Standard layout just got a merge tool, and it is my favorite kind of feature: small to describe, big on the quilt. Pick the merge tool, drag a rectangle across a patch of cells, and they fuse into one larger square. Interior sashing and cornerstones disappear inside the merge, so the region reads as a single unit while the sashing around it stays put.
Drop a block into a merged square and it grows to fill the whole area. That means one design can carry a big center block with smaller blocks around it, or step block sizes across the top so the layout has some rhythm. Tap a merged region to release it and go back to individual cells.
For this first pass, merges have to stay square (an even N by N), and they are only offered when your cells are already square. That keeps the cutting list correct while the feature settles in.
This is the starting point, not the finish. I want merges to grow beyond squares into rectangles and taller layouts down the road. For now, go make something bold with a great big block in the middle.