Colors

Ohio Star

Yesterday I played with the colors for this quilt design and got nowhere. I'm going to try again today.

Colors

Ohio Star

This quilt design from yesterday's post was intended to be a series of Ohio Star blocks separated by a sashing of alternating white and beige squares. Instead it looks like overlapping Ohio Star blocks and Nine Patch blocks.

Sashing

Ohio Star

This Ohio Star quilt is colorful but I think it needs something more.

What if I try adding some sashing?

From My Pieced Alphabet:

Coach Hill

Sashing

King's Crown

When I repeat a King's Crown block I get a pattern that is pleasant but not very exciting.

What if I put sashing between the blocks?

Sashing

Road to Oklahoma

I've only ever made one quilt that had sashing. Maybe if I play with sashing and explore some of its possibilities, I might decide to make another. I'm going to try adding sashing to some of yesterdays Road to Oklahoma quilt designs and see what happens.

Colors

Road to Oklahoma

What happens when I try coloring Road to Oklahoma different ways?

On Point

Kansas Star

This on point Kansas Star comes from my 16 May 2010 post. I'm going to play with it again to see if I can create a different quilt top.

Amish Star #3

Blocks

Amish Star

Yesterday I developed these 4 blocks based on an Amish Star block. Today I want to use them.

Amish Star #2

Blocks

Amish Star

Last week, 7 August 2010, I tried playing with how an Amish Star was colored and discovered this block.

From My Pieced Alphabet:

Copperfield

Quilting

On Point Shoo Fly

This on point Shoo Fly quilt top comes from my 6 August 2010 post.

I need to decide how to quilt it.

(If your computer is like mine you may want to click on the images below to see them larger so that the details show.)

Amish Star #1

Colors

Amish Star

What if I color this Amish Star block several different ways to see how color affects pattern?

On Point

Shoo Fly

What if I turn a Shoo Fly block on point? Can I use it to create a quilt pattern I like?

Blocks

Wonky Shoo Fly

Yesterday I discovered that I could make a series of 12" wonky Shoo Fly Blocks by simply rearranging the order of the grid dimensions of a Shoo Fly block.

Blocks

Wonky Shoo Fly

I've been taking traditional blocks, like Shoo Fly, and turning them into wonky blocks by changing the grid.

I've been turning 6" blocks into 10" blocks  by changing a 2, 2, 2 grid into a 2, 3, 5 grid.

Applique

Swoosh Placemat

I used this swoosh to design several applique patterns 9 July 2010. Now I want to adapt some of those patterns to placemats.

From My Pieced Alphabet

Braeside

Pieced alphabets often have cut corners to indicate curves. With Braeside I've taken the cut corners to the extreme.

Colors

Rolling Stone

I want to color this Rolling Stone block several different ways to see how it affects the pattern.

Colors

Contrary Wife

I want to color this Contrary Wife block several different ways to see how it affects the pattern.

Tessellation

I'm going to play with this ninepatch unit to see if I can make it tessellate.

Quilting

Tear Drop Placemat

This applique placemat is from my 25 July 2010 post.

Blocks

Wonky Rolling Stone

What if I change the grid on a Rolling Stone block?

What if I make it a 12" block by using a 2, 4, 6 grid?

Applique

Circles

Starting with circles that are 4", 3" and 2" in diameter, I want to see what sort of applique patterns I can create.

Playing with Backs

Manyberries Trails

Manyberries Trails is a series that I designed and my wife sewed. The same basic unit, but with a different background color, is used for all 4 quilts. In each quilt a different corner of the basic unit is used as the center of a block.

For the labels on the backs I pieced my wife's initials and the date. I took the opportunity to experiment with fine tuning an alphabet.

Applique

Mixed Tear Drop Placemat

Using these 2 tear drop shapes, cut on my Go fabric cutter, and my design wall, I want to create 12" x 16" floral placemats.

Colors

Friendship Star

This is the center of the quilt I designed yesterday. It consists of 4 blocks repeated. Each of those blocks is made from 4 Friendship Star blocks rotated.

I want to see what happens to the pattern when I change the location of the three colors.

Blocks

Friendship Star

What if I color a Friendship Star slightly different?

What if I combine 4 Friendship Stars rotated to make a larger block?

Borders

Log Cabin

This Log Cabin Quilt design is from my 25 June 2010 post.

What should I do for borders?

Applique

Mixed Tear Drops

My Go fabric cutter cuts 2 different tear drop shapes. I've used them individually to create applique patterns. What if I try using both of them to create a series of designs?

Blocks

Wonky Hidden Star

What if I change the grid on a Hidden Star block and create a wonky Hidden Star?

From My Pieced Alphabet:

Sandstone

Applique

Tear Drop Placemat

What if I cut simple tear drop shapes like this using my Go fabric cutter and use them to make 12" x 18" placemats?

I have a 12" x 18" cutting mat; what if I use it to design on?

Quilting

Crescent Moon Placemat

This is one of the placemats made with a crescent moon applique that I developed on 10 July 2010.

How should I go about quilting it?

Borders

Log Cabin

This Log Cabin quilt top comes to us courtesy of my 24 June 2010 post.

I think it needs borders. What if I make them using Log Cabin Blocks as well?

Applique

Tear Drop

This simple tear drop shape was cut using a new die for my Go fabric cutter. What sort of designs can I make by repeating it and asking what if...?, what if...? what if...?

Borders

Wonky Grecian Square

This quilt top is from my 7 July 2010 post.

I now think that the border is too confining. What else can I do?

Blocks

Wonky Card Trick

What if I change the grid dimensions on a Card Trick block and create a wonky Card Trick block?

From My Pieced Alphabet:

Olympic Plaza

Olympic Plaza is my attempt to create the sort of alphabet that I associate with Greece.

Quilting

Curved Tear Drop Placemat

This placemat is from my 2 July 2010 post. How should I quilt it?

The pattern is made using appliqued tear drops.

Applique

Crescent Moon Placemat

A week ago, 3 July 2010, I played with a crescent-moon shape to see what sort of applique designs I could come up with. Now I want to use some of those designs to create placemats.

Applique

I want to see what sort of applique designs I can make by repeating this simple shape and by asking what if...?, what if...?, what if...?

Piecing

Double Crested Cormorant

I wanted to piece a picture of a Cormorant standing on a rock and sunning its wings.

I started to draw on a grid but it's hard to tell what is actually happening until it's colored in.

Blocks

Wonky Grecian Square

I can create a wonky block from a Grecian Square block by changing the grid dimensions.

What if I use both blocks to design a quilt pattern?

Quilting

Curved Tear Drop Placemat

This Placemat is from my 2 July 2010 post. I am going to play with different ways of quilting it.

The pattern is made using appliqued tear drops.

From My Pieced Alphabet:

First One

I call this alphabet First One because that's what it was - the first pieced alphabet I designed and the first one I sewed. It was also the first and last alphabet I ever paper pieced. I find paper piecing awkward and time consuming. I also find that I am more accurate doing regular piecing.

Piecing

Tessellation

This is a quilt top that I designed in my 10 June 2010 post. It is a tessellation; it was designed using a single shape that was repeated over and over.

Applique

Crescent Moon

I want to see what sort of applique designs I can make by repeating this simple crescent moon shape and by asking what if...?, what if...?, what if...?

Applique

Curved Tear Drop Placemat

Playing with a curved tear drop on 27 June 2010, I discovered some interesting applique designs. But they were just designs, not quilts.


Today, using a curved tear drop again, I want to experiment with designs for 12" x 18" placemats.

Colors

Wonky Dutchman's Puzzle

Yesterday I created this wonky Dutchman's Puzzle block.

What if I try coloring it a couple of different ways?