Next (Courthouse) Steps

Making a Bee Sewcial @beesewcial quilt is always a bit unexpected, and definitely challenging. After announcing my Courthouse Steps prompt back in June, I really didn't have an idea on how I'd put the blocks together. I just enjoyed the blocks my beemates sent me until late in July, I had them all, nine counting my own.

Early on, I planned on redoing my block, and rather than start from scratch, I cut into my original one and added to it.

And then I struggled to come up with a layout I really loved. So the blocks stared at me from the design wall for a few weeks until I came up with an idea, and made a bunch of white with black and black with white improv-pieced strips to use as filler. I pinned up several with the blocks and finally settled on a design. I wasn't 100% sure, and obviously, there were some complexities with block sizes, but I decided to begin piecing and see what happened. 

Below is the first block I tried, and I was happy enough with it to continue on.

As of yesterday, I have the four blocks in the upper right of the photo below all pieced together, plus the upper left block with its black and white strips, as well as the block in the lower right. And I'm liking it!

Though the blocks arrived to me at a variety of sizes, ranging 18.5" x 18.5" to 21" x 24", I'm trying to keep as much of each as I can. That's not to say I didn't trim a bit here and there, and I'm having to add to a few of the blocks as well. But I think I have a plan now that will work to fit all the blocks in, and that makes me very happy. Hopefully by the weekend, I'll be working on a quilt back.