Bold & Striking: The Edged in Black Quilt Block Tutorial

In this video, Bob Benson shares how to give old, unused quilt blocks a fresh new look by turning them into 3D designs. He explains how to add black and white fabric pieces to create depth and nearly double each block’s size, saving time and effort while breathing new life into forgotten projects. Bob encourages quilters to revisit their unfinished blocks and fall in love with them all over again through this creative and easy technique.

Hi everyone, I’m Bob Benson, and today I want you to fall in love with me, and by that I mean fall in love along with me. What are we falling in love with? Your old quilt blocks. You know the ones I’m talking about. They’re tucked away in your sewing room, set aside from projects that didn’t quite spark joy anymore.

We’ve all been there. You start a quilt, make four, five, maybe six blocks, and then realize you don’t love the pattern or the fabric choices. So you set them aside and move on to something new. I’ve done that myself plenty of times. But here’s the good news: those forgotten blocks can be exciting again.

That’s exactly what I discovered when I pulled out a few old blocks that I hadn’t touched in ages. I decided to give them new life by turning them into three-dimensional designs, and I absolutely love how they turned out. The 3D effect not only makes them look fresh and modern but also nearly doubles the size of each block. That means you can finish your quilt without needing to make as many new pieces.

Here’s how to do it. Take your old quilt block and add two half square triangles, one in each corner, using black and white fabric. Then cut five small black squares and stitch them around the block. Next, add nine plain white squares to outline the rest. It might sound like a lot of black and white, but it’s much faster than making a dozen more quilt blocks from scratch.

As you sew, you’ll see the dimension start to appear right away. When I tried it for the first time, I wasn’t sure it would work, but once I saw the finished result, I truly fell in love with those old blocks again.

So go ahead and dig into your stash, pull out those forgotten quilt blocks, and give them a second chance. You might be surprised how a simple 3D twist can completely transform them.

Happy sewing!