Revising the Monkey Wrench

For me, part of the fun of modern quilting is taking a more traditional block and finding ways to make it look more modern. That can happen through fabric choice, playing with scale, or even just going wonky with it (like my Wonky Spirals quilt pattern, which is a Log Cabin variation).

The Modern with a Twist feature in Benartex's e-zine, Modern by the Yard, involves that same concept. In the feature, three different designers create their own modern version of the Monkey Wrench, aka Snail's Trail block. (As an aside...I always thought of the Monkey Wrench as the same block as the Churn Dash, but it's also another name for the Snail's Trail.)

I decided to play with negative space and only fill in the "curls" on two adjoining sides of the block. I used the All About Color collection from Kanvas, which has these fantastic polka dots in it! 

Just for fun, I mocked up a quilt using my wave block. I used two color variations. I really like the graphic punch it creates! This quilt is going on the "have to make" list!

See the entire Modern by the Yard e-zine here, as well as back issues!