Wonky Block

Spool

It has been a while since I made a wonky block by changing the grid on a traditional block. So I thought I'd try a simple block that would resist my attempts to create something interesting. I chose Spool. Sometimes this block is known as Bow Tie.

When I changed the grid, I also changed Spool from a 6" block to a 12" block.

Although, if I had used a 1,2,3 grid, it would have remained a 6" block.

Quarter of Nine #15

Dublin Steps

When you cut a traditional block which is assembled from nine units, such as Dublin Steps, into quarters you get four Quarter of Nine blocks.

When you change how the Quarter of Nine blocks are colored and arranged, the result is a new block that can be used to make original quilts.

Quarter of Nine #14

Flying Shuttles

You won't find a Flying Shuttles block anywhere in this quilt design; but you need to sew Flying Shuttles blocks to make the quilt.

Far left: The 9 units that make a Flying Shuttles block
Center:  A Flying Shuttles block
Near Left: A Flying Shuttles block cut into quarters


Cut a Flying Shuttles block into quarters and you make what I call Quarter of Nine blocks. You'll notice that it makes two different Quarter of Nine blocks. You can use these new blocks to design your own quilts.

Scrambled Block #6

Flying Shuttles

To create this quilt design I started with a Flying Shuttles block which I broke down into the 9 units that go together to make it.

Scrambled Block #5

Clay's Choice

If you're looking for design inspiration, you might want to try starting with a traditional block and scrambling the units to make new blocks.

Clay's Choice is a traditional block that is constructed from eight units.

Scrambled Block #4

Friendship Star

I look at this quilt design and I find it hard to believe that it started with a Friendship Star block. But it did.

Scrambled Block #3

Card Trick

This quilt design doesn't look like it was made using a Card Trick block. It wasn't. Instead, I took the units that go together to make a Card Trick block recolored them, scrambled them, and put them together to make a new block.This quilt design was made using that new block.

Quilts From Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Part 2

Trail Mix

My quilt Trail Mix is in Quilts From Quiltmakers 100 Blocks.
To see what else is in the magazine and for a chance to win a free copy go to Quilty Pleasures.

Quilts From Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

Trail Mix

On 5 March, Quilts from Quiltmakers 100 Blocks hits the shelves. My quilt Trail Mix is one of the quilts in it.

I designed it using my Indian Cabins block which appeared in Volume 6 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.

My 7 November 2012 post shows a variety of quilt designs using the original version of the block


I've tried coloring the block different ways and playing with the setting. I thought I'd show you some of the results.

Scrambled Block #2

Balkan Puzzle

Its fun to take traditional blocks and use them as the inspiration for new blocks. I make what I call Scrambled blocks by putting the units from a traditional block together in new arrangements.

Scrambled Block #1

Jacob's Ladder

On occasion my mind wanders and I put a block together wrong. It occurs to me that this doesn't have to be a bad thing. What if I were to intentionally mix up the units for a block and make a new block? I can call them scrambled blocks.

Half and Half Block #4

Estevan

Estevan is what I call a half & half block. It is made by combining 2 different units. As a result, unlike most blocks, it is not symmetrical.

Half & Half Block #3

Hague

Half & Half Block #2

Climax

Half & Half Block #1

Foam Lake

To Be Continued..... Part 6

I've been showing you the individual letters from my quilt To Be Continued..... Today is the last day.

To Be Continued..... Part 5

I wish I had picked different colors for this quilt. I tried to go through the color spectrum from green through blue to purple as I advanced through the alphabet. It seemed like a good idea but it didn't work. I should have picked a couple of blues to go with the yellow background and left it at that. Then the quilt would have had greater unity.

Don't misunderstand me. I might use these colors again on another quilt. The colors do go together. It's just that they didn't work with this quilt.

To Be Continued..... Part 4

There are 29 letters in this quilt from 29 alphabets. They may look involved and complicated but none of them are. Take a close look and what do you see? Straight seams that anyone can sew. Diagonal seams at 45 degrees that can be made using the connector corner method, sometimes called sew and flip, which anyone can do. And that's it.

The one exception is the first A and it can be paper pieced quite easily.

To Be Continued..... Part 3

There are 29 letters on the front of this quilt that I named To Be Continued.... Each one is from a different alphabet. When they are all together like this, it is easy to over look one or two.  So I've decided to show them to you one at a time, starting  2 days ago.

To Be Continued..... Part 2

Every year my wife Linda and I put quilts into the Heritage Park Quilt Festival here in Calgary. The year this quilt was part of the festival I had two other alphabet quilts exhibited as well.

We met a friend in the park who said she'd seen my quilts and they were wonderful. Then she said that someone else did an alphabet quilt and it just didn't flow.

Linda and I had been all over the park and the only alphabet quilts we had seen were mine. It was this quilt she was referring to.

And she was right. It doesn't flow. Every letter is from a different alphabet that I'd designed. They don't look like they belong together because, in point of fact, they don't.