X’s and O’s Baby Quilt

Quilt For Lovers World always bringing news to you! How about trying out the X’s and O’s Baby Quilt pattern the next time you’re looking for a quick and easy quilt design?!

One way to highlight the individual letters of an X and O quilt is to sew the patchwork in two different configurations and then surround the quilt blocks with strips. This is the type of layout you will find in this X’s and O’s Baby quilt pattern or you can also try to make a quilt with blocks that mix, it’s up to you!

Quilt size options

This baby quilt is larger than normal, making it more useful as the baby grows up in childhood. The quilt ends at approximately 51 “x 58” and the 8 “square blocks. But feel free to adjust their size by eliminating or adding borders or sewing fewer or more quilt blocks.

If you want a small baby quilt, sew only 12 quilt blocks, three wide and four high. The baby quilt measures 30 “x 38” with a band, but without borders. You will need less fabric and other materials, but the list of materials below makes it easy to calculate the numbers (if the quilt is used in a crib or bed, check the standard mattress sizes before you start).

Choose quilt fabrics

Each individual block contains the same dark fabric, but the dark areas can be made up of four different pieces. White fabric with multicolored dots is used for all block backgrounds. The strip is dark, with corners of the color you choose and a light border frames the inside of the bedspread. The sewing fabric is repeated on the outer edge of the quilt.

The position of blocks X and O from one line to another – can be different. The four small quick compaction units used to create each block can be sewn in the X or O configuration, so it is easy to switch from one letter to another before sewing the pieces.

Your bedspread can be more irregular or sewn in a tightly controlled color scheme. Remember the small size of the patch units when choosing fabrics. Avoid large prints that may appear to be cut on the finished blanket. Tone on tone fabrics and prints on a smaller scale are the best choice for this baby quilt.

Quilting Fabrics & Other Materials

Dark fabrics for 10 X blocks

• (4) 4-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ squares for eachblock (40 total)
• or, 5/8 yard for 10 identical blocks

Dark fabrics for 10 O blocks

• (4) 4-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ squares for eachblock (40 total)
• or, 5/8 yard for 10 identical blocks

Light Background Fabric

• (80) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ squares, or 8 per quilt block (1/2 yard)

Sashing Bars

• (49) 2″ x 8-1/2″ bars, 3/4 yard; most efficient cutting –> cut (2) 8-1/2″ wide strips of fabric from selvage to selvage and then cut as many 2″ segments from strips as possible; cut remaining bars needed (probably 9 or 10) from 2″ wide selvage width strips of fabric that are cut into 8-1/2″ long sections
• Sashing and outer border fabrics are listed separately for quilters who wish to use different fabrics.
• A quilt made with 12 blocks, three across and four down, requires 31 sashing strips.

Cornerstones

• (30) 2″ x 2″ squares (3/16 yard to be safe with shrinkage)
• If making the smaller quilt, cut 20 of the squares

Borders (from crosswise grain strips)

• Inner Border, larger quilt: 1/2 yard (use 2-1/2″ wide strips)
• Outer Border, larger quilt: 3/4 yard (use 3-3/4″ wide strips)

Backing and Batting

• Same of each, depending on quilt size: how to make quilt backing

Binding

• About 245 running inches of continuous doublefold binding: how to make quilt binding strips
• About 160 inches for the smaller quilt, more if borders are added. Refer to binding instructions.

How the X’s and O’s Baby Quilt is Assembled

My other X’s and O’s quilt pattern already includes step by step instructions for the quilt blocks. Refer to the instructions for that quilt to learn how to make the X blocks from your pre-cut fabrics.

The pieces used to make the baby quilt are a different size, but the method is exactly the same — small squares are sewn to two opposite edges of a larger square with the same method often used to sew corners of Snowball quilt blocks and (some) quick pieced flying geese. When assembled, each individual patchwork unit (4 per block) measures 4-1/2″ x 4-1/2″.

So far, you’ve sewn directly on marked lines. Sew all remaining steps with an accurate quarter inch seam allowance.

1. Assemble 10 X blocks from 40 small patchwork units for the larger quilt (6 for the small quilt).
2. Assemble 10 O blocks from 40 small patchwork units for the larger quilt (6 for the small quilt). 
3. Blocks should measure 8-1/2″ x 8-1/2″.

Arrange the Rows and Sew the X’s and O’s Baby Quilt

Arrange and sew rows together one at a time, or use a design wall or other flat surface to lay out the entire quilt before sewing. 

1. Arrange two X blocks, two O blocks and 5 sewing strips. Sew the components of each line and press the edges of the seam towards the band. Make two more lines with this layout – used on Lines 1, 3 and 5.
2. Arrange two X blocks, two O blocks and 5 seam strips in the second configuration. Sew the pieces on the line and press the sewing edges towards the strip. Make another line like this – used for lines 2 and 4.
3. Sew five cornerstones and four bands in a long row, as shown at the bottom. Press the edges of the seam towards the squares, being careful not to stretch the strip. Repeat to make a total of six identical track / keystone tracks.
4. Arrange the lines of the blocks by the line number. Place a stripe / cornerstone strip above and below the quilt. Place the remaining bands of the band / cornerstone between each line.
5. Sew the quilt one line at a time. Press.

Add borders and complete the quilt:

Borders are an opportunity to square a quilt, explained in my article, how to sew quilt edges. Sew the top and bottom edges of each set first to minimize the number of patches needed.

1. Sew all the inner edges first using wide 2-1 / 2 “strips. Start at the top and bottom.
2. Sew all the outer edges below using strips 3 to 3/4 wide. Start with the top and bottom.
3. Press the quilt and mark the quilt, if necessary. Sandwich with batting and support and baste. Quilt by hand or machine and sew the binding on the quilt.

Optional small quilt layout:

To organize the smaller quilt, ignore the last quilt block on each row and sew only the first four rows. Vertical strips are used at the beginning and end of the lines and between the quilt blocks. The cut / cornerstones lines are shorter, with only three cut bars and four cornerstones per narrow line.
Add borders, if desired.

See too: Morning Star Block