A Simple Block

Have you ever gotten fascinated with a single quilt block? A friend gave me a book called "Japanese Quilt Blocks" by Susan Briscoe that she picked up at a garage sale. The book depicts 123 separate quilt blocks and how to assemble them. My Turtle quilt used two of the blocks and I just completed a second quilt using the same two blocks. One of them, Yosegi kaku to sankaku, has me mesmerized. The Japanese words translate as 'squares and triangles'. The method of assembly is simple and dependable. In fact the method probably interests me as much as the design in some ways.

Here is the finished block:

 To create the block, you simply cut two sets of four rectangles - one large and one small. For this 9" block, I cut four 5" squares and four 2' squares. Set the smaller square on a corner of the larger square and sew on the diagonal. Flip the inner triangle of the small block out and trim the excess fabric along the seam line.: 

Here is how my most recent quilt top turned out.

My mind is currently racing with possiblities for changing proportions and playing with color.  I am always looking for simple patterns to assemble in tandem to working on more complex works. Yosegi kaku to sankaku fits the bill!