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.

Offset Block #14

 

Spool

I was looking for an interesting block to play with offset when I came across Spool. My first thought was, this is not an interesting block and no matter how I color it or offset it, it will never be interesting. I decided to give it a try more out of a sense of fairness and duty than from any expectation that anything would come from it.

Here's what I found.

Offset Block #13

Snail's Trail

Snail's Trail is a very unique block. It will be interesting to see what happens when it is offset.

Offset Block #12

Kansas Dugout

Kansas Dugout is a nice simple block. I'm going to play with it.

Paired Blocks #25

Clay's Choice &

Drunkard's Path

I thought it would be interesting to combine an 8" Clay's Choice block with 4" Drunkard's Path blocks.

Quarter of Nine Blocks

Two Quilts from Moose Jaw

Last October my wife Linda and I were in Moose Jaw to do a trunk show and teach classes. I taught how to design Quarter of Nine quilts. On the weekend we went back with some friends for the Prairie Hearts Guild quilt show.Two of my of my students had Quarter of Nine quilts that they had designed in the show. I thought you might like to see them.

This one is by Daphne Hunter.

This one is by Dorothy Schaff.
(I couldn't get far enough back to get the whole quilt in the picture)

Paired Blocks #24

 

Swing in the Center

 

 

 

 

 

Linoleum

I was looking for two more traditional blocks to pair up when I found Swing in the Center and Linoleum.

Paired Blocks #23

 

Shoo Fly  

 

 

 

 

 

Rolling Stone

What if I pair Shoo Fly and Rolling Stone blocks? Will the combination give me any interesting quilt designs?

Paired Blocks #22

Nine Patch

Twin Star

I chose the blocks Nine Patch and Twin Star for an experiment. I want to see what sort of quilt designs I can create using just these two blocks by changing colors.

Four Patch Block #8

Kamloops

This quilt design uses a four patch block that I named after Kamloops, British Columbia.

Four Patch Block #7

Golden

I designed this quilt using the four patch block that I designed and named for the town of Golden in British Coloumbia.

Here's how it happened.

Half & Half Block #6

Kindersley

I named the Half & Half block I used to make this quilt design Kindersley, after Kindersley Saskatchewan.

Half & Half Block #5

Pipers Lake

This quilt design is made using a half & half block that I've named after Pipers Lake Saskatchewan.

A half & half block is sewn using two each of two different units.

Wonky Block

Capital T

The traditional block Capital T comes in 2 versions. Roos Kuyper decided to use the first version as the basis of a wonky block.

She sent me a couple of her sketches.

Playing with Fabric

Elegant Spirit

by Kay Koeper Sorensen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently on her blog, Quilts + Color, Kay Koeper Sorensen showed some fabric she had designed, called Elegant Spirit.

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.