Hit and Miss

Today’s photo was the 365 Challenge block for August 18. It’s a deceptively simple-looking design. The pattern called for fifteen scrappy rectangles, each 1 1/2" by 1 1/8”. The 1 1/2" side was easy. I have rulers designed for that, and when you subtract the scant 1/4" seams, three 1 1/2" pieces come out to exactly 3 1/2”, unfinished. My rulers aren’t designed to measure eighths of an inch accurately. Even when the seams are precise, this block turns out either too tall or too short. After burning through an awful lot of frustratingly tiny scraps, I decided not to make this block 3” finished. A 15” block would have been a breeze; all the rectangles would be 3 1/2"x 5 1/2". But what can I do with an ugly 15” block? I settled on a size between fifteen and three inches, but I’ll probably never find a use for it. Some days you just can't win.