AmyBible, thanks so much for that suggestion. I will look into it. It's going to be so exciting watching your units come together. I love red and orange together, so your 4-patches look great to me!
I had to stop trying to cut, as it was so exhausting with the broken cutter. Can I ask your opinions on another project? This is a large planned string block (some of the elements are scrappy and some constant), sewn together except for the last piece (brown shown here). They are untrimmed, as I can't trim them until I sew the last piece on, and I've been having quite a time finding something appropriate for that spot. Do you think the brown fabric works here? If you think the brown is okay, do you still find it okay when the four pieces are put randomly together? (I'm finding it a little creepy, like alien tentacles). I'm prepared to go looking for something else, but not quite sure what to look for.