Is Designing Quilts Easy?

It’s a fair question. Is designing quilts easy? A lot of people think it is anything but easy. They are convinced it’s something they could never do.

What do These 4 Blocks

Have In Common?

These 4 blocks, although different from each other, have a similar structure. If you can identify that structure, you can use it to design blocks of your own.

Look What Tracy Did

With a Faux Drunkard's Path Block

Tracy suggested that a Drunkard's Path block could be made using straight lines instead of curves. I played with that idea in my post yesterday. Tracy played with it too and created the quilt design above, using her Faux Drunkard's Path block and a Snowball block.

Paired Blocks #17

What If You Combine

Faux Drunkard's Path Blocks

With Snowball Blocks?

There's more than one way to skin a cat; and there's more than one way to create quilt designs. I have no idea why you would want to skin a cat. But I know a lot of good reasons to design quilts. My favorite is - because it's fun.

Bear's Paw Meets

Dove In The Window

I recently came upon Dove In the Window. It's a block that has a lot in common with Bear's Paw.

Offset Block #10

What Happens When You Offset

Balkan Puzzle Blocks?

I am enjoying winter and if it wants to hang around, that's fine by me. But for some reason, when I look at a Balkan Puzzle block colored like this I think of flowers and I want to plant a garden.

What Happens

When You Start Playing?

Yesterday I didn't think much of this design. I said it was a bit repetitive.

I also said that when you start playing with quilt designs it's hard to stop.

What Happens

When You Start Playing?

Yesterday I showed you how these 2 blocks were used to create a tessellation. I couldn't stop from playing with them. I wanted to see what else was possible.

A Complex Tessellation

For You To Ponder

This quilt is a tessellation; it's made by repeating a single shape over and over. It's called Anthracite/Snowflake and was sewn by my wife Linda and designed by me. I didn't start out to design a tessellating pattern; it just happened. How it happened surprised me.

A Simple Tessellation

For You To Ponder

This is my quilt Okotoks/Sheep Creek; it's a simple tessellation. A tessellation is a jigsaw puzzle in which all the pieces are the same shape.

Paired Blocks #16

What Else Can You Do

With A Drunkard's Path Block

It's easy to think that Drunkard's Path blocks can be used for only one purpose - to make Drunkard's Path quilts. But you can take a Drunkard's Path block and use it in combination with other blocks to make a variety of different quilts.

Paired Blocks #15

Look 

What Elsie Can Do

With A Drunkard's Path  Block

This quilt design is by Elsie Montgomery of Elsie Quilts. She calls it Drunken Stars. She saw what I did with Drunkard's Path and Friendship Star blocks and wanted to see what she could do.

Paired Blocks #14

What Else Can You Do

With A Drunkard's Path Block?

There are quite a few quilt designs that are made using just a Drunkard's Path block. But why use just a Drunkard's Path block? Why not combine it with other blocks?

Paired Blocks # 13

What Else Can You Do

With A Drunkard's Path Block?

Ever wonder what would happen if you tried making a quilt using two blocks that on first glance look like they probably don't go together?

A Free Pieced Alphabet For You

Acadia

I've decided to give you the pattern to my Acadia alphabet.

From My Alberta Series

Airdrie / King's Height

Every block has the potential to be used many different ways. Yesterday I showed you one design based on my Airdrie block; today I'll show you another.

From My Alberta Series

Airdrie / Iron Horse Park

If you've been following my blog lately, you may have the impression that all I ever do is alter traditional blocks to create new designs. I thought you might like to see an original block. The quilt design above is from my Alberta Series of quilts and uses my Airdrie block.

I Wish This Was Mine



This quilt by Maria Elkins is truly a work of art. At first I thought it was a painting.

It's called Broken Dishes. There is the obvious broken dish in the mother's hand and on the rug. In addition, the wall and the rug are done with the traditional quilt pattern Broken Dishes.

I love the idea and the tender emotion. The more I see of this quilt, the more I want to see it.

You'll find Broken Dishes and several other amazing quilts (Don't miss Evening Star, or Captivated) on Maria's website

You Can Design Wonky

Part 3

In parts 1 and 2 you saw traditional blocks become wonky blocks when the grids they were designed on were changed.  You'll see the same thing happen today, and then one step further.

You Can Design Wonky

Part 2

Change the grid on an existing block and you create a wonky version of it. It's easy and it's fun to do. Here's what happens when you try it with Corn And Beans.