Designing Quilts On Computer

Using Paint

Part 1

I don't use a quilt design program to design my quilts. I use the version of Paint that comes with Windows XP. It has its limitations but it is an easy way to get practice designing.

Let me show you what I do. (If you have a different version of Paint, the exact procedure may be a little different from what follows, but the basic idea will still be the same)

Another Look At Weyburn

Brenda King sent me a smilebox for participating in the Weyburn quilt show. I'd never even heard of a smilebox before let alone received one. I thought you might like to see this one: smilebox

This Is Me

In Weyburn Saskatchewan

Linda and I just got back from Weyburn Saskatchewan, where every 2 years the Weyburn Crocus Quilters put on a quilt show.

We had a great time and were impressed by the wonderful quilts we saw and the wonderful quilters we met.

What If You

Change The Grid

Of ...

...A

Contrary

Wife

Block ?







You get this wonky Contrary Wife block.

What If You

Change The Grid...

...Of A

Dutchman's

Puzzle

Block?

What If

You Change...

...The

Grid

On A

Jacob's

Ladder

Block?


You get a wonky Jacob's Ladder block, which I think is more interesting than the original.

What If

You Change...

...The

Grid

On A

Shoo Fly

Block?







You get a wonky Shoo Fly block.

A Quick Update

A month ago I showed you this quilt (On The Road to Weyburn) while my wife was still working on it and before it had borders. I thought you might like to see it finished.

Quarter of Nine #10

What If You Made

 

An Ohio Star

 

Block..

...Then Cut It Into

Four Quarters?

Quarter of Nine #9

What If You Made

 

A Friendship Star...

...Then Cut It Into

 Quarters?







The result is 4 Quarter of Nine blocks that are really quite strange.

Quarter of Nine #8

What If You Made

 

A Churn Dash

 

Block... 

...Then Cut It Into

Four Quarters?

You would have 4 small units to play with. I prefer to call them Quarter of Nine blocks since the original Churn Dash block was made by sewing 9 squares together and each of the new blocks is a quarter of those 9 squares.

There are any number of ways you could sew the Quarter of Nine blocks back together to make larger blocks.

Quarter of Nine #7

What If You Made

A Shoo Fly Block...

...Then Cut It Into 

 

Four Quarters?

Quarter of Nine #6

What if You Made

A Nine Patch

 

Block...

...Then Cut It Into

 

 Four Quarters?

This Old Quilt

Gave Me Some New Ideas

I Used To Think This Was

The King's Crown Block

And, of course, it is. At least, according to conventional wisdom, it is.




But then....

I Have To Show You This

This is the quilt my wife Linda is currently working on.

She took the Weyburn block that I showed you in my last post; decided to make it scrappy and added some sashing.

I don't know if you can imagine this quilt without the sashing. But I can tell you it was nowhere near as interesting or lively. I think the sashing was a brilliant idea.

Often it's the little things that make all the difference.

Three Very Different

Identical Blocks

It is possible to dramatically change not only the superficial appearance but also the basic design of a quilt block by changing how it is colored.

I'm going to explore some of the possibilities using a simple block.

You Can Use Old Ideas

To Make New Quilts

I was going through some of my old quilt design files when I found this block, High Prairie. It's named after a town in my home province of Alberta.



Back when I designed this I didn't realize that every block has multiple identities. I thought that, what you saw is what you got. So I would stop designing as soon as I found something I liked.

What Can I Do

To A Friendship Star

To Make It My Own?

Traditional blocks do not have to be traditional blocks. You can make new blocks from old ones if you put the pieces together differently.

If the two half-square triangles on either side of a Friendship Star block are rotated, the result is a new block that looks nothing like a Friendship Star block.

What Can I Do

To A Shoo Fly Block ...

...To Make It My Own?

It happens to everyone. You're assembling a block and somehow the pieces don't go together the way they're supposed to. So you say something like, "Oops, I made a mistake."

Think again. You didn't make a mistake. You made a new block.