mini crossroads cutting

this is a little process post about how to cut for my mini crossroads blocks (my own modified measurements) and then how i process the rest for scraps.

i've been cutting in sets of three when using fat quarters, but this time happened to be cutting just two since i was using two half yard cuts of these fabrics. the half yards are folded in half, which means i'm cutting through four layers of fabric total and each cut yields twice the pieces of each fabric

each mini crossroads block is composed of:

• four 2" x 2.5" cut background pieces
• one 1" center square
• two 1" x 2.5" vertical "road" strips
• two 1" x 2" horizontal "road" strips

arranged thusly, sewn with a 1/4" seam allowance, they make a 4" x 5" cut/3.5" x 4.5" finished block.

i am working with mostly half yard cuts of fabric, pressed and folded selvage to selvage, which measures approximately 21" across the wof (width of fabric, from selvage to selvage) in usable fabric, doubled because it has two layers from the folding. if you're using layered cuts of the same width but different length, say quarter yard or a yard, you can cut just like this. 

if you are using fat quarters, you won't have two layers of each fabric, but will have the same width. you would just need to make the initial length cut twice for each width and then cut across the two strips the same way.

this quilt will be laid out 16 blocks x 14 blocks, which equals 224 blocks total. i have 34 green fabrics so am doing sets of six blocks for each green fabric.* that means 3 blocks each of the alternating arrangements per block set. i'll need 12 background pieces, six 2" long road pieces, and six 2.5" long road pieces from each green print. (*if you're doing the maths, 6x34=204, and i need 224 blocks. i'll be making the remaining 20 blocks with the pink "capel" accent pieces i'm adding.)

let's look at how i cut my three sets of each green print for my "lemonade at sixes" mini crossroads blocks.

after pressing both half yard cuts, i lay them out on the cutting table, still folded in half, one on top of the other. i line up the folds at the top, trim the edges square, then make a single wof cut. 

i got a tip from dana knott's book "strip quilt secrets" (one of my recent reads) that when cutting multiple strips of fabric, it helps keep the fabric in alignment and avoid slippage if you overcut the total width for a few strips from the yardage first and then subcut backwards. for this set i wanted one strip 2.5" wide and one 1" wide, so i made my first cut at 3.5" from the yardage.

then i rolled the yardage out of the way to the right (i'm done with it until i put it away) and moved my ruler back an inch to the left to make the subcut to create my 2.5" strip and 1" strip from the larger cut i just made. 

i don't always remember to over cut this way, but i've been trying it and have liked it so far when i remember to do it.

now i'm going to cut the 2" length pieces from both strips. (it's getting confusing with differentiating the widths and lengths of these pieces. i'll try to stick to one name for each measurement. the width is the width of the initial strip i cut, the length will be the next cuts i make.)

i left the wof 1" wide strip and 2.5" wide strip together, so i can cut all pieces of the same lengths together. i first cut 3 sets of background pieces and shorter "road" strips, which will both be 2" long, at the same time. the fabrics are folded in half, so i am getting double the amount of pieces from each cut i make. i need 4 background pieces for each block x 3 blocks, which means i need to make this cut 6 times for the backgrounds. i need half as many for the "road" pieces, so i'll be pulling that fabric away after the first 3 cuts.

after the first 3 cuts at 2" long, i separate the two strips widths because they will now be cut differently. i need 3 pairs of 1" x 2.5" "road" pieces for the blocks, so i cut those from the 1" strip.

i still need 3 more pairs of the 2" x 2.5" background pieces, so i cut them from the 2.5" wide strip. 

now i have all the pieces i need for 3 mini crossroads blocks in each setting for my 6 block set.

i still have fabric left! let's make usable scraps

i always begin cutting from strips at the cut end vs. the folded edge. this way i have one continuous piece of fabric left at the end instead of two identical smaller pieces. i just find the longer piece to be more versatile than two short ones (unless they're going to be exactly a useful size). once i'm done with all the needed cutting, i unfold and press open the leftovers at the end.

i had about 3" left of the 1" wide piece, which went straight into the 1" colored print scrap drawer.

there was approximately 10.5" remaining of the 2.5" wide strip.

from that i cut 2 - 2.5"x4.5" pieces of both fabrics for my scrappy "bonnie lass" project. i opened up what was left at the end, which i trimmed a smidge to a 2.5" square of each fabric.

these are my cuts from the 2.5" and 1" wide wof strips:

• 3 sets of background pieces for mini crossroads blocks
• 3 sets of "road" pieces for mini crossroads blocks
• 1 each ~3"x1" scrap
• 2 each 2.5"x4.5" bonnie lass pieces

the pieces for the large "bonnie lass" blocks go in that project's basket, conveniently sitting next to my cutting table.

the 2.5" squares go in the 2.5" colored prints scrap drawer, also conveniently next to my cutting table.

that's my cutting wrapped! time to get some blocks pieced now. i already cut several dozen blocks' worth of the pink center squares and the limeade pieces for mini crossroads blocks, so as soon as i cut new printed fabrics, i am able to sit down and get sewing.

i keep all the cut pieces next to the machine with the grey thread on it and if i'm not piecing this project specifically, i use them for leaders-and-enders on my other projects. 

since i like having multiple projects on the go at once, and i like scrap quilts, all this cutting with bonus scraps and pre-prepped pieces for block construction or leaders-and-enders fits right into my preferred mode of operation, which is to have lots of options for whatever whim i get when it's my sewing time. 

one stitch at a time all these pieces will become quilts.