Proof of concept

I finally figured out why I was obsessed with using up all the 1-1/2" squares and strips I'd been so carefully cutting and saving. For years now I've been faithfully following along with Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User System, but I didn't know if these small bits would really be viable when it came to making a full top from them.

Color me convinced!

Just 15 each of the checkerboard and alternative squares are on the design wall, and already I've got the promise of a delightful quilt in the making. As of this writing, all 168 blocks have been created and I'm in the process of sewing up pairs. (The HTS quads in this shot are the corner units I've created so far for this year's Leader-Ender challenge: Shoo Fly.)

The part I like best about this pattern is this: as long as the middle squares on all 4 sides of the checkerboard block match the alternative block (in this case, white...ish), the rest of the squares can be any and every value. The dreaded mediums play nicely throughout!