Sorry you had this experience. Someone gave me a stack of 9 patch blocks (in varying shades of purple). Some had good contrast, others not so good. I ended up measuring the size of the block and cut white blocks the same size and alternated the blocks. Then for the border I cut a light purple border (I also added a few of my own blocks to incorporate the border color). I also like the sashing idea. You could also used black blocks for a more dramatic look. I didn't know how it would turn out, but when my sister saw it she loved it...guess what she's getting for Christmas! I didn't tell her how it started.