These scrappy Jewel Box quilt blocks are made using a combination of blacks and batiks. The pattern includes a few variations -- instructions for one-at-a-time blocks, plus additional directions on page 3 for enough blocks to make an entire (scrappy, but quick pieced) quilt.

This quilt goes together quickly and easily, and there's not a half-square triangle unit (or other angled edge) in sight. Using two frame colors is one way to make the Double Framed Four Patch Quilt, and it gives the layout a bit of a stair-step appearance.

Frame sizes vary from block to block, and so do the sizes of units within a frame. A trendy layout is illustrated on page 5 of the pattern -- four patches with dark inner frames and all-white outer frames. No matter how you color it, the quilt is simple to make.

You may have heard the terms puff quilts and biscuit quilts. Both refer to the same thing -- lush comforters made from lots and lots of square (and puffy) pockets. Mary Jane Cardwell wrote puff quilt instructions that take you step by step through her easy assembly process. Try Mary Jane's method if you'd like to learn how to make a biscuit quilt .

_{Photo © Mary Jane Cardwell}

Floating Nine Patch is a baby quilt sewn from a combination of Snowball and Nine Patch quilt blocks. Blocks are placed on point, with patchwork setting and corner triangles filling in the gaps at the ends of diagonal rows. I wanted the nine patches to pop out just a bit, but you could either make them pop even more, or put focus on other elements -- it's all about your color and color value choices.