Multicolored jewels made with brightly colored fabrics glitter and glow with metallic accents. Light and dark shades of the same color create sparkling dimension. Patti’s simple yet clever design is based on her block submission for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 16. The blocks are easy to sew but create a dazzling display, full of depth and wonder.

The way the design creates rows of jewels that look dimensional is thanks to clever fabric combinations and value placement. The work of keeping the value placement consistent is the hardest part of making the blocks; the sewing is simple and straightforward. You’ll also want to take care in selecting the different shades of each color to make the dimensional effect look convincing.

Each color requires a light and dark shade to recreate the dimensional effect. Patti used 15 lights and 15 darks, making two blocks from each of the 15 pairs of corresponding colors. You can do the same, or make each of the 30 blocks different for more variety. Whichever way you choose, sort you light and dark pairs into block sets for quick construction. If you sue 15 pairs of lights and darks, you can use fat quarters for the gemstones; if you go with 30 pairs, you can get away with fat eighths for each color.

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