At first glance, Medieval Walls, a quilt block I found in Nancy Martin’s 365 Quilt Blocks a Year Perpetual Calendar, looks rather plain and unexciting.
The block can be drawn with a 9 x 9 grid.
Set side by side (a straight set in quilt lingo), the block still looks plain and unexciting. Unless you are looking for a quiet, subtle design…then this could be the one for you.
But if you want more excitement, add a dark value.
With this one simple change, the design now has more definition, and lines for the eye to follow around the quilt. It also has the illusion of having sashing strips between the blocks.
Change where the dark value is placed in the block.
Or keep the value changes in both places in the block:
More experiments with moving value around in the block:
Alot can be accomplished with design simply by value placement. The Medieval Wall block is a very good example of that!
I’ve had so much fun with this block playing with value and straight set, that I haven’t explored using it with on point sets yet.
Which design do you like the best?
*Clicking on any of the photos will show a larger view.
LC's Cottage 
Love your explorations of this block and colourations! Yes – do more!! I am a big Nancy Martin fan.
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There is always more Donna! Fun to explore…there are some nice surprises, and some duds, but the playtime is good!
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The first one might look unexciting, but it definitely keeps the eyes moving. Love it.
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The uniqueness of us all makes ‘beauty in the eyes of the beholder’ so true. Color, style, design, etc… is all relative to one’s viewpoint and audience.
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My favourite is the one after the line …
More experiments with moving value around in the block:
Love seeing all the different designs which appear as you move the contrast around.
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It is surprising what happens with one simple little change. Imagine throwing in another color, or changing the color scheme altogether. Lots of fun!
I am not sure which one I like the best!
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