San Diego

I haven’t loved all the patterns in this year’s Quilt Etc. Block-of-the-Month class. I thought October’s “Steps to Glory” and February’s “Jig-Jog Puzzle” were clumsy and inelegant. This month’s “Old Maid’s Puzzle” (April 24 and 25) bothered me from the moment I first saw it. I didn’t like the way the little hourglass sub-blocks in the corners sat, and something about the “Hole-in-the-Barn-Door” center looked unbalanced somehow; out of perspective. For a short while I contemplated substituting a “Churn Dash” or “Dragon’s Head” in its place, but then I settled on a “Sawtooth Star” instead. I love the way the little red star in the center echoes larger pink star. I flipped the hourglasses in the corners so they’d do more of the same, like little ripples in a pond. Suddenly the block I disliked has become my very favorite. I looked it up in my block books and found I even like the name.