Really ugly blocks
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Virginia
Posts: 295
Years ago, early in my quilting career, I thought I'd make an Amish style quilt. I pieced intense yellow and dark blue pieces into 9-patch blocks. Then I did some of orange with the same blue. They sat for decades. I'm now trying to finish up several UFOs of years' standing. I put a few of these blocks up on the design wall and studied them for weeks, but I can't decide what to do with them. The Amish make beautiful quilts -- this is NOT beautiful! I thought of cutting them up into quarters and mixing them with other quartered 9 patches to make a disappearing 9 patch. Then I thought, nah, that would still be ugly. Then I thought of cutting them into skinny strips and making a string quilt using them and other fabrics. But there are too many of the blocks and they would dominate the quilt. I don't want to throw them out, but . . . ??? Suggestions?
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 18,340
Maybe the blocks really are not for "you" and you'd be better to just let them sit longer, or give them away, than to get outright frustrated!!
Though posting some photos, might give others a better sense of what you are trying to work with and you might get some suggestions that can help inspire you towards an end result.
Though posting some photos, might give others a better sense of what you are trying to work with and you might get some suggestions that can help inspire you towards an end result.
#6
You can cut them on the diagonal and add a solid triangle. Have you considered sashing them to separate the divergent colors that do not thrill you? Yes, a photo might help our vision of your blocks.
#8
We really need a picture please. Have you thought of a double disappearing 9 patch? It would introduce another colour that might tone down your very strong colours. I think I'd try a light tone on tone or maybe something with a very tiny print.
Here is a pic of my double disappearing 9 patch. It was done with scraps but the pattern works well with solids too.
Here is a pic of my double disappearing 9 patch. It was done with scraps but the pattern works well with solids too.
Last edited by GingerK; 07-28-2024 at 04:51 AM.

