This past Saturday I taught a workshop on the One Block Wonder Technique at the Eastern branch of the Irish Patchwork Society. It was a busy but satisfying day and I think the participants enjoyed it. I don't have a lot of photos from the day, but I thought I'd share those which have resulting blocks in them (pity I don't have everybody's), as well as the tips we were able to take away from the day. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished quilts, though finalizing the layouts may take quite some time. This is a picture I wanted to print out, but didn't manage to get to the printers'. It sums up what we did on the day very well (both the picture and the phrase were found on the Web). I will not run through the whole process of making a One Block Wonder quilt (there are a lot of tutorials around on the Web), but I do want to share some tips which proved handy and/or were learned the hard way. 1. When choosing the fabric, pay attention to its color way - the pattern will change beyond all recognition, but the colors will stay the same. 2. For the first stage of the process - identifying your pattern repeat - it's handy to use a tailor's yardstick or any piece of board/plank that has a long straight edge. Alternatively, you can tape together two quilting rulers. 3. Some fabrics have their prints printed straighter than others. Don't be afraid to shift and wiggle your fabric to align the pattern. Once it's aligned, handle it with care to keep it that way. 4. Use flat pins to keep together your six layers while you're cutting. They don't have to be removed from the fabric when they get under the ruler, so your strips will remain aligned and won't shift. 5. Although most tutorials call for cutting 3 3/4 in strips, you don't really have to stick to this number. Measure the width of your repeat - in some fabrics it will not divide by 3 3/4, so to avoid wasting too much of your fabric you can choose a different strip width, say 3 1/2 in of maybe 4 in. Another thing to consider is the scale of your pattern. If it's on the smallish side, decrease the width of your strips. 6. Using a 60 degree triangle ruler with a "blunted" corner saves you a bit of fabric width when cutting the triangles. The blunted corner can also be handy to mark your central corner when piecing the triangles together. However, you don't really need a special ruler for this technique, any ruler with a a 60 degree line on it will do the job too. 7. Make sure your ruler has a horizontal line matching the edge of your strip. If it doesn't, create a line by sticking a piece of tape to the ruler - this will ensure all of the angles in your triangles are 60 degrees, and thus, all of the sides in your triangles are equal. 8. When piecing your triangles keep them in strict order, and always keep the center corners facing one way (for example, away from you) or mark the center corners with a pin, then your piecing process will be fast and smooth. 9. After you've assembled and pressed your half-hexies, keep them together with a piece of masking tape on the back while you're playing with the layout. 10. The layout is a very personal process, but I would still point out two important things - lay out all your blocks to see if there is any "focal" color that really jumps out at you; if there is, start the composition with the blocks that have most of this focal color and create some sort of shape of line with them, then arrange the other blocks around. This is a quilt I made before with the same lilac fabric. I chose to arrange the purple/pink blocks in a sort of wave with the greens supporting the shape. 11. When playing with the layout, snap photos of every variant, even if you don't really like it - the pictures make it easier to evaluate, compare and discuss your layout with other people, you might spot something you can't see up close and personal. On the whole this is a very fast and satisfying technique, definitely worth trying, at least to gain a new perspective on the use of pattern in fabric and the potential of fabrics you probably never considered suitable for quilting. UPD: If you're wondering what came out of that fabric, here's the finally finished quilt Linking up to Tips and Tutorials Tuesday at Quilting Jetgirl
Going to sleep under your average, run-of-the-mill, storebought duvet feels nothing like snuggling under an artistic quilt that you or your loved one made for you. With affection. With care in every stitch. With countless hours of skill and dedication.
Sold by the 1/2 yard (18" X WOF). Multiple units are cut continuously. Riley Blake Designs Confetti Cottons are high quality quilting fabrics in solid colors.
Create a One-Of-A-Kind Quilt to Treasure for Generations! Baby clothes hold so many precious memories. Capture them in a quilt made from outgrown clothing. Parents and grandparents will love having a memory quilt made from baby clothes, as will the kids as they grow older. When designing a quilt made from baby clothes consider three …
*Fabric is sold in 1/2 yard increments, cut continuously when ordering multiples. (Example: 1 yard = Qty 2, 1 1/2 yards = Qty 3, 2 yards = Qty 4, Etc...) Riley Blake Designs Confetti Cotton C120-LIGHTGRAY 100% Cotton 43"/44" Riley Blake Designs Confetti Cottons solid fabric is a premium quilting cotton that has a soft hand. Use it in your traditional or modern quilts, or on their own for a contemporary quilt style. Machine Wash Cold/Tumble Dry Low Made in Korea Multiple purchases will be cut continuous.
Boxer dog Quilt Block Pattern in technology Paper Piecing. Use this quilt blocks to make a dog quilt, table runner, placemat, dog pillow, or baby quilt – it is a perfect handmade gift for Box…
Pretty medium brown solid (color #121-143). From the Painter's Palette Solids collection by Paintbrush Studio. This lovely 100% cotton fabric is woven in a 62-square tight weave. Half-yard length (18") x 44/45" wide. A NOTE ABOUT VIEWING COLOR ON A COMPUTER SCREEN: computer screens vary in color so the color that you see here might not be what we see on ours. We try to show the best match to the fabric listed, but you may see a slightly different hue. If you need to see a sample before you order, AND you're in the US, please let us know and we will mail you a swatch. Sold by the half-yard; if you order more than one half-yard, fabric will be cut in one continuous piece AND the cost of shipping will increase by $0.75 per half yard purchased. Check out our Policies section for more information on shipping charges. Shipping overages of $1 or more are refunded at time of shipping. Please send us a message with any questions! Fabric is stored in a smoke-free business suite. Thank you!
This solid goes well with the Nighfall collection and Petals and Blume collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. It is perfect for quilting or apparel. Colors include: Navy Blue. Fabric is sold in 1 yard increments. For longer cuts select additional quantities, fabric will be cut in one continuous piece. Contents: 100% cotton Width: 44" Weight: Lightweight Care: Machine Wash / Tumble Dry Low
Sew a beautiful Carpenter's Star Quilt Pattern! The Carpenter's Star is a traditional quilt design that uses half square triangles. This simple and free quilt pattern from SewCanShe is a medallion quilt that has the Carpenter's Star at the center and a cute border too.
a cat and heart themed quilt to wrap up some love
He's know for playing geeky scientist Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, but Jim Parsons really stepped up his fashion game to appear in the March issue of GQ magazine.
So, apparently I've become fairly obsessed with double knitting. If you don't know what that it it's when you cast on two pieces at the same time, onto the same needle, and knit them both one stitch at a time. If you cross the colours over (creating a reversed two-colour pattern on each side) the two pieces are connected, but you can also knit two separate items, if you're careful and don't twist your yarn anyway. My second potholder features the Studio Ghibli forest troll Totoro and his two smaller totoro friends in blue and pale brown. And it's adorable - at least on the blue-totoro side. The brown totoro on the blue background... well... it reminds me more of the freaky rabbit-guy Frank from Donnie Darko. Perfect end result or not it was fun, and who's to say Totoro doesn't have a dark side, anyway? I bet if anyone did anything to Mei or Satsuki (the little girls from the film) he'd get pretty fired up about it. ... still creeps me out, though. EDIT (for Sarah!)- and for anyone who would like to make their own, here is the chart I worked from. Enjoy!
