You can use the blank spaces in your background units to show off a bit of quilting or even add a simple appliqué shape if you wanted to. A heart would fit really nicely in this space

I know :lol: I just luv adding them hearts to fings

Here is a pic of one made using scraps for the four patches and the same fabric throughout the quilt for the background and another for the points.

Bowtie Block

To make a 12” finished size Bowtie Block

Cut eight 3 1/2” squares from a background fabric
I used two colours for my bow ties but you can use four if you prefer

For 2 colours
Cut four 3 1/2” squares and four 2” squares from each colour (Pic 1)

If using four colours
Cut two 3 1/2” squares and two 2” squares from each colour

Mark small squares from corner to corner as described for the star block. Add one small square to each background piece to form a triangle .(Pic 2a-d)

Attach a large plain square to a pieced unit of the corresponding colour. (press seams towards the plain square)
Join these pieced units in pairs to form the bow tie units
Lay out the bowtie units as shown and join in pairs (Pic 3a-d)
(Press seams so that they will lie in the opposite direction for a butted seam in the final join)

Join pairs to complete block. (Pic 4)

You can use the sew and flip method to add triangles to blocks and make all sorts of patterns, Barb M posted some really good instructions on using this method to add triangles to log cabin type blocks in the May 1st BOM for the Buttercup Block, here is the link
http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/6696.page

Also below are a few ideas, just to get your creative juices flowing :P
A: Single Bow Tie

B: Medalion Bowtie

C: Cross Bowtie

D: Cookie jar block, rectangle with squares added to corners to make triangles

E: Snowball Block, square with squares added to the corners

F:Simple Flower, squares with different sized squares added to make the units

A Couple more ideas for blocks

A: Simple Butterfly, Basically squares and rectangles with different sized squares used to form the shapes

B: Simple heart, two rectangles with 3 different sized squares added to make the triangles

C&D: Signature Block, square with triangles added to opposite corners, this block makes a lovely allover pattern that looks like elongated hexagon stars

You can use this triangle method to make a snowball block to alternate with last months 9 Patch Block, You would need to cut one 12 1/2” background square and four 4 1/2” squares to form your triangles.

Wow Shelly - thank you so much - even I understood everything I just read!!!!! The time and effort you have put into this is appreciated by me very much!!!! I will be trying these ideas soon.