Pattern: Lent Cross Quilt – Good Friday – Golgotha

As I sit here preparing to roll this cross quilt pattern out this weekend, I can’t help but notice that it’s Ash Wednesday…a fitting day to be preparing this pattern for rollout. Today, we receive our ashes: we are from dust, and to dust we shall return. We turn away from sin, and are faithful to the gospel. Each of these concepts are so perfectly captured in the Lent quilt pattern featuring three crosses.

 

At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
Mark 15:33

The darkness falls over Golgotha, the hillside turned to a black ink. The three crosses on the hillside stand, each with a dying man. Despair reigns over the land. Yet we know the story doesn’t end there. The light, the hope, the moment of change is about to take place.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.
The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Matthew 27:51

From the center cross comes a radiating light; perhaps, to some who are blind to what is happening before them, it’s imperceptible. For others, believers, the hope grows.

This quilt was designed to capture these moments on Good Friday. Comprised of two quilt repeating traditional quilt blocks, and designed to radiate from the center cross, the quilt shares both the despair and hope from that fateful day. The colors you choose determine how much light radiates, hues of purple, orange, red, or yellow add to the depth. Borders can add additional size or color, as can your choice of binding.

The pattern contains instructions to make this quilt as a large quilt (63″x72″) but also includes basic cutting instructions if you want to modify your quilt to be a medium size (42″x48″) or small size (21″x24”). Here’s a full tutorial on how to create this heirloom quilt:

This quilt would be *gorgeous* in so many different colors, too. I’ve prepared a video for you showing three completely different colorways; we’ll be looking at how this Easter quilt would look in shades of green, blue, and pink.

Once you’ve finished your cross quilt, you can use the scraps you trim from the fabrics to piece a gorgeous back, too – it’s a chance to practice your improv quilting. I saved all my scrap pieces, then we randomly pieced them together around a large orange section of fabric (thanks to my mother-in-law who was visiting in town and helped me get this done in time!).

 

Thank you to all of you who have shared your beautiful work!

Sewn by Stacey G.
(loving that quilting and pop of purple)

Sewn by Sue B.
(such a vibrant color selection!)

Sewn by Tina V.
(wonderful use of contrasting fabrics)

Sewn by Nancie V.
(her fabric colors seem to make little stars around Christ!)

Sewn by Nicki S.
(how beautiful is that binding and circular quilting?)

Sewn by Josie
(who noted a small mistake and embraced it! love!)

Sewn by Angie Nudge
(such on-point blocks! nice job!)

Sewn by Raylee B
(Each of those squares is just 1″x1″ – isn’t this small version perfect?)

Sewn by Vicki M.
(Vicki chose an alternating color placement other than what was in the pattern, and it reminds me of Easter morning)