Quilt block · Logs and strips · Beginner
Courthouse Steps quilt block
Logs sewn to opposite sides of a center square in turn: light above and below, dark at the sides. Also called Court House Steps.
What to cut for one block
A 6″ finished block measures 6½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
4 light logs
- C2 rectangles 4⅞″ × 1⅜″then cut with template C
- A2 squares 1⅜″then cut with template A
Dark · Navy in the picture
4 dark logs
- D2 rectangles 6½″ × 1⅜″then cut with template D
- B2 rectangles 3⅛″ × 1⅜″then cut with template B
Medium · Denim in the picture
2 dark logs
- C2 rectangles 4⅞″ × 1⅜″then cut with template C
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
2 light logs
- B2 rectangles 3⅛″ × 1⅜″then cut with template B
Accent · Apricot in the picture
The center square
- A1 square 1⅜″then cut with template A
Between the lines. Courthouse Steps cuts cleanly at 3½″ or 7″. At 6″ its rectangles are ⁶⁄₇″ wide, so they need templates.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 9″ finished block measures 9½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
4 light logs
- C2 rectangles 7″ × 1⅞″then cut with template C
- A2 squares 1⅞″then cut with template A
Dark · Navy in the picture
4 dark logs
- D2 rectangles 9½″ × 1⅞″then cut with template D
- B2 rectangles 4⅜″ × 1⅞″then cut with template B
Medium · Denim in the picture
2 dark logs
- C2 rectangles 7″ × 1⅞″then cut with template C
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
2 light logs
- B2 rectangles 4⅜″ × 1⅞″then cut with template B
Accent · Apricot in the picture
The center square
- A1 square 1⅞″then cut with template A
Between the lines. Courthouse Steps cuts cleanly at 7″ or 10½″. At 9″ its rectangles are 1²⁄₇″ wide, so they need templates.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 12″ finished block measures 12½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
4 light logs
- C2 rectangles 9⅛″ × 2¼″then cut with template C
- A2 squares 2¼″then cut with template A
Dark · Navy in the picture
4 dark logs
- D2 rectangles 12½″ × 2¼″then cut with template D
- B2 rectangles 5¾″ × 2¼″then cut with template B
Medium · Denim in the picture
2 dark logs
- C2 rectangles 9⅛″ × 2¼″then cut with template C
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
2 light logs
- B2 rectangles 5¾″ × 2¼″then cut with template B
Accent · Apricot in the picture
The center square
- A1 square 2¼″then cut with template A
Between the lines. Courthouse Steps cuts cleanly at 10½″ or 14″. At 12″ its rectangles are 1⁵⁄₇″ wide, so they need templates.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
How it’s sewn
For the 6″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Add logs 2 to 5
Start with the center, Accent A (1). Sew on 2 and 3 (Background A) to the top and bottom; 4 and 5 (Dark B) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. Its size isn’t on the ⅛″ ruler at this block size, so sew it as cut and don’t trim it.
- Add logs 6 to 9
Keep the sewn unit in the same orientation as the picture. Sew on 6 and 7 (Light B) to the top and bottom; 8 and 9 (Medium C) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. Its size isn’t on the ⅛″ ruler at this block size, so sew it as cut and don’t trim it.
- Add logs 10 to 13
Keep the sewn unit in the same orientation as the picture. Sew on 10 and 11 (Background C) to the top and bottom; 12 and 13 (Dark D) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. The block measures 6½″ (6″ finished). Check the completed block before joining it to the quilt.
For the 9″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Add logs 2 to 5
Start with the center, Accent A (1). Sew on 2 and 3 (Background A) to the top and bottom; 4 and 5 (Dark B) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. Its size isn’t on the ⅛″ ruler at this block size, so sew it as cut and don’t trim it.
- Add logs 6 to 9
Keep the sewn unit in the same orientation as the picture. Sew on 6 and 7 (Light B) to the top and bottom; 8 and 9 (Medium C) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. Its size isn’t on the ⅛″ ruler at this block size, so sew it as cut and don’t trim it.
- Add logs 10 to 13
Keep the sewn unit in the same orientation as the picture. Sew on 10 and 11 (Background C) to the top and bottom; 12 and 13 (Dark D) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. The block measures 9½″ (9″ finished). Check the completed block before joining it to the quilt.
For the 12″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Add logs 2 to 5
Start with the center, Accent A (1). Sew on 2 and 3 (Background A) to the top and bottom; 4 and 5 (Dark B) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. Its size isn’t on the ⅛″ ruler at this block size, so sew it as cut and don’t trim it.
- Add logs 6 to 9
Keep the sewn unit in the same orientation as the picture. Sew on 6 and 7 (Light B) to the top and bottom; 8 and 9 (Medium C) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. Its size isn’t on the ⅛″ ruler at this block size, so sew it as cut and don’t trim it.
- Add logs 10 to 13
Keep the sewn unit in the same orientation as the picture. Sew on 10 and 11 (Background C) to the top and bottom; 12 and 13 (Dark D) to the left and right. Press each seam toward the log just added. The block measures 12½″ (12″ finished). Check the completed block before joining it to the quilt.
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Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
Is it Courthouse Steps or Court House Steps?
Both: you’ll see it written either way in books and patterns. It’s the same block, and a search for either finds it.
What size should I make it?
On its 7 × 7 grid, 6″, 9″ and 12″ put some pieces between the ⅛″ marks, so they need templates. It cuts cleanly at 10½″ or 14″.
Can I paper piece it?
Yes. It sews on one paper, its pieces added in order. In Quarter Inch, the Foundations tab prints its papers at true size (with Quilter).
Is it a good block for a beginner?
It’s a good block for a beginner: 13 pieces in 4 different shapes. Nothing in it curves or has to be set in. We work the level out from the block’s own geometry, never by eye.