Try This Simple Exercise

For Designing Quilts

An easy way to start a quilt design is to take a simple block and then add to it.

If You Change Something Old,

You Get Something New

Yesterday I added an outside design to blocks with 3x3 grids and got new blocks with 5x5 grids.

SaraJoan liked the idea but used a block with a 4x4 grid and got new blocks with 6x6 grids. She also put borders (which I like) on her ideas to make them quilts. To see what she came up with go to Iridescent weasels and other beasties.

Quilting

Sawtooth Star

This quilt top is one of the ones that I designed by modifying a Sawtooth Star. You can find it in my 31 October 2010 post.

My wife liked it enough to sew it. Now I have to design quilting for it.

Quilting

Sawtooth Star

For me, the hardest part of designing a quilt is designing the quilting. However, this design from my 30 October 2010 post needs quilting; so here I go.

Piecing

Sawtooth Star

This quilt top design is from my 28 October 2010 post.

It is possible to piece this using only square and half-square triangles.

Piecing

Sawtooth Star

This quilt top design is from my 28 October 2010 post.

It is possible to piece this using only squares and half-square triangles.

Borders

Sawtooth Star

This quilt top was designed using blocks derived from a Sawtooth Star block. (See my 24, 26 & 28 October 2010 posts.)

Today I'm looking for borders for it.

Colors

Sawtooth Star

I derived this large block from a Sawtooth Star block on 26 october 2010.

I am going to put 4 of them together and seewhat happens when I try different ways of coloring them.

Blocks

Sawtooth Star

Two days ago (24 October 2010) I pointed out that a Sawtooth Star block can be made from a simple unit that is repeated 4 times.

I then played with that simple unit. I put 4 of them together in several different ways to create a series of new blocks.


Today I am going to treat those new blocks as if they were units and put them together 4 at a time to create super-blocks.

Blocks

Sawtooth Star

I like to take old blocks, such as this Sawtooth Star block, and change them to make new blocks.

Colors

Ohio Star & Sawtooth Star

When I designed this on 17 October 2010, I was pleased. Looking at it now I can see it needs more punch. So I'm going to play with the colors.

Paired Blocks #1

Ohio Star & Sawtooth Star

Ohio Star and Sawtooth Star are two very similar blocks.

What if I use them both together in a quilt top?

Medallion Quilt

Sawtooth Star

I tried designing medallion quilts for the first time in my 14 October 2010 post. I've decided that the centers need to be stronger; they need to be the focus of attention. I'm going to try again today and see if I can achieve that using a Sawtooth Star block.

Borders

Sawtooth Star

I was trying to see what sort of quilt tops I could create by changing the colors in a Sawtooth Star. My first few attempts were better suited to quilt borders. So I decided to go with the flow and see what sort borders I could create by changing colors.

Off-center Quilt

Sawtooth Star

I want to design a 72" x 96" quilt top using 6" Sawtooth Stars.

What if I create a series of boxes that nest in the top right corner? I'll start with dark purple stars on the outside and transition to light purple in the center.