Even If At First You Do Succeed,

Try,Try, Again

It's easy to stop designing when you find something you like. But sometimes, if you keep designing, you find something you like even more.

Do You Want To Design A Quilt?

Try Adding Icing To A Cake

Okay, I admit it, this title doesn't make a lot of sense. But if you give me a chance I'll try to explain it.

Think of a traditional block as a newly baked cake that you can decorate. If you start with a simple block like Shoo Fly, or Sawtooth Star, you can add to it and make it your own. Think of what you add as the icing.

Here, let me show you.

Planning Your Lettering

Adding lettering to a quilt takes a little planning.

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.

This Alphabet Is For You

Deerfoot

I thought you might like to try out my Deerfoot alphabet and see what you think of it.

Here's 3 Cats For You

Sometimes I start designing with a goal in mind. It doesn't happen often. Usually I just start playing and what happens, happens. But this time I wanted to make cats.

If You Find Something You Like

Look For More

Yesterday I designed with these 2 blocks and I liked the results. So why not see what else can be done with them?

Don't Know Where You're Going?

Then You'll End Up Someplace Else.

That Could Be Fun!

The nice thing about looking for new block designs is that you never know what you'll find.

Too many quilters think of quilt design as problem solving. Who needs more problems? Think of it as a treasure hunt and it becomes an adventure. New adventures are fun.

Come with me now on my latest adventure. It starts with a random design on a 3x3 grid.

Here's An Easy Way

You Can Explore Color

When you are designing a quilt, color is very important. And color is very personal. It's worth the time it takes to find the colors that are just right for you.

I'm going to show you how I use the Invert Colors option in the Paint drawing program to help me find my colors.

Paired Blocks #20

You Can Do A Lot

With 2 Simple Blocks

Part II

How easy is it to design a quilt? It can be as easy as picking 2 simple blocks and playing with them until a design you like appears.

Let me show you.

What Do You Think?

Is This A Cat Tilting Its Head?

Add eyes, whiskers, and a tongue, and this could very well be a cat cleaning itself. Caroll was playing with a block design of mine and discovered this.

Paired Blocks #19

You Can Do A Lot

With 2 Simple Blocks

Designing quilts does not have to be difficult or complicated. Start with 2 very simple blocks. Play with how they are arranged. Experiment with how they are colored. You'll be amazed at all the different designs you create. It's easy. And it's fun.

Let me show you.

You Need To Play With Color

If You Are Going To Design A Quilt

Nothing is more important than color choices when it comes to designing a quilt. Color is the first thing you notice about a quilt. And color is the most important factor in determining whether you like a quilt.

You can change a quilt design just by changing its colors.

An Easy Way For You To Design

A Tessellated Quilt

A tessellated quilt uses a single shape repeated over and over to fill the space. You might think it would be hard to design a tessellating shape. But it's not.

There are several ways to do it. I'm going to show you my current favorite way.

Have You Sewn

An Interesting Border Lately?

You want your quilts to look their best. Right? So why would you dress them in drab uninteresting borders?

The right border can make a world of difference to a quilt. To prove this to you, I've taken some designs from my last 2 posts and added borders to them that are anything but plain.

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.

Another Way

You Can Design A New Block

Using An Old One

Admit it, you've always wanted to design a block. Other quilters do, so why not you? What's holding you back is not knowing where to start. Well, that's not a problem any longer because I'm about to show you any easy way to design a new block by starting with an old one.

Paired Blocks #18

You Really Should Try Mixing

Drunkard's Path Blocks

With Other Blocks

Drunkard's Path is an interesting block that is very different from most bocks. Usually it is used in combination with other Drunkard's Path blocks. Which is too bad, because combining it with a variety of blocks can result in some unique designs.

Keep Trying

Sometimes it's a good idea to leave a design you've been working on and come back to it later. This gives your subconscious a chance to mull things over and come up with some new suggestions.

Try Something New

I spend a lot of time in this blog trying to convince you to try designing a quilt or two. I guess if I want you to try something new, it behooves me to try something new once in a while too.