Rodney how every kind of you. I sit here unable to sleep, knowing I am a few minutes shy of the first thinking might as well post it now and well maybe sleep til 5 am! whoot whoot! lol ok here it goes expect me to get it wrong in words but think my photos show it all.
I am starting with 2.5 inch squares. This is a personal choice and well it divided rather well into my quilt size where I am at at 28.5" you will want to see.. does your quilt do better with 2.5 or 3.5 .. two things to think of.. one which pattern out of these do you pick.. and does it work with the size of your top. Mine went in perfectly 14 times. If I had gone with the option of 3.5 inches it would have left me with an strip needed on the end of both sides of my row to make it fit the top. This is not bad mind you I simply chose not to do that. 3.5 blocks stacked on 3.5 blocks (see pics) will end up with a nice perfect 6.5 inch round. Great if your quilt is larger and if you want less work to do
a 2.5 inch gives you a 4.5 inch border finished (unsewn to the top) and you then can A) keep it like this or B) add a 2.5 inch border and enlarge your top, build in a break between the second and third round visually. YOu see told you this was complicated. NOT ..
check out my series of photos and you can see how I played with one simple block and turned out several options for you. If you need help figuring which is going to work I suggest making all those blocks and then playing yourself before you stitch the squares together so you can see what will fit in best for you. The corner I chose worked with my round. I think a focal square would have been just fine of maybe your main fabric? I am clearing out my scraps this did a good number on my reds! my next round will be in purples (kinda a rainbow). I am going to add that strip to mine 2.5" now but didn't have time to finish it tonight. I am once again not the fastest of quilters. no way no how. any questions please ask me or ask each other if your stuck.. I am sure someone will figure this out super quick. Easy but sooo many options! here goes!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]459793[/ATTACH] this is what you start with (once you figure out things you can count how many you need). I cut 3 1/8th inch squares, diagonally cut them then sewed them together. for the speed sewers here you can do that much easier and with less trimming to get your perfect 2.5" blocks. Not me, like to cut more trim down end up right each time
[ATTACH=CONFIG]459794[/ATTACH] here you can do diamonds! this is where I started in my mind.. you can do them one color or two color diamonds making the top different than the bottom. I think this block made with either a light outside half square OR a dark one with a lighter inside (for high contrast and pop)..if you keep this outside portion ONE color you will get a uniformity even if the centers are all chaos (scrappy!).
[ATTACH=CONFIG]459795[/ATTACH] here is an option to make the outside border RUN all around the quilt kinda a whimsical way of laying those same blocks out..
a way to end that whimsical border OR another block you can make with same squares
that you might want all around the quilt instead! [ATTACH=CONFIG]459796[/ATTACH]
more to come hold on!