Hourglass

This very simple six-inch block is one of three or four dozen I made over the last month for a friend’s wedding quilt. The entire quilt calls for 144 identical Hourglass blocks, or twelve rows and twelve columns. If arranged so they all point in the same direction, the effect is one of rippling diagonal lines or furrows. But if you set them in alternating directions, they can create the illusion of X’s and O’s. They can also be placed in concentric diamonds, like a variation on the classic Log Cabin Barn Raising quilt. I love blocks like this. They’re a great way to use up tiny little scraps. They’re doable by even the most novice of patchwork piecers. In almost no time at all, you can whip up a big batch of them. And when you get enough of them together, the effect is just stunning.