Monkey in the Middle Block

For this month's NYC Mod Bee, Mary asked us to create a freeform version of a Monkey Wrench block (also known as a Churn Dash or Hole in the Barn Door block).  She gave us a bunch of solid fabrics and asked us to just "close our eyes and grab the next piece" to make the block work.  She found a beautiful example of a quilt that used this idea.

It was such a pleasure working with solids, and I really have to get more for my stash!  I played around a lot and ended up with a block that I call "Monkey in the Middle":



It was so much fun to make this block!  I started out by making a tiny monkey wrench block for the middle.  It measured 4.5 inches square:

Tiny but fun!

Then I pieced four half-dark, half-light striped blocks and four half-square triangle blocks, each 4.5 inches square.  I used a lot of scraps and assorted fabrics to create a loose interpretation of the block shape.  I sewed it all together, and voila!

Fun and colorful!

I had a great time making this block, and I am considering using my scraps to make my own version of this block.  It would be easy to make striped and half-square triangle blocks regularly with my scraps and put them aside for later use.  Time to break out the scrap pile...

View of my workspace.  Fabric confetti!