Tagged: quarter-circle
Sunday sketch #303
One of the most fun (funnest?) parts of quilt designing – for me, at least – is creating designs with interesting or unexpected secondary shapes. They’re the shapes that emerge in the spaces between the main (primary) shapes.
In this week’s designs, I just started with a circle and replaced one quadrant with something different – in this case, a 9-patch block coloured to look like two steps.
There was no real reason or inspiration behind the choice of a 9-patch – I just needed something different, and that was the first idea that came to mind. As soon as I started rotating the block in Electric Quilt 8 though, I liked how those steps combined with the curves and steps of adjacent blocks to make interesting secondary shapes.
I tried using a limited colour palette to let the secondary shapes blend into the background as negative space…
…and also tried colouring the primary and secondary shapes differently for emphasis.
I also kept rotating the blocks to create new and interesting shapes. The version below led me off in a new direction for loads more sketches, some of which I’ll share next week.
I love the feathery movement in this last one, and the balance between the undulating curves and the up/down steps. Definitely lots more potential in this design! Check in next week to see where I take it.
This week’s designs are just quarter-circles (drunkard’s path units) and 9-patches. Basic elements that combine to make more than the sum of their parts, I think.
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!
