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Quilt-Along: Courthouse Bird Block of the Month 5 | 2026

Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps

This block will take your foundation paper piecing to the next level – it’s a little challenging, but there are lots of tips and plenty of steps to help you.

I’ve called this block Courthouse Bird as the centre foundation-paper-pieced bird is surrounded by borders created in the Courthouse Steps technique, which itself is a variation on the popular Log Cabin block. For the borders, strips are sewn to opposite sides of the foundation-pieced centre, first upper and lower edges, then both side edges, repeating to reach the required size. Check your scraps as you may have suitable pieces you can use for at least some of the smaller pieces of the central foundation-pieced panel in this block.

Tips for making the centre panel

1. We’ll be making the central panel in five vertical sections (A–E) first, which run from right to left, that we then join together before adding a plain B/G border strip to the top and bottom.
2. Each foundation-paper-pieced (FPP) fabric piece in the cutting list has a letter and number to help you identify where it goes. For example, A1 is piece 1 for section A. To help you keep track of the pieces, you could use an erasable fabric pen to label them on the back.
3. Print off all templates and crease along all the inner solid lines by placing the edge of a piece of card along each line and creasing over. If it helps, draw in the lines on the reverse of the template as well. The outer dashed lines are there to indicate the ¼in (5mm) seam allowance around the outside of the block (you don’t need to crease those lines).
4. All fabric is cut large enough to cover the shapes within the block plus at least a ¼in (5mm) seam allowance all around (seams will subsequently be trimmed to ¼in (5mm) as you work your way through the units).
5. Reduce your stitch length to 1.5.
6. Press seams after adding each piece.
7. Remember, with FPP, your finished block is always a reverse image of the template.

By the end of this project, you’ll have learnt:

1. Learnt foundation paper piecing (FPP) with multiple units.
2. Made a Courthouse Steps border.

Unfinished block size: 12½in (31.75cm) square.

Note: Stitch with an accurate ¼in (5mm) seam allowance or along the template lines where applicable.

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You will need:

Equipment

• Sewing machine
• Rotary cutter
• Quilting ruler
• Quilting mat
• Scissors
• Template
• Photocopy paper
• Fabric glue pen or pins
• Piece of card approx. 6in (15cm) long by 2in (5cm) wide to help with folding accurately

Materials

Fabrics (see my Introduction to the 2026 Block of the Month). From these, you will need to cut:

• One 1¾ x 4¾in (4.5 x 12cm) strip in B/G (A1)
• One 2¼in (5.75cm) square in Fab I – cut into two pieces across the diagonal (A2 and C2)
• One 2¾ x 1¾in (7 x 4.5cm) strip in B/G (B1)
• One 2¼in (5.75cm) square in Fab E – cut into two pieces across the diagonal (B2; discard the second piece)
• One 1¾in (4.5cm) square in B/G (B3)
• One 2¼in (5.75cm) square in Fab I – cut into two pieces across the diagonal (B4 and B5)
• One 2¼in (5.75cm) square in B/G – cut into two pieces across the diagonal (B6 and D4)
• One 2¾ x 1¾in (7 x 4.5cm) strip in B/G (C1)
• One 2¼in (5.75cm) square in Fab F, cut into two pieces across the diagonal (C3; discard the second piece)
• One 2¾ x 1¾in (7 x 4.5cm) strip in Fab E (C4)
• One 2¾ x 1¾in (7 x 4.5cm) strip in Fab F (C5)
• One 2¾ x 1¾in (7 x 4.5cm) strip in B/G (C6)
• One 1¾in (4.5cm) square in Fab H (D1)
• One 1½in (4cm) square in B/G; cut into two pieces across the diagonal (D2; discard the second piece)
• One 2¾ x 1¾in (7 x 4.5cm) strip in Fab F (D3)
• One 1¾in (4.5cm) square in B/G (D5)
• One 4¾in x 1¾in (12 x 4.5cm) strip in B/G (E1)
• One 1½in (4cm) square in Fab H – cut into two pieces across the diagonal (E2; discard the second piece)
• One 1¼ x 1¾in (3.25 x 4.5cm) strip in B/G (E3)
• Two 6½ x 1½in (16.5 x 4cm) strips in B/G to complete the centre block
• Two 6½ x 1½in (16.5 x 4cm) strips in Fab D for the Courthouse Steps border
• Two 8½ x 1½in (21.5 x 4cm) strips in Fab B for the Courthouse Steps border
• Two 8½ x 1½in (21.5 x 4cm) strips in Fab E for the Courthouse Steps border
• Two 10½ x 1½in (26.5 x 4cm) strips in Fab G for the Courthouse Steps border
• Two 10½ x 1½in (26.5 x 4cm) strips in Fab D for the Courthouse Steps border
• Two 12½ x 1½in (31.75 x 4cm) strips in Fab B for the Courthouse Steps bordeR

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