Checks and chains quilt blocks

These blocks are built mostly from squares, and the squares line up from block to block to make diagonal chains or a checkerboard across the whole quilt. Nine Patch, Double Irish Chain, Jacob’s Ladder and Trip Around the World are the classics.

Because the pieces are squares and rectangles, they cut quickly from strips and suit a first quilt. The trick is in the layout: the chain only appears when the blocks are set side by side, so it pays to look at the quilt, not just the block.