Criss-crosses

This is a variation on the stained glass crossed-nine-patch block - here I started with a plain block, I think I used a 6.5" block but it might have been slightly different - and anyway, it doesn't really matter.  

It's very simple to do - you take a plain block and two (or one longer) strip in your chosen width - these were 2" strips, or possible 2.25".  Then you make a slice across the block at a bit of an angle - the more extreme your angles are, a) the harder it will be to match your crosses in step two and b) the smaller block you may end up with, due to trimming - once the block is sliced, you insert the strip and sew the block back up.  Then, you turn the block 90 degrees and do it again.  This is very quick to do, particularly if you aren't too fussy about completely matching the crosses in the second step.

What it uses: strips of any width

Snowball nine-patch

This one combines two blocks - a snowball using 5" squares and 2" square corners, and a nine-patch using 2" squares. Dead simple and quite effective.

What it uses: 2" squares, 5" squares

Crossed nine-patch

This block is one I call a crossed nine-patch, although I'm sure it has other names as well. I used it to make my stained glass quilt (centre shown below, with no borders on) but it could be used any way you like - with different colours than black for the contrast strip, it wouldn't be nearly so much like stained glass.  You start with a 9 patch block - mine were random in colour (except I tried not to put two the same next to one another) and then simple slice randomly across it, insert the black strip and sew back together. Then you turn the block and slice the other way and repeat.   If you are careful, you can get the first strip to more or less line up with itself when you do the second cross - at least enough so that from a distance they look like crosses.  Another variation on this in a moment!

What it uses: squares (2", 2.5", 3" - any size really)

String Hearts

These string hearts are a good way to use up leftover strings and strips. I used a lot of my strips (though not all of them) last year to make loads of these blocks. I have actually blogged instructions about how to make these blocks, in the past - so not to reinvent the wheel, check them out over here on my main blog.

What it uses: misc strips and strings

Red string spools

This is a good one for using up strings and squares - first the strings, to make the string blocks - these can be any size you like, though the wider the strings, the larger you may want the blocks to be.  I then simply added corners to the blocks (you could do this with triangles or with squares, using the sew on the diagonal method) to create a kind of snowblall block. Set together, these produce the spool effect. Very simple!

What it uses: strings, any size squares