This little quilt arose as a result of my search to find the perfect swap in the annual UKQU Miniswap challenge. I always see this project as a way of extending my fledgling skills and really enjoy taking part. I try hard to fit the swapee’s brief, and to create something she (only ladies so far) might enjoy receiving, but I mulled over and discarded a variety of ideas and designs according to her likes and dislikes. When I found this I liked it so much that I decided I would try this as mine, as it did not fit any of my swapee’s suggestions.

I had never made a piece with inch squares before, but found it really quite fun: I might balk at a giant bed quilt in inch squares though! It was from an idea I saw on Pinterest, taken from Facebook originally and it was very hard to track down and credit the originator. If you know him/her, you could let me know. I liked the idea of making it like interlocking ribbons. So, this mini quilt is 17” square, made up of inch squares and a few strips of 2”, 3” and 4” long. I chose light, bright lime, acid yellow, sugary pink and a cool red on a cream background to create a sharp contrast where the squares interlock, linking all the colours with a darker plum batik.

It appealed to me as a puzzle quilt. Is there such a thing? Why a puzzle? Because it isn’t made up of blocks and rows – it contains nothing but 4 identical rectangles AND a single inch square, which together makes a square, surrounded by 2 borders, one of cream and another in all the colours. If you are mathematically challenged, like me, it is a bit boggling. Can you guess how it is constructed.

Once made, I decided to highlight the continuous line by quilting with a leaf stitch. Scaled up, with a little thought and a pinch of creativity, I think it could make a lovely alternative for a wedding quilt. Maybe that will be another project.

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Puzzle quilt block 1 Clay’s Choice Puzzle Quilt Progress Welsh Quilts at St Fagans Why You Should Practice Free Motion Quilting Before Every Project