Everyone likes the classic quilt made up of simple square blocks. But fancy blocks can be a lot of fun, too. These quilts from my longarm renters break the mold on the simple square blocks. We’ve got stars and circles, and crazy log cabin creations. Debbie needed to make a sample quilt for a class being taught at a local quilt shop here in town. This beautiful wall hanging is made of batik fabrics. She chose to use our “Feathers” design board. For those who don’t know, a design board is a board with a pattern carved into it. A stylus connected to the long arm machine is then set into the groove and the quilter can move the machine through the design with less risk of moving outside of the line. This is a great idea for class samples. Besides not wanting to distract from the piecing and technique students will be learning, you don’t want the quilting so complicated it can’t be recreated or too expensive that students can’t quilt theirs the same way. This quilt is simple in design, though I can imagine that it wasn’t as simple to construct. Terry made this adorable polka dot quilt. Each dot is made up of four separate blocks. She got all the edges to meet beautifully to make those dots nice and round. She quilted this with a free motion meander all over allowing us to focus on her great piecing and fabric choice. So pretty! This one may not seem like a very fancy block, but I love the way they sit together. Each block is a single piece of fabric, but they are connected into long columns with little gray tabs that makes them looked stacked. What a great way to show off a fabric stash. Emily made it for a charity. She quilted it with an edge to edge pantograph called “Honey Drops”. I think the simple round curves add a nice touch with the straight edges of the blocks. A very lovely quilt for a good cause. This masterpiece was created by a local blogger. Erin, from HouseonHillRoad.com, made this wonky log cabin quilt. Although many of the fabrics are solid colored blocks, she free motion quilted in designs and patterns into the individual pieces. My favorite is the plaid in that center red square. Another quilt from Erin is this group project she made with friends for someone currently battling cancer. Each artist created one square and embroidered a single empowering word on it. She quilted it with a simple loop design all over and she snuck in a few hearts to remind her friend who loved she is! The name fancy block definitely fits for this quilt made by Jennifer. An obvious sampler, it has lots of different blocks in all different sizes. I like the consistent color scheme of red, black, and white (Go Cardinals!). She quilted this beauty with the help of a paper pantograph called Lime Tree. There are a lot of angles and edges on this quilt. The curves of the pantographs adds a nice movement and flow to this piece. It was a great choice. This is the “Star Bright” quilt by Melissa Mortenson, who you might recognize from her website, The Polka Dot Chair. She wanted to create a pattern that would allow her to place a beloved fabric with a large print or panel inside. The center squares of these blocks are 8” finished. She quilted this with an orange peel design board. The design boards are great for this type of design, as you can effortlessly maintain those perfect circles consistently throughout the quilt. I love the texture that it adds to the negative space between the sawtooth stars. A truly lovely addition to any home. You can snag the pattern for Melissa's quilt here! Whether sawtooth stars, samplers of classic blocks, or unique individual blocks, there is always a way to mix it up some from the classic square blocks.