Clay's Choice (Block #1)

My first quilt block is called Clay's Choice. Oddly enough it is named after a man  who was born in my home state Virginia. I have made this pattern before but in a smaller 6 inch version. I do not remember what I made it for. There is a little bit of history behind this block.The block itself was originally named after Henry Clay (1777-1852), who was a  long time politician during years  before the American Civil war. He is particularly known for his political rivalry with John  C. Calhoun. He is also known for his high morals which include a anti slavery stance. Most likely this block honors that choice he made.The history books generally dubbed  him "the Great Compromiser." The block is also known by several other names Clay’s Favorite, Clay's Star, Henry of the West, and Harry’s Star. The pattern below is  for a 12 inch block

Clay's Choice quilt block

Here's a detail of the fabrics.

 FABRIC NOTES: The fabric selection for this block is bright and cheerful. I particularly like the blue and yellow flower fabric. I believe it is a reproduction print, not sure from what decade. I have had this fabric for a long, long time and have used it for many projects. The pattern on the cream/white fabrics shows up real nicely in the photographs. It's a bit harder to see the paisley pattern by one's own eye.

CONSTRUCTION NOTES: This block is fairly easy to make and makes a great beginner block. The seams easily match up on this one. IF you played around with color placement you would get quite a differant

DIRECTIONS: www.quilterscache.com/C/ClaysChoiceBlock.html The majority of the blocks I make will be coming from this website. There are also other  pictures and examples listed on link.

The first person to respond with a comment, tip, quilt block idea, color combinations requests will either receive the block I just made, some fabric scraps or something quilt related. You can also e-mail me at kindlscorner@gmail.com.