Project Quilting 16.3 - Common Blocks

This week's theme didn't really excite me.  In fact, I considered skipping this week altogether.  Don't get me wrong, I like common, or traditional blocks.  I have made lots and lots of quilts with common blocks.  I've even designed a few.

But for some reason, I kept picturing a block of the month program for beginner quilters.  Something that starts with very easy blocks, (probably 12 inches) laid out 3 X 4 with sashing.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with a quilt like that, but I just didn't want to make one. And for the life of me, I just couldn't picture anything else.

Also, I'm in the middle of working on two different UFOs, and I didn't want to take the time to make anything very big. 

So I kept procrastinating and mulling over options.  I could make a table runner.  Or not.  I could make a wall hanging.  Or not.  How about another potholder? (Always my PQ fall-back option!) Nah. Sometime midweek, I realized that time was running out, so I was REALLY going to have to 's*** or get off the pot' as my mother used to say.  

When I received an email on Thursday asking me to do a demonstration on quilt finishing techniques for our next guild meeting, my decision was made. I volunteered to show how to make faux flange binding and two sided binding.  I needed to make a small sample quilt to use as a sample to demonstrate a faux flange binding, so I could also use it as my entry for PQ 16.3!  And maybe I will use the two side binding on my entry for PQ 16.4.  That would give me samples for both techniques! No pressure, Trish, LOL!

I also did a little 'creative reading' of the challenge.  It said that we have to use at least three common blocks.  But it didn't say we needed to use three DIFFERENT common blocks.....

For my sample, I used four small churn dash blocks, set them two by two and finished the edges with a faux flange binding.   When I was done, I realized that they formed a four patch, which is a  common block.  Then I looked closer - the corners of the churn dash blocks are 'half square' triangles, and when you set four churn dash blocks together, they form a 'small square in a square' block right in the center.  So technically, I did use three common blocks ^.^

10 1/2 square small quilt or hot pad