Test Blocks with a Plan

So, I am starting a new project, which I will share at a later date. I am using the X and + block. Badskirt has a nice little tutorial but her block was too small for my project. While scanning for fabric placement ideas I came across a beautiful finished version by Bijou Lovely. She provided a link to cutting instructions by Conoe Ridge Designs. I was set.

This is a project that requires a test block since I am mashing up information from two sites before I start chopping up my lovely stack of Japanese fabrics.

At this point I usually pull out my Baggie of traditional and not so lovely fabrics and make a test block that will be donated to my traditional guild's orphan block stash. But being fresh off making a Genny & Ruth block for Elizabeth Hartman's Rhoda Ruth Challenge, I decided to grab the brightest solid scraps out of my scrap bin.

Here's the Genny & Ruth:

And here's my test x and +:

Wow, you really need sunglasses for this one.

I hung it on my design wall next to the Genny and Ruth and that gave me a great idea. Instead of making my test blocks out of my "not my style" fabrics and passing them on to the guild, I am going to make them out of solid scraps and save them for an eye poppingly bright solid sampler quilt. I have two blocks already so I am off to a good start!

As you can see, the Badskirt/Bijou block was a complete success despite the fact that I flaked and messed up my corner square placement. I have moved on to cutting the actual quilt in confidence.

That's it. I am on my decrepit iPad 2 which makes blogging almost impossible. iMac gets his 15 minutes with a Genius tomorrow. I just hope they can at least extract my data.