Tagged: strips
Sunday sketch #131
I’ve been trying to be more imaginative with curve designs lately, but it be difficult. I think my designs often follow my own sewing abilities (in other words, ‘could I make this?’), and I’m not very experienced when it comes to sewing curves. But sometimes basic designs can be just as effective as more complicated ones. This design, I could definitely make:
I love incorporating the same shape in multiple ways in a single design. In this case, all the Xs (the whites in the foreground and the reds in the background) are the same size; it’s the colouring that sets them apart.
There are plenty of possibilities with this pattern. Just removing some of the foreground circles opens it up a bit:
Those background Xs, in red, can become a sort of supporting trellis for the circles if they’re connected:
But the trellis can be broken up a bit by removing some of the connecting parts:
And different colours can give the design an entirely different feel. How about a Nordic cross-stitch vibe:
Or maybe a candy shop colourway?
The quilt design could be made into a pattern using (slightly amended) drunkard’s path units and strips or rectangles. A template would probably be easiest for the curves.
Sunday sketch #128
In the past week, I found myself with some unexpected sketching time – but no dot pad. Instead, I pulled out a Moleskine grid notebook. I don’t normally use grid paper to sketch anymore, because I find that the printed lines limit my imagination a bit. But in this case, it didn’t really matter, because I already had an idea for a design I wanted to explore.
I only had a red gel pen with me, so I just used four levels of shading to differentiate the pieces in each block. The blocks are set on point, but they could just as easily be swivelled 45 degrees to be set normally, with no need for partial blocks on the top, bottom and sides.
I mocked up the same design in EQ8 when I got a chance, but I don’t think it looks any better or clearer than the hand-drawn version. The only advantage is that I can colour it differently; this version is my homage to the new Pantone Color of the Year: Living Coral.
I also realised later that I’d oriented the blocks slightly differently, but I don’t think that matters so much.
This design could be made into a quilt pattern very easily using strips – lots and lots of strips!
Quilt pattern: Stepping Stones
I submitted my last magazine quilt earlier this year, and now it’s out in the latest issue of Love Patchwork & Quilting! I’m really pleased to present Stepping Stones.
I designed this quilt in Excel, which I find really easy for creating rectangle-based designs. Here’s the original design:
The design was inspired by Indian stepwells – massive, ancient stone wells in which the water is reached via hundreds of stone steps. This is the Chand Baori stepwell in Rajasthan, India:
Isn’t it beautiful? I’ve been fascinated by these structures for years.
This design is all rectangles – strips are pieced together in blocks, which are then pieced together in rows. The quilt top comes together really easily, and I quilted it in a simple grid pattern.
I used a mix of Cotton & Steel basics from the Netorious, Sprinkle and XOXO collections. I recreated the colour palette of my original design pretty closely, apart from adding that pop of mustard instead of the smoky grey. Because who can resist a pop of mustard?!
Issue 68 of Love Patchwork & Quilting is on sale from Thursday 28 November, in print and digital formats.
