Odds and Ends Quilt Block | Mosaics & More BOM Month 4

Odds and Ends is one of those blocks that has a little more going on than it first appears — and once you start piecing it, you'll see exactly why it earns its name.

This month we're working with three fabrics: wine, marmalade, and snow. It's a bold, high-contrast combination that gives the block real energy and lets the design read clearly from across the room. The variety of color is what gives this block its personality — and what makes it such a strong addition to the Mosaics & More quilt.

It's a reminder that quilting doesn't need perfection to be beautiful — just intention and joy.

About the Mosaics & More 2026 Block of the Month

The Mosaics & More BOM is a year-long quilt-along designed for beginner and confident beginner quilters who want to:

  • Strengthen core piecing skills

  • Work with traditional blocks in a modern, polished way

  • Build a quilt one manageable block at a time

  • Learn techniques they can reuse in future quilts

Each month introduces a new block along with specific techniques that build on the months before it.

Members get access to all past blocks, so you can join anytime and catch up at your own pace.

Month 4 Focus: The Odds and Ends Quilt Block

The Odds and Ends block is a classic traditional design that gets its visual interest from the interplay of multiple colors within a single block. Rather than relying on two-color contrast the way last month's Old Maid's Puzzle did, this block introduces a third fabric — and that addition changes everything about how the design moves and reads.

Working with three fabrics requires a little more intentional placement, but the result is a block that feels dynamic and layered in a way that a two-color block simply can't achieve.

Techniques highlighted in this block include:

  • Working with three fabrics and managing intentional color placement

  • Using value and hue contrast together to make each unit of the block distinct

  • Accurate cutting and pressing to keep a multi-fabric block clean and cohesive

Fabric & Color Palette

For Month 4, we're working with three fabrics continuing with Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids:e

  • Wine

  • Marmalade

  • Snow

This is the first month in the series where we're introducing a three-color palette within a single block, and the combination is striking. Wine and marmalade sit opposite each other on the color wheel, which means their contrast is naturally strong — white steps in as the neutral that gives both colors room to breathe and keeps the block from feeling too busy.

Pay close attention to where each color lands during layout. The placement of purple, orange, and white within the block's units is what creates the design — swap two pieces and you get a completely different look. Take your time during the arrangement step before you start sewing.

This palette builds directly on the momentum of Month 3's Old Maid's Puzzle while introducing new color energy that will carry through the rest of the quilt.

How the Block Is Constructed

Odds and Ends is built from simple units — HSTs, squares and rectangles arranged to create a design that looks more complex than its individual pieces suggest. The construction is approachable, and the skills you've been building in previous months apply directly here.

Color placement is the most important decision you'll make with this block. Before sewing, lay all your cut pieces out on a flat surface or design wall and spend a few minutes with the arrangement. Take a photo before you move anything to the machine — it's easy to lose track of which piece goes where once you start picking things up.

Pressing matters just as much here as in any other block. With three fabrics in play, you'll want to be especially thoughtful about pressing direction at intersections so seams nest cleanly and the block lies flat. Press toward the darker fabric where possible. For a deeper look at pressing technique, this post on pressing accuracy is a helpful reference.

Watch the Full Odds and Ends Quilt Block Tutorial

The full step-by-step construction of the Odds and Ends block — including cutting, color placement, piecing, and final assembly — is available on the Straight Stitching YouTube channel.

🎥 Watch the Month 4 tutorial here

The video walks you through:

  • How to cut and organize your three fabrics before you begin

  • Color placement decisions and how to lay the block out correctly

  • Pressing tips for clean intersections across multiple fabrics

  • How the rows come together in the final assembly

If you prefer learning visually and sewing along at your machine, the video is the best place to start.

Mosaics & More · Block of the Month Club

Make This Block Your Own

Join the Mosaics & More BOM and get instant access to this pattern, video, and all previous blocks.

Join the Mosaics & More 2026 Block of the Month Club

If you'd like access to:

  • The Month 4 Odds and Ends pattern

  • All previous blocks

  • Monthly instructions stored in the Learning Center

  • A structured, skill-building quilt-along experience

then the Mosaics & More 2026 Block of the Month Club is for you.

JOIN THE BLOCK OF THE MONTH TODAY.

Whether you're sewing along in real time or catching up later, the club is designed to support you at every stage.

Quilt With Intention

The Odds and Ends block proves that variety adds depth and personality to a quilt. Three fabrics, thoughtfully placed, can do things that two fabrics never could — and this block is a perfect example of that.

Take your time with the layout, trust the colors, and enjoy the process.

  • Watch the tutorial

  • Cut into that wine, marmalade, and snow

  • And keep stitching one block at a time

See you in Month 5 of Mosaics & More

Next
Next

Why Are So Many Quilt Blocks Called "Someone's Choice"? (+ How to Make Squire Smith's Choice)