I had seen a modified X floating around on instagram and even had a sweet friend mention it to me as I was making my Spell it with Moda quilt (Thanks, Meg!), but I couldn’t find a pattern or tutorial for it anywhere. I used the hypotenuse theorem to come up with an alternative way to make the letter X and felt my 15 year old self cringe as I did, indeed, need to remember how to use it. Let’s get started!!

Here’s what you’ll need to cut:

(1) 8 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ background

(2) 2 1/2″ x 14″ print

Start by cutting the background rectangle in half on the diagonal. Pin one 2 1/2″ x 14″ strip of print to one triangle along the longest side. Sew it on, and press to the print. Attach the other triangle along the remaining side of the same strip and press to the print.

Cut this new rectangle in half in the opposite direction. This will make a space for the other cross of the X. Follow the same steps as above, attaching the 2 1/2″ x 14″ strip to both triangle halves. This is what it should look like at this point:

Find a piece of computer paper and cut it down to 8 ½ x 10 1/2″. Place this “template” on top of your block like this:

Trim around the pice of paper. I used a ruler to ensure accurate cuts. Once you’re done, you’re all ready for sashing.

Voila! It is so easy and you could absolutely do a better job of lining up your lines than I did, but I still love it and it took a fraction of time as compared to the actual letter X in the pattern booklet.