Category: Sunday sketch
Sunday sketch #185
I changed my mind about the Sunday sketch I was planning on sharing this week. I decided it was too close to a pattern that another quilt designer has already published. There were slight variations – I used half-rectangle triangles, whereas they used half-square triangles, and the placement of the shapes was different – but the ‘feel’ of the two designs was definitely the same. Purely coincidental, but too close for comfort, at least for me. Sometimes I think it’s useful to share such designs, as an opportunity to discuss serendipity in creativity and to celebrate fellow quilters’ work. But in this case, I’d want to discuss it with the other quilter first.
So anyway, here’s one I prepared earlier 🙂 Much earlier, in fact! I first posted this design on Instagram in October 2015 (long before the Sunday sketch series started!) as part of Blossom Heart Quilts‘ #myDIYblockdesign challenge. Alyce had just published her DIY Block Design e-book, and challenged readers to create their own blocks. I had just started quilting, so was keen to practice as much as possible. I used Excel (!) to design a series of blocks using half-square triangles, and this is one of them!
I recently revisited this design, using EQ8 to redraw and recolour it. Whenever I create a block-based design, I always try the reverse colourway for alternate blocks.
The design also works well in two colours, with an optional third to tie the blocks together using that repeated square within and between the blocks.
Or the blocks can be coloured slightly differently, again using just two colours. This approach definitely makes the design busier; I think it might be better with two fabrics that contrast a little more than this pink and red….
This design is a simple one (so much so that it wouldn’t surprise me if this was a traditional block): it’s all half-square triangles and a few squares. You could also make it using half-snowball units, quarter-square triangle units, and square-in-a-square units – which would maybe add a bit of work but cut down on a few seams.
Sunday sketch #184
I mentioned in last week’s blog post that I had more designs related to Sunday sketch #183 that I’d share in the coming weeks. Rather than stretch them out, I’m including them all in today’s Sunday sketch. Why not?!
These designs all play on the same theme of connected circles. I’ve coloured these ones slightly differently; rather than emphasising the swooshy curved shapes between the circles (like I did in last week’s design), I’ve highlighted the rectangular bit and used another colour for two quarters of each circle.
In the first design, the shapes extend from left to right. I like the sort of checkerboard effect that emerges as a result.
Of course, since I can never decide on a colour palette, I also made a version in which the colours are reversed…
I really liked the cascade effect in last week’s design. Each row of connected shapes had an upward trajectory from left to right, so I tried a downward trend for this design. It means that most of the circles on the left are part of a row of 5 connected circles (and 4 rectangles). However, the second-last row has 4 circles (and 3 rectangles), and the last row has only 2 circles (1 rectangle) – and vice versa at the top of the design.
You might be able to see what I mean a bit more clearly if I use a different colour scheme. See how each colour defines a row of connected shapes?
Keeping each line with the same number of circles and rectangles leads to a nice overall shape for the design.
How about alternating the overall shape while retaining the same downward trajectory for the rows? To do this, I needed to add a few rows again: first a row of 3 circles, then 2, then 1 on its own. I like those lone circles floating at the top and bottom! I also like how the rows step downward while the overall shape leans upward. Little features like that make me happy 🙂
Of course, other overall shapes are possible too. Quilty peeps love a hexie!
Like last week’s Sunday sketch, these designs could all be translated into a quilt pattern fairly easily. They’re all rectangles, squares and drunkard’s path blocks, with a bit of sashing and a lot of background fabric thrown in. If you used only 3 fabrics, there’d be a lot of identical blocks, which means a lot of chain piecing and a pretty quick quilt top!
Sunday sketch #183
It’s the last Sunday sketch of 2019! Thank you for following along with me each week as I scratch my creative itch. I love being able to share my design process with you.
I got stuck on a circle theme recently, and here’s one of the outcomes…
(I’m trying to ignore the fact that the circles and colour palette remind me of the Pokemon Go logo haha!)
This design would be easy to make into a quilt: it’s all drunkard’s path blocks and rectangles. And lots of background fabric! I don’t know if I’d bother with a different coloured binding, as shown here – running the background colour right to the edge would look good too (either as a standard strip binding or a faced binding).
I got lost down a very long rabbit hole of related designs, before and after making this one, so you might see more along this theme in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Happy New Year and best wishes for a fantastic 2020!
