Block Candidates from a Beautiful Quilter's Resource

Peppermint candies? 

The fabrics have been determined, the blocks from the panel cut and the stripes have been sliced into strips. Purchases for the remaining Kona cotton will be later, once I have determined the blocks that will be added or incorporated using the panel. A stash only needs to be as  big as a stash needs to be.  Although, a healthy collection of solids would not be a bad idea. There is just that storage and accessibility issue. 

The go to book for an exhaustive and inspiring collection of quilt blocks is “The Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns-more than 4050 peiced blocks for quilters” by Jinny Beyers. The blocks are consistently photographed, organized by grid, and beautifully rendered. There is even a grid tool that slips into the back of the book. 

Larger Peppermints, the solid green blocks will be the 4 1/2" printed blocks from the panel

Keeping in mind the sizes I have to work with, I set out just browsing the book of blocks I liked and thought would be fun to do, lending themselves to central blocks and use of borders. 

The block sizes from the panel are as follows. 

1. Large blocks 10 x 10 finished
2. Medium sized blocks 7 x 7 finished
3. Small blocks 4 1/2” x 4 1/2”
4. Large rectangles
5. Small rectangles
6. strips of 2” stripe
7. strips 2 1/2” stripe
8. strips of 3” stripe

All strips are 1 3/8” yds long. Pattern repeats are to be determined for matching pattern. 

A swirling cup with red handles, the green will be a border stripe

Some of the blocks are shown incorporating stripes into their composition. I think this makes for and interesting composition because the element of line is strongly introduced into the work. 

A band of mint candies through the espresso and cream

I went through again and looked at grid and finished size. Some blocks and catagories overlapped in my preference, this became my master list. From this list, I narrowed it down to 4 options, per block size, based on similar elements of the blocks.

Swirling Espresso and cream (not sure why the color shifted when I imported, still same espresso 

I think I may explore adding the rectangles or stripes to one side of the blocks and make assymetrical blocks. This could be an interesting challenge in layout. A hot chocolate sampler, without looking like a sampler.... I like that idea. There are so many blocks and so many interpretations of them! And I would not get bored doing the same thing over and over. Although doing multiples of the same thing in a repetitive manner also has its benefits. Such as streamlining production and efficiency and the ability to just slip into auto pilot and meditation, while working with such a sumptuous material. 

Swirling Mocha with a cherry

Also, my preference in design is assymetry rather than symmetry and one doesn’t see a great deal of it in quilting. Being a non-conventional quilter myself, the appreciation of traditional designs, methods and approaches to quilting is highly regarded. We can’t all do the same thing. Each of us have a passion that is poured into the projects and it results in a self expression that is individual for each of us.  

More Peppermint and chocolate

Espresso & Cream swirl