Tagged: drunkard’s path
Sunday sketch #302
I’ve used lots of hard angles lately, so let’s relax with some groovy curves this week!
This is a block-based design: the version above uses a 4 (across) x 6 (down) layout. (I liked the idea of stopping the design before the bottom edge of the frame, kinda like the design is dripping down the page.) Anyway, in the design above, the inner blocks each have four colours (with the tiniest of background colour in their corners), while the outer blocks have three colours plus background. I’ve coloured the blocks to create those big S shapes that extend between blocks.
The S shapes are made from two types of curves: quarter-circles (or drunkard’s paths) and elongated 2:1 curves (twice as long as they are wide – which I first encountered using the long drunkard’s path templates from Jenny Haynes of Papper, Sax, Sten).
Combining these two shapes gives some really organic, flowing movement across the entire quilt design. You can put your finger down, trace along a curve, and it’ll just keep meandering round the page. I love it.
I also love how the use of colour can suggest transparency, just because of how the curves seemingly overlap.
All those swirly, globular shapes remind me of a lava lamp.
This design could be made into a quilt using just curves (and some borders). I use templates for curves: for cutting the pieces and for trimming the final units. I like Jenny’s templates because they’re oversized, so you can be a little off with your sewing and still trim down to a perfect drunkard’s path or long oval drunkard’s path unit. (I don’t get anything from Jenny for spruiking her awesome templates! I just like telling people about products I like 🙂 )
Sunday sketch #297
Last week’s sketch was so groovy – I just had to keep playing with the tessellation.
In this week’s designs, the curvy cross from Sunday sketch #296 appears without the interstitial stars, and in an expanded palette that avoids the need for alternate colouring.
It looks a bit like a camouflage pattern to me. Not that I really want to be thinking about military clothing right now.
The arrangement of stars can be mixed up a bit…
…and of course there’s nothing stopping you from using more colours. I’ve stuck to a palette of three colours for most of these designs, but four works too.
Like last week’s sketch, this week’s designs could be made into a quilt using drunkard’s path units (or quarter-circles) and a few squares. Lots of repetition in piecing, but I don’t mind that.
Sunday sketch #296
I love a good tessellation, and this week’s design is a really simple yet striking one. It’s an iteration of Sunday sketch #286, using quarter-circles instead of half-square triangles (or half-circles instead of flying geese).
Each block extends the star-like motif into the four adjacent blocks. So each of those swirly arms starts in one block and ends in another. The simplicity of the design lends itself to a two-colour palette, and I can never get enough of this warm yellow!
I often like to ‘float’ a design within wide borders to kinda set it off, but this design works well in a tiled, edge-to-edge layout too.
The blocks can also be set on point, which makes those four-armed star shapes look just a little bit more swirly.
The design can incorporate additional colours, but I don’t think it’s as interesting, to be honest. I also removed the outer stars in these versions. Maybe they would help?
I still prefer the first version!
These sketches could be made into quilts using quarter-circle units (also called drunkard’s path blocks) and a few squares. You’d have to be pretty confident sewing curves (or willing to get comfy with them). I find bigger curves easier to sew; in the top design, 3″ (finished) drunkard’s paths would make each block 12″ square. That design uses a 6 x 6 block layout (only parts of the outer rows and columns are coloured in to complete the motifs from adjacent blocks) – so, 72″ square. I’m pretty tempted to make this one!
