters you can pull 16 separate colorways for more of variety but you do not have to. You can easily use three fat quarters for the entire quilt if you like. In a perfect world you can get four strips x wof per fat quarter. Ending with (28) 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangles per fat quarter.

From the white Bella Solids Yardage cut:

(8) 9″ x wof strips, then cut strips down to (4) 9″ x 9″ squares per strip. You will need 64 total squares. Lastly cut each square once diagonally
(4) 4 1/2″ x wof strips, then cut strips down to (16) 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangles per strip. You will need 64 total rectangles.
(4) 4″ x wof strips, then cut strips down to (10) 4″ x 4″ squares per strip. You will need 32 total squares. Lastly cut each square once diagonally.

From the Indigo Crossings Indigo #14757-13 cut:

(2 1/2) cut yards from the 3 1/2 yards. Save the remaining one yard for your binding. The 2 1/2 yards will be used for your border. You will need (4) strips of 6″ x lof, two total cuts in all. Since I chose a one directional print for the border, I simply made the print look like it is going around the quilt. This way when the quilt is laid out there is no wrong direction to the quilt.

Block Assembly:

The block used for this quilt is call the Cat & Mouse block. Using alternating blues give this quilt an affect of chasing and chaining.

For this quilt it is easier to assemble the blocks by color hues, dark blues with dark blues and light blues match up with the light blues. Mix and match ex: dark blue printed 4 1/2′ x 4 1/2″ squares with dark blue printed 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares. Repeat the same process for the light and medium blue hues. You will have eight sets of both blues hues with a total of sixteen blocks in all. Just a note: there is a medium blue hue in this fabric line. I simply added them to the light blues because there is not enough light blue fabric in this collection to make up the eight blocks needed for the light blues for this quilt.

Each block will need:
(5) 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ squares
(16) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares
(4) 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ white rectangles
(4) 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ cream rectangles
(2) 4″ x 4″ squares mark and cut on a diagonal (I know I have angle written in the photo)
(2) 9″ x 9″ squares mark and cut on a diagonal. (Same as above, I know, I know!)
This example is for one block only.

Flying geese Assembly

Gather the 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares, a ruler and a marking/writing utensil of your choice.
Align the ruler on the square on the wrong side of the fabric on an diagonal.
Make your mark and repeat the the same process over for the remaining (15) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares.

Next take (1) 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangle, and align a 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ square right sides together. Preferably starting the alignment on the left side.
Once the two are aligned then stitch on a diagonal. Start the stitch from the bottom left to center top of the rectangle. Repeat the same process for the remaining 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangle and 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares. Chain piecing works great for this process.

Grab a ruler and a cutting utensil of choice and cut a 1/4″ above the seam/stitch line.
Remove excess fabric.

Press open the left wing on all your half winged geese.
Take another 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ square and align it on the right side or opposite side of the 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ half winged geese. Again stitch right sides together.
Then start stitching from the bottom right of the rectangle to the center on a diagonal.

Again bring back the ruler and cutting utensil of choice, and cut 1/4″ above the seam/stitch line.
Remove excess fabric.
Press open the right wing of the flying geese.
Repeat the process for the remaining half winged geese.

Congratulations you have finished with creating a flying goose.
You will need (8) flying geese in all. (4) with a white center and (4) with a cream center.

From Flying Geese to the Hour Glass and to the start of the Star/Cat & Mouse Block.
Again this example is still for one block

With the (4) white flying geese and the (4) cream flying geese, align each colorway, right sides together at the points of the geese.
Stitch across the top right sides together of points of the flying geese, and then press the seams. This will give you (4) hourglass blocks.
Next grab the (5) 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ squares and the (4) hourglass blocks.
Take (1) of the 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ squares and (1) of the hour glass blocks and stitch with the square right sides together to the white side of the hour glass block (photo below examples it wrong). Repeat this process one more time to get two separate hour glass square combinations.
Lastly grab the remaining (3) 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ squares and the (2) remaining hour glass blocks.
Start with a square, then stitch the square to the white side of the first hour glass block right sides together.
Then stitch the next square to the cream side of the hour glass block right sides together.
Now add the remaining hour glass block by stitching it cream side to the opposite side the the second square right sides together.
Lastly stitch on the last remaining square right sides together to the white side of the hour glass block. *see photo below and yes, that example is correct! This combination will be a long strip.
Press all seams.

Piecing the star/Cats & Mouse block together.

This process you will need the single hour glass and square combination and (1) 9″ x 9″ square that has all ready been cut on a diagonal, giving you two right triangles.
Stitch the hour glass block combination and the (1) of the right triangles right sides together starting from the bottom of hour glass side. Then stitch the other right triangle to the other side of the hour glass combination right sides together starting from the bottom of the hour glass side again. Repeat this process for the other hour glass right triangle combination.
Press seams.
Next align and pin the seams of the longer strip of the hour glass combination to one of the hour glass right triangle combination. Press seams and repeat the process for the other side.

Once all seams are pressed cut off all dog ears on all four sides of the block.

Finally grab the (2) 4″ x 4″ squares that are cut on a diagonal.
Take each right triangle of the 4″ x 4″ squares and center them evenly to the open edges of the nearly finished Cats & Mouse block.
Pin them, stitch, and then press open.
Trim additional dog ears if needed.

Your finished product will be one finished block measuring 17 1/2″ x 17 1/2″

If there is a need to trim all of your blocks evenly don’t worry I designed these blocks so that you have a 1/4″ lead way all around to trim them down if necessary. This will give you a 17″ x 17″ square block.
Repeat the entire process for the remaining 15 blocks to make up this quilt.

Assembling the quilt

When all 16 blocks are finished, place them in alternating blue hues to your liking in four to a row then stitch each row.
Press each row seams and then start stitching each of the rows together.
Make the final presses on the rows and then start stitching the 6′ x lof border to the sides of the quilt top.
Once the quilt top is complete, layer, baste and quilt to your liking,
Then add the binding.

76″ x 76″ quilt