A while ago I made up some blocks like this - in fact a couple of years ago I made them. Then, I didn’t know what to do with them, so I put them away and just ignored them.

I guess I was hoping that inspiration would strike. Maybe I thought that somehow they’d morph into an amazing quilt top all by themselves. However, as you know, that didn’t happen.

However, using these up has been a grind. I suppose some might say to just ‘toss ‘em’, but I didn’t want to. That was part of the challenge to myself. I made these blocks I thought might have some redeeming qualities. I mean, they used “low volume” 2” strips and squares along with random leftover bright pieces, brought together with black. I thought it would be a “piece of cake” to make something I liked.

However, those pieces just sat there all pinned together in a pile - waiting for inspiration.

I decided that now is the time for inspiration to hit. If it wasn’t going to come to me in a flash of lightning, it was time to get on the computer, open up EQ and get to work. If I didn’t like the block in a simple setting, then I had best get busy doing something a bit more elaborate.

And that is what I did.

I thought they looked kind of pretty just sitting there - at least “interesting”.

But what to do with them? Hmm…that became a problem!

When I put them side by aside with no sashing, this is how they look:

I didn’t like that at all.

So…

I decided to try it with sashing in between - It’s kind of “meh” to me as well.

Of course that sashing isn’t simple - it is ‘black/low volume/black” sashing.

So what could I do?

I tried it on point - better, much better, in fact, but still not very interesting to me. Not good enough for what I thought these blocks deserved!

I decided that the problem to me was the block itself. I didn’t like them after all - at least not in any design I had tried to this point. That was my predicament. I liked the blocks all by themselves, but not in a simple arrangement side by side.

The only thing to do at was to make another block out of them

So I made them bigger.

I’ll be showing you in the next few days the three tops I’ve made out of these blocks.

Because I went bigger with my blocks, they went farther - I suddenly had enough blocks for not one, not two, but three quilts - the last one is smaller than the other two! And naturally I had to make three DIFFERENT tops out of them - no two the same! I mean, if I’m “stretching myself”, I might as well go all the way and really make myself sweat!

I’m having a hard time with photos, but I’ll see what I can do.

We have plastic laid out on the floor, waiting for the next batch of paint to arrive.

We’ve ordered some satin finish - so our walls won’t feel like chalk dust…not so common here to use satin finish paint so we had to order it as our big local handy-man shop didn’t have any.

I think through this somewhat agonizing experience I’ve learned that it is really best to have a pretty good idea what you are going to do with a block before you make it!

A plan is best!

Stay tuned for what became of these blocks!

Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store!