Quilter's Recipe Box - Alternate block 2 Four-Patch Unit

I had a lot of fun with this alternate block that uses a four-patch unit.  There aren't a whole lot of choices, but this one really caught my eye.  It doesn't use background fabric, but relies on a light, a medium and a dark fabric with a contrast.  If you struggle with choosing fabrics in dark, medium and light values a great tip is to use your digital camera or cell phone using a black and white setting.

This can really help a lot because it totally takes color out of the equation and lets you focus on value.

Both of these sets of fabric would work, but I ended up going with the last set because I felt the lighter rings in the first one made it look a bit lighter than I wanted.

Doesn't the black and white help you see the value better?

To make this block you will need a 2 x 15 inch strip of yellow and a 2 x 15 inch strip of medium blue, a 2 x 17 inch strip of light blue and a 2 x 17 inch strip of dark blue, and a 3 1/2 inch square of dark blue.

Sew the yellow strip to the medium blue strip and sub-cut into four 3 1/2 inch squares.  

Sew the light blue and dark blue strips together and make four 3 1/2 inch four-patch blocks.

Arrange your units like this:

Then sew your block:

It's a simple block, but I love the way the values in the colors work in this.  Come back next Monday for another block using four patch units.