Thanks copper cat.  I really need to get a better photo -- it's kind of fuzzy.  Yes they are flames.

I was complaining to Bob about how unfair the quilt show rules are and he said "and what would your anger look like?"  My answer was "the flames of he**" -- which I really don't believe in by the way, but it seemed like an appropriate image.  Burning the blocks was fun but most of the black stuff fell off while I was working on the quilt.