You Can Use Old Ideas

To Make New Quilts

I was going through some of my old quilt design files when I found this block, High Prairie. It's named after a town in my home province of Alberta.



Back when I designed this I didn't realize that every block has multiple identities. I thought that, what you saw is what you got. So I would stop designing as soon as I found something I liked.

What Can I Do

To A Friendship Star

To Make It My Own?

Traditional blocks do not have to be traditional blocks. You can make new blocks from old ones if you put the pieces together differently.

If the two half-square triangles on either side of a Friendship Star block are rotated, the result is a new block that looks nothing like a Friendship Star block.

What Can I Do

To A Shoo Fly Block ...

...To Make It My Own?

It happens to everyone. You're assembling a block and somehow the pieces don't go together the way they're supposed to. So you say something like, "Oops, I made a mistake."

Think again. You didn't make a mistake. You made a new block.

What The Heck Are

Analagous Colors?

When you are choosing a color scheme for a quilt you will sometimes hear the suggestion that you should use analogous colors. What the heck are analogous colors?

Hand Applique

My wife Linda and I just got back from 5 days in Canmore where we attended a David Taylor (go to his site, you won't be disappointed) workshop.

If you ever get a chance to attend a David Taylor workshop do it! David teaches his method of hand applique.  He appliques with his quilt flat on a table so that the resulting quilt lies perfectly flat.

Hand applique is something I've never done. But now it's something I want to do again.

What If You Use One Block

But In Different Sizes?

What Sort Of Quilts

Can You Design?

The best way to find out is try it.

I'm going to try it with King's Crown in three sizes: full size, 3/4 size and 1/2 size.

Change This

To This

And What Do You Get?

Sometimes You Need

A Small Alphabet

If you've ever sewn a pieced alphabet, you've noticed that a lot of them can be quite large and take a lot of sewing.

Even if you haven't noticed this, I have. I wanted a pieced alphabet that was small, very small. And simple to sew. So I designed Foothills.

Sew Half-Rectangle Triangles

Method 3


It's nice to have a choice. When you are sewing a block it's nice to be able to pick the method that's best suited to your talents and tastes.

I've shown you 2 methods of sewing half-rectangle triangles in my last 2 posts. Now, I'd like to show you a third method using freezer paper.

Sew Half-Rectangle Triangles

Method 2

There is no one right way to do things. Each of us has different abilities and sensibilities. What works for one person doesn't for another.

When I teach quilting I've learned never to say, "This is how it should be done." I've learned to say, "This is how it can be done."

In my last post I showed you one way to sew half-rectangle triangles. Today I'll show you another.

Sew Half-Rectangle Triangles

Method 1

A few days ago, on 22 January, I showed you quilt designs using this wonky block.

 Caroll Drudy of Attic Window Quilt Shop liked my designs and tried making the block. She reported, "I had to make those rectangles several times before I got them to come out right."

Now, I think it would be great if you were to make a quilt or two using this block. And I don't want you to have trouble with the rectangles; so I'm going to show you how to sew them.

Never
Try Anything New

Never
Do Something Different

Never
Take A Chance

It's easy to follow these 3 simple rules and do the same old thing over and over and over and over. I must confess; I'm as guilty of this as anyone.

But once in a while something happens and instead of thinking inside my usual box I find myself thinking inside a different box.

What Kind Of Block is This?

It's a block made from 4 half square triangles that I made wonky by changing the grid dimensions.

You Can Make

Quarter-Of-Four Block Quilts

Starting With Job's Troubles Blocks

Job's Troubles is a traditional 4 patch block.

Like all 4 patch blocks it is made from 4 units. All 4 quarters of a Job's Troubles block are the same.

What Kind Of Block Is This?

Well, to start with, it's not a traditional block.

What Can You Do

With One Color? 

I chose red as the color I want to explore today.

When I think of one color quilts done in red I immediately think of redwork quilts - red embroider images in a setting of red patchwork designs. You probably do too.

This post isn't about that. It's about making monochrome quilts. Which is just a fancy way of saying one color quilts. But it implies the possibility of using different versions of the one color.

Paired Blocks #21

What Can You Do

With Two Simple Blocks?

Shoo Fly and Nine Patch are two simple blocks.

What if you combine them? What kind of quilt designs would they make?

I don't know but I'm willing to try to find out.

Offset Block #11

When You Offset Blocks

You Create Design Opportunities

Clay's Choice is a traditional block. It's also a very simple block, so you might think there's not a lot you can do with it.

Simple Blocks

Can Make Wonderful Quilts

I can't imagine anyone not wanting to design her own quilt. It's not hard to do. Especially if you start with a simple block.

You Can Make The Same Block

In Different Sizes

And Then Design With It


What if You take a Classic block like Clay's Choice...

..and make it three different sizes?  Perhaps, 8"x8", 6"x6" and 4"x4".