Rectangular Block

Waterhen

I've decided to name this 9" x 15" rectangular block after Waterhen Manitoba.

Rectangular Block

Pinawa

I've been designing rectangular blocks and naming them after places in Manitoba.

Rectangular Block

Morden

I'm playing with rectangular blocks to see what I can come up with.

Rectangular Block

Dugald

Why do blocks have to be square? Why can't they be rectangular? I decided to design a rectangular block and see what happens.

Scrappy Quilt #6

I still need to do something about a stash that threatens to take over the house; so I'm still designing scrappy quilts.

Scrappy Quilt #5

Crib Quilt

Most of the scrappy quilts I designed over the last week had light backgrounds. One or two had dark backgrounds. I thought I would try one with a medium value background and make the foreground both light and dark.

Scrappy Quilt #4

Queen Size Quilt

Another scrappy quilt. This time the foreground uses light browns and the background uses dark browns.

Scrappy Quilt #3

Twin Quilt

I'm exploring designs for scrappy quilts.

The first one four days ago had totally random color with an emphasis on value contrast. The second one two days ago was still focused on value contrast but I limited myself to greens in the foreground and light beiges in the background.

This one has light beiges in the background again. The foreground, however, uses two colors. A variety of browns that form squares and blue/purple bands connecting the squares. There is no rhyme or reason to the placement of any particular brown or blue.  As always value contrast is very important.

Scrappy Quilt #2

Lap Quilt

I've decided to design some scrappy quilts to use up odds and ends of fabrics.

This one is shown using a mix of greens in the foreground and a mix of light beiges and tans in the background.

The actually colors aren't as important as the contrast in value between the foreground and the background. The foreground needs to be dark and the background needs to be light.

Scrappy Quilt #1

Using Half-Square Triangles

 

My wife Linda and I have a large fabric stash and a small house. The two are incompatible. A lot of the stash is left over bits and pieces from various projects. The obvious solution is to make scrappy quilts. So I've decided it was time I designed some.

Swirl #5

Theresa

I've been designing swirl blocks and giving them women's names. I decided to call this one Theresa.


I'm going to play with fabric colors and setting to seewhat happens.

Paired Blocks #27

Linda

Bernice

Linda and Bernice are blocks that I recently designed.
I thought that today I would pair the two and see what happens

Swirl #4

Sharon

I designed this swirl block and named it Sharon.



Here are some of the ways to use it that I thought of.

Ninepatch Pinwheel #7

Rocky Mountain House

To make a Ninepatch Pinwheel block I start with a design on a ninepatch grid. And then determine the piecing.

I pick some colors. Then I use four of the block to make a kind of pinwheel.




Then I play with fabric colors and the block setting to see what sorts of quilt designs I can discover.

Ontario Series #5

Kingston

Kingston is another in my series of blocks named after places in Ontario. These are all paper pieced blocks because they do not use standard half square triangles.

Log Cabin

Modern Log Cabins

You may have noticed that I like to change old blocks to make new ones. Today I'm going to experiment with a Log Cabin block.

Wonky Block Update

Pillows By Roos

Roos Kuypers sent me this picture of two pillows that she designed and then pieced and quilted by hand. She started the design by changing the grid on a traditional Capital T block, thus making it wonky.

To see her design sketches go to my 4 April 2013 post. To see more traditional blocks made wonky this way go to My Posts by Subject in the sidebar on the right and click on Wonky Blocks at the very end. To visit Roos Kuypers' blog go here.

I get inspired when someone else gets inspired by one of my ideas and starts designing. I look forward to seeing what else Roos designs in the future.

Color Play

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder is a traditional block I like. I've tried making it wonky. I've tried scrambling its units. I've tried cutting it into quarters and putting them back together differently. Now I'll try one more thing.

Swirl #3 A

How To Piece Bernice

Yesterday I showed you quilt designs using my Bernice block.

Today I'll show you how I would piece this block.

Swirl #3

Bernice

I designed this swirl block and named it after my wife's mother Bernice.

Paired Blocks #26

 

Linda

 

 

 

 

 

Lorraine

Having designed these two blocks, I thought it might be interesting to see what happens when I use them together to create a quilt design.

Swirl #2 A

How To Piece Lorraine

Yesterday I showed you this block that I designed and named Lorraine.

Today I'll show you how I would piece it. (You might decide there is a better way.)

Swirl #2

Lorraine

Two days ago I did a post that I titled Swirl #1. That title suggests that there must be more than one, so I had to go back to my graph paper and design a second swirl block.

I named this one Lorraine, for my mother.

Swirl #1 A

How To Piece Linda

Yesterday I designed this block and named it for my wife Linda.


Today I figured out how I would piece it.

Swirl #1

Linda

I was doodling on graph paper when I discovered this block which I decided to call Linda. It's such a fundamental design that I can't believe I've never seen it before.

I decided to play with it and see what shows up.

Paired Blocks # 19 Recap

Debra Did This

Debra of Who Said Sew ?  sewed this quilt from a design I posted way back in 11 April 2011. She even improved on my design by adding a light band in the border.

I've designed more quilts than I'll ever be able to sew. So I'm always pleased to see the result when someone sews one of my designs.

What's even more exciting is that Debra has now caught the design bug herself. She bought Quilt-Pro and is using it to design her own quilts.

It's a great feeling to be able to say not only did I sew this quilt, I designed it as well. It's very addictive.

Ontario Series #4

Mississauga

My Ontario Series of quilts is designed using triangles that aren't half-square triangles and so have to be paper pieced. The odd shaped triangles help make the blocks more interesting.

I call this block Mississauga.

Quarter 0f Nine #16

Antique Tile

Antique Tile is a tradional block that is made from 9 square patches. So it is a nine-patch block. If you make one and then cut it into quarters, the result is four Quarter of Nine blocks.

Ontario Series #3

Manotick

Manotick is another simple block I've designed that I would paper piece.

Alphabet

I Need Help

I've decided to publish a pattern that features my School House pieced alphabet.

On the back cover I want to suggest different things that could be done with this quilt. One of these is to use photo transfers for the walls of the school houses.

I've never done a photo transfer and so don't have an image to fill in the blank spot.
Does anybody have a suitable image that I can use? It will be reduced to a 1/2" square.
If so, and you want to make a fellow quilter happy, email me at tuxedoparkdesign@shaw.ca

Ontario Series #2

Collingwood

I used non-45 degree triangles to design this paper pieced block that I call Collingwood.

When I ask what if and play with the color and setting I get results like these:

Quilter's Connection

Four Friends

The pattern for my Four Friends quilt is in the June issue of Quilter's Connection. And the quilt is on the cover.

This quilt is made using what I call a Quarter-of-Nine block. To see more of them go to My Posts by Subject in the sidebar on the right and click on Quarter-of-Nine.

To learn more about Quilter's Connection and find out what else is in the June issue go here.

Ontario Series #1

Toronto

I wanted to design some blocks that featured some triangles that weren't half-square triangles. I decide they would be my Ontario series and started with this block - Toronto.

Usually my designs are pieced, but I expect this series, like this block, will be paper pieced.