I’m pleased with these latest blocks. The first one was surprisingly easy though I did a few bits of unpicking and resewing where the white points meet the other pieces, because if even a millimetre or so off they scream for attention because the contrast between colours is so great. On the second one, I tried using templates for two of the burgundy / blue half-square triangles but it was so time-consuming and I thought the end result no better than the other method I use, so went back to that with some relief. These 6-inch blocks are so fiddly! I measured the template for the squares on the second block before I started, so I would get the measurements for the half-square triangles right – after sewing together, each little square measures 1 1/8 inch! I’m not sure I could do any of the blocks that consist of more than 5 squares in a row, so am not even going to try.

I now come to deciding on the colours for the last three blocks. The fabric with the off-white fabric looks brighter than I thought, I hadn’t meant for it to be such a feature. I was going to leave it at three blocks with white in, on one each row, but it looks peculiar because there are always two touching each other at a diagonal with the other out on its own somewhere, so when ‘tother half suggested making four or five and arranging them in a cross shape, either with one either at the centre of each edge (as above if you imagine a matching bottom row), or one as the centre block and one at each corner, I agreed with him… well I have to occasionally, but wouldn’t want to make a habit of it! I need one more block that’s just the tan colour and the burgundy, or the one currently at the top left will look lonely, and then either one or two with off-white, and maybe just one with blue (so either in combination with the off-white, or one of each). I think the sashing should be the plain burgundy, which I’ve only used in one block, the first I made, though of course it means the one with the burgundy flower background will disappear into it. Then I’ll make the back either plain blue, or plain blue with a pattern of some of the cast-off half-square triangles incorporated into it.

All these decisions! It could be a painful weekend. I must get at least one block finished by the end of it if I’m to stand a chance of getting the whole cushion made before going home towards the end of April and handing it over to its intended recipient. I was going to say that if I felt confident about machine-sewing the quilting it would be quicker, but given that I end up pulling out the stitching and redoing sections by hand, maybe not! At least there is the Easter Bank Holiday weekend in a fortnight, though that tends to disappear without trace in the flicker of an eyelid… anyway, mustn’t think that far ahead and wish my life away, some of these blocks have worked better than I thought and I’ve enjoyed them, so will look forward to the next one. Cheerio!