Tagged: squares
Sunday sketch #289
In Sunday sketch #287, I picked out a particular combination of shapes that I wanted to play with some more. Since then, I’ve spent a bit of time seeing what I could do with them. Not much, as it turns out! 🙂 Well, at least not much that I thought was worth sharing. But I did my usual iteration / modification, and ended up with a bunch of designs that I really like. Here they are!
So, it might not be so obvious at first glance how this design relates to Sunday sketch #287. Below left is the shape that I picked out from that sketch; below right is the modified shape I ended up with. I added one half-square triangle to each side, which changed the angle of the connection between them (diagonal rather than horizontal).
But hang on – that’s not the shape I ended up using in this week’s design! Well, it almost is. Instead of having the two parts touching at just one point, I slid one part along a smidge so that they touch at both points, creating a closed loop. Connecting these loops in slightly inclining rows also creates a series of secondary shapes in the centre – diamonds and elongated diamonds. The loops and diamonds can then be coloured differently, depending on which element you want to emphasise.
You can also take elements away to modify the design yet again.
Or use colour to create different connections between certain shapes. Here, I’ve alternated the colour of the top and bottom of the loops to give the impression of a spiral or a zig-zag. I really like this version! It’s got a lot of energy, I think. Or maybe that’s just the acid yellow, haha!
This week’s designs are all made from half-square triangles and squares. I’m not sure there’d be much advantage in trying to assemble a quilt using blocks; I’d be tempted to just make a bunch of HSTs and squares and then lay them out in rows and columns to sew together. It’s the sort of design that might make you feel like you’re not making much progress until the very end.
Sunday sketch #287
This week’s sketches are iterations of last week’s. It’s been awhile since I’ve done a series of related sketches. Although I’m not sure two posts in a row counts as a series…!
So last week’s sketches were all based around interlocking crosses – a bit like Brigid’s crosses – with alternating blocks having the reverse colouring. Using random colour placement instead produces a design like this:
And then I just started removing bits. I designed the block using flying geese and a square-in-a-square units, which means there are lots of bits that can be subtracted to create new and interesting designs. Here’s the first design again:
And here it is with alternating blocks removed (actually still there, but with only the centre square showing), to add some more negative space and help you see the individual crosses (or what’s left of them):
I also tried a simpler palette, so you can concentrate on the shapes rather than the colours.
This week’s sketch could be made into a quilt using flying geese, squares, square-in-a-square units and rectangles.
This isn’t one that I’ll be rushing to make, but I enjoyed the process of iterating the design and exploring different shapes and palettes. That’s the kind of experimentation that I like doing with the Sunday sketches – often a little shape or combination of shapes will spark a new idea and a new sketch. For example, I really love this little shape, which is repeated and rotated in the above designs:
It feels a bit like fingertips touching (not that I’m comparing my work to that of Michelangelo or anything..!). Anyway, I’ll keep playing with it and see if I can come up with something new. Watch this space!
Sunday sketch #286
I love using an alternating palette (usually of only two colours) on a regular repeating pattern to give the impression that some blocks are sinking into the background while others are coming to the foreground.
In this week’s sketches, each main ‘cross’ shape is made up of one block, with the outermost edges created by adjacent blocks.
The problem with a two-colour palette is that I can never decide which version I like best….
This kind of design has sooo much potential for different block placement. I tend to start with the blocks in the centre, often surrounded by a wide border (like in the above two images). When I’m happy with that version, I’ll try other versions by adding or removing blocks or borders.
With this sketch, I actually started with a multi-colour palette of my usual warm pinks, oranges and yellows. These colours always work well with a white background or a darker one (like the dark blue shown here). I like using wide borders in my sketches to frame the design a little, but of course you needn’t do that when making a quilt. I know some quilters hate dealing with things like sashing and borders.
These blocks also work well when set on point (i.e. on a diagonal grid). The lines within each block end up stretching horizontally and vertically instead of diagonally.
I removed the corner blocks in the above two designs, just to add some negative space. But you can fill out the whole grid if you want.
Or mix up the palette and placement…
And use whatever colours you want!
I originally designed the block using a square-in-a-square unit, a bunch of flying geese, and some half-square triangles. But seeing the block set on point, I realise it would probably be easier to make a quilt from this design using squares and rectangles that are assembled into rows or columns –rather than making complete blocks that are then sewn together.
