Free Pattern Friday: Courthouse Steps

Courthouse Steps is a variation on the log cabin. It is a traditional (vintage) pattern that NO ONE can claim is their own, special invention! It has been around for centuries in various forms, in various cultures and we quilters decided we wanted to stitch it up with fabric.

Here are some of my blocks with strips, ready to send to a friend to finish.

Courthouse Steps blocks and strips

Wait a minute - what are they from? you may ask. This was a pattern I designed for Blank Quilting in 2010. It used a collection called Lancaster County, designed by Mary Koval who lives in Pennsylvania, where Lancaster County is (think "Amish").

Mary designed the quilt and Blank asked me to pattern it. I did. And they sent me the fabrics so I could actually make the quilt. I began it and made most of the blocks, but lost my mojo and so sent it to a friend in Atlanta to finish and donate to a local charity.

Here is a good digital photo of the quilt. The blocks are made using 2" strips (other than the 3" red center squares). They finish to 15". With the borders, it finishes to 77" x 77".

Lancaster County Courthouse Steps: 77" x 77"

It's hard to tell where one block ends and the other begins. Let's look at the 16 blocks separated and you will see how easy it is to piece!

This is a FREE pattern and I've added 5 extra pages so that planning your colors and fabrics is easier with a coloring chart and a simplified schematic for cutting each of the 11 DIFFERENT blocks (yes! 11 different blocks!)

Here it is in another color scheme:

Courthouse Steps 16 block quilt

So, take a visit to that FREE pattern page to download this timeless quilt. Any fabrics will work. I added those extra pages so that cutting and piecing go very smoothly. Enjoy!