Crossroads to Jericho Quilt Block: Two Easy Methods and Endless Color Options

By: Elaine Huff

The Crossroads to Jericho quilt block is a striking traditional design with plenty of visual movement and charm. Whether you prefer a scrappy look full of personality or a more planned color scheme for crisp contrast, this block offers endless possibilities.

In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through two piecing methods so you can choose the one that works best for your style and workflow. With thoughtful color placement, Crossroads to Jericho can create bold, graphic layouts or soft, blended effects in a full quilt.

Fabric Requirements for Crossroads to Jericho Method 1 Quilt Block - approximately 8.25" Finished Size:

Light/Aqua: 1 - 5.5" square, 4 - 2.5" squares
Dark/Aqua: 1 - 5.5" square, 5 - 2.5" squares
Originally, I used 5.25" squares for the large squares but the 5.5" size will give you more wiggle room when squaring up/trimming the block.

crossroads to jericho fabric requirements 1

Sewing Directions:

Nine Patch Unit:

Step 1:

Lay out the four Light/Aqua and four Dark/Aqua 2.5" squares as shown in the picture below to make a

basic Nine Patch unit.

Step 2:

Sew the squares into three rows and press the seam allowances toward the Dark/Aqua fabric. Then sew the three rows together and press the seam allowances.

Putting It All Together:

Step 3:

Cut the large Light/Aqua and Dark/Aqua 5.5" squares in half diagonally from corner to corner and arrange the resulting triangles as shown in the picture below.

Step 4:

Find the center of one side of the Nine Patch unit and either make a crease or mark at the center. Do the same with the long side of one of the Light/Aqua triangles. I usually just finger press a crease at the centers but I've made marks in the example below so that you can see it better.

Step 5:

Carefully sew the Light/Aqua triangle to the Nine Patch unit, matching the center marks and not stretching the bias edge of the triangle unit. Repeat on the opposite side of the Nine Patch unit as shown below.

Here are some tips for sewing along a bias edge:

Starch the triangle so it will be less likely to stretch.
Pin at the beginning, center, and end of the seam.
Sew the pieces together with the Nine Patch unit on top.
Use an even-feed foot if you have one.

Step 6:

Press the seam allowances away from the Nine Patch unit as shown in the picture below.

Step 7:

Repeat Steps 4 through 6 on the two remaining sides of the Nine Patch unit with the Dark/Aqua triangle units.

Step 8:

Here's what the back of the block looks like at this point.

Step 9:

Trim/square up the block. Be sure to leave a 1/4" seam allowance where the corner of the Nine Patch unit meets the two triangle units. The unfinished block should be approximately 8.75" square with a finished size of 8.25" square.

It is important that all your blocks are really close to the same size so that your quilt will go together nicely.

Fabric Requirements for Method 2:

Light/Aqua: 1 - 7.5" square, and 5 - 2.5" squares
Dark/Aqua: 1 - 7.5" square, and 4 - 2.5" squares

Sewing Directions for Method 2:

Nine Patch Block:

Step 10:

Sew together a Nine Patch block using the Light/Aqua and Dark/Aqua 2.5" squares. You'll notice that I changed up the color placement for this method. The unit should measure 6.5" square.

Hourglass Block:

Step 2:

Using the Light/Aqua and Dark/Aqua 7.5" squares, sew together an Hourglass unit. You will wind up with two Hourglass blocks. You can find my detailed tutorial for making the Hourglass block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-hourglass-or-quarter-square-triangle-block

Trim/square up the block to 6.5" square.

Step 3:

Simply layout your blocks in an on-point layout alternating the Nine Patch and Hourglass units. This will produce the same look as the first method but I think it is easier to construct a quilt with this method.

Layout Ideas:

Here is the basic 4 x 4 layout using similar coloring as the Method 1 tutorial.

In this scrappy example, I've used the Nine Patch block from Method 2 so that a chain design appears. You'll notice that each corner triangle is the same color as its neighboring square. This creates an arrow design with each color. This layout would use Method 1.

This layout is the same as the previous one but with black substituted for the white squares. What a difference!

This scrappy version can be made with either Method 1 or 2.

And again - what a difference black makes!

This is an on-point layout using Method 1. The light fabric is used for the setting triangles.

This on-point version uses Method 1 and black is used for the setting triangles making for a dramatic quilt.

Conclusion:

The Crossroads to Jericho was fun and mostly easy to sew together. I like that you can use just two colors, a planned scrappy version, or a totally scrappy version to make a beautiful quilt.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you like it and want to see more, just click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free PDF quilt pattern called "Chained Weathervane".

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

P.S. Looking for more scrap-busting blocks? Check out this roundup blog post: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/40-of-the-best-free-scrappy-quilt-block-tutorials

P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406