Welcome to the February installment of my Barn Quilt Block of the Month project! This is a personal challenge I decided to give myself in 2017 to keep pushing my pattern-making skills and add to my overall quilting abilities. Each month I’ll pick a cool barn quilt, turn it into an actual block, write up a pattern, and list it in my Craftsy shop.
This month’s block is Railroad Crossing! There are several different blocks with this name, but I came across this variation in a couple different places (like here and here) and loved both the checkerboard center and the star shape in the background.
Because the lines are all diagonal, you can’t make this block from standard-size pieces — the math just doesn’t work out. For instance, the squares in the checkerboard measure ~1.4 inches on each side instead of a nice, round quarter or half inch interval. That left two options for construction: templates or paper piecing. Of those two, I find paper piecing to be far easier and produce far more accurate results so the choice was easy. Paper piecing it was!
The pattern has all the templates and information you need to make a 12″ block and is only $2!
Get the Railroad Crossing Block pattern here!
I don’t include paper piecing instructions in the pattern, but there are plenty of great resources online to help you. One of my favorites is the paper piecing tutorial at Blossom Heart Quilts.
Ten blocks left before I wrap up the year with a nice barn quilt sampler!
I love this pattern and the colors you chose for it, Sarah. I hope it was as enjoyable to make as it is to see. Cheers, Ardith