Welcome to Blockheads 6 – Week 20: “Cross Training” by Jenelle Kent!

We’re back with Block 20 of Blockheads 6, and this week’s design is Cross Training by Jenelle Kent of Pieces to Treasure. Moda Friend Sarah Huechteman shows us how this “lather, rinse, repeat” block comes together with straightforward piecing and smart pressing tricks.

You can find this week’s pattern here: BH6 – Block 20 – Cross Training by Jenelle Kent of Pieces to Treasure

Follow along with Jenelle!

Instagram: @piecestotreasure
piecestotreasure.com

If you’re new to Blockheads, here are a couple of quick things to know:

• This is a free quilt-along. No sign-ups are required. Just download the pattern and you’re ready to sew!
• The PDF patterns will be posted on the Moda blog and in the official Facebook group every Wednesday by 8:00 AM CDT.
• You can also bookmark this page: Blockheads 6 main page to find a convenient list of all the patterns as they are released.
• If you’d like to sign up for our blog newsletter to get blog posts delivered to your inbox, you can sign up here: Blog Newsletter Sign-Up 
• If you want to sew along with a virtual Blockheads community, head over to Facebook and join our official Moda Blockheads Facebook group. Our group is an active and vibrant community of 82,000 quilters and counting! It’s a great place to be inspired and share pictures of your Blockheads progress.
• If Instagram is where you prefer to hang out, be sure to follow us (@modafabrics) and the hashtags #modablockheads and #modablockheads6 to see the latest blocks from our designers and other Blockheads.

(Looking for a little more information about Blockheads? You can check out the Blockheads 6 archive HERE.)

This block uses the stitch and flip method to create four identical subunits, which then join together to form a bold, dynamic design. It’s approachable, beginner-friendly, and a great project for chain piecing.

Stitch and Flip Made Simple

This week’s units start with 2¾″ squares and 1⅝″ squares. Sarah walks through two stitch-and-flip approaches:

1. Marking a line on the back of your square and sewing directly on it.
2. Using diagonal seam tape to speed things up without marking each piece.

For accurate results, make sure the smaller square is perfectly aligned on the corner of the larger square before stitching. If you’re new to this method, pinning can help keep things in place.

Sarah also shares why she prefers pressing before trimming—pressing with both layers intact gives the unit more stability, helping prevent bias distortion.

Nesting Seams for a Flatter Finish

Each of the four subunits gets pressed in alternating directions so they’ll nest neatly when joined together. If your seams don’t line up on the first try, don’t panic—Sarah demonstrates a quick fix: flipping and carefully snipping the seam allowance to help everything lay flat.

• Pro Tip: Press first, trim second. Pressing with both layers in place stabilizes bias edges, keeping your corners sharp and your units square.

Once the subunits are assembled into a four-patch layout, pressing the final seam open gives the block a beautifully smooth finish.

A Fun Finish

Cross Training finishes at 9″ square and is perfect for chain piecing. With its simple subunits and clean geometry, it’s a fast, satisfying make—ideal for using up coordinating prints or creating a bold, two-tone statement block.

Ready to make your own Cross Training block? Download the pattern and follow along with Sarah in this week’s video!

Thanks to Jenelle Kent for sharing this clever, approachable design. Don’t forget to share your Cross Training blocks in the Moda Blockheads Facebook group or on Instagram using #modablockheads6.

— The Moda Team