Courthouse Steps Quilt Block

Courthouse Steps is almost as old as Log Cabin, and the two blocks were often made together in 19th-century quilts. The name suggests the visual image of steps approaching a courthouse door: horizontal strips of increasing length added to the top and bottom of a rectangle, like stair treads rising toward the center.

The block differs from Log Cabin in a fundamental construction way: rather than spiraling clockwise around the center square, strips are added to opposite sides simultaneously — first top and bottom, then left and right, alternating between light and dark fabrics. This creates a cross-shaped light/dark pattern rather than the diagonal half-and-half split of a true Log Cabin.

The secondary patterns created by Courthouse Steps are uniquely geometric — when blocks are assembled, the strips form continuous horizontal, vertical, or diagonal bands across the quilt rather than the diamond-shaped secondary patterns of Log Cabin. Contemporary quilters have embraced Courthouse Steps as a modern alternative to Log Cabin because its strong horizontal/vertical geometry photographs particularly well and suits the clean aesthetic of modern quilting.