Fussy cutting is always fun, but using the Rapunzel print for geometric structure is a whole other level of clever. I love this block because it’s SO simple. For a castle theme, I understand the urge to go crazy, but I love Tong’s technique here, especially the decision to keep the crenelation small and subtle – the proportion really makes the design.

The moon fabric and the rose print are also a wonderful way to suggest sky and garden, without a lot of embroidery and applique.

Well done, Tong! I can’t wait to see more of this beautiful quilt.

I meant for this to be a bib, but some measuring errors made it unusable, so I decided to keep it as a block. I’ve since added more. I like these shapes for showing off pieces of fabric I don’t have a ton of, like my vintage sheet FQs, and various Japanese prints from swaps and bundles.

I decided just yesterday that I’ll probably sash the blocks with something like blue hop dots, since I generally dislike rail fence quilts.

Or so I thought.

Enter the beautiful, monochromatic work of Melissa (littletykesmomma):

I love this quilt! It’s everything I didn’t think a rail fence pattern could be: bright, modern, sophisticated. Fresh. Charming. And the list goes on.

The quilt was inspired by the Old Red Barn Co. quilt-along, so you can head there for instructions, or just to admire a great-looking crop of rail fence quilts.

Yeah, I said great-looking. After perusing the flickr pool, I found that I really liked the majority of the rail fence quilts. Lesson learned!

I love that she kept the boo-boo, for a couple of reasons. One, flipping a row or a bit of a block is my most common quilting mistake, and I always feel like I’m the only spatially challenged spaz who ever does that. Two, it really doesn’t hurt the aesthetic at all – in fact, I think it’s an unexpected cute element.

I know the phrase “it has character” gets thrown around a lot, sincerely or otherwise, but I truly do believe it applies to this quilt. In addition to the perfectly chosen fabrics, one wonky row provides a homey, handmade quality that I think our modern quilts sometimes lack.

And the best news of all? It’s on etsy, and at a great price. I hope I don’t regret posting the link – I may end up purchasing it myself!

I love Mary’s inspiration so much that it intimidates me a bit. It’s one thing to figure out what someone likes and just go for it, but my tastes are similar to Mary’s. So the pressure is on to make something really fabulous.

Wish me luck!

Preferably with kitties.

La vida compartida calls this “my brother’s quilt,” and it really is prefect for a guy. The simple lines and strong colors are masculine without reverting to the old “blue is for boys” trope. And the log cabins are GORGEOUS – it’s nice that they’re small in number, so that the cute hodgepodge of fabric can really be appreciated in one eyeful.

Speaking of cute fabric, I love the styling with these pillows. They really complete the look without femming things up too much.

And then there’s the kitty. Yay, kitties!

I adore this quilt by myittybittyquilts, and this setting for wonky nine-patches. As a matter of fact, I quite like wonky nine-patches after making a bunch for this top. It has the cute, simple quality of a nine-patch, but the altered proportions make it really fun. They work especially well for this setting because the white is relegated to the setting squares, and the fabrics in the blocks are of similar value.

Here’s another with this setting. You can see how this configuration works with a bunch of different themes and color schemes. It would also look great with a solid, or even print, setting squares.

Stay tuned – I can see this become a trendy quilt, and with good reason.