The Divided Cross eight patch quilt block is not recommended for the beginner quilter. However, if you are like me (and hate to be told that this is too challenging for you), then ignore that comment and give it a try. There is nothing difficult in the construction of this quilt block -- just lots of pieces, so the only criteria is that you must be precise in sewing the quarter inch seam allowances.

The quilt block makes for some really striking quilts -- probably because of the number of pieces and therefore the variety of uses for the colours in the quilts. The quilt layout on the left uses a standard side by side block setting and features sashing strips to separate the blocks and add an extra component to the quilt. The right quilt layout uses an on point setting of the blocks with some large blank areas for additional colour and space for lovely quilting designs.