Because it uses only one shape of patch, it is relatively
easy to make. Yet with careful placement of light, medium
and dark fabrics, you can create some really fun designs.

Many years ago, charm quilts were all the rage. A charm
quilt is a scrap quilt taken to the “extreme.” Every piece
of fabric is different.

Each quilter has a different way of accomplishing that, too.
Many quilters exchanged fabric with their quilting friends
or relatives. Quilters bought fat quarters and used pieces
from them.

Quilters frequented thrift shops looking for fabric that
could be used for a patch in their quilt.

And, many of us started quilts for our daughters - or
other family member - to finish.

Mine is made using a piece of each fabric I have used in a
quilt. When I remember, I cut a small rectangle from the
corner of each fabric as I use it in a quilt. Often I write
the year I purchased the fabric.

When I have a stack of rectangles, I cut them into the
diamonds I need for the quilt.

Then I arrange them in stacks of light, medium and dark
fabrics, and begin sewing them together to create hexagons
which will be added to the quilt.

The key to these quilts (in addition to careful piecing) is
to keep the light, medium and dark fabrics in the same
relative position in these hexagonal units.

Another thing I noticed is that since I treat each hexagon
as one unit, a medium fabric in one set could be a light
fabric in a different set.

This has created some dark areas in my quilt which makes
it kind of interesting.

You can see my creation in its current state, as well as
see step-by-step instructions for sewing diamonds
together in order to create the hexagons.

Sewing the hexagons onto the quilt top is the same technique
as sewing the diamonds together:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/1121-tumbling-blocks.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. You can also make a Tumbling Blocks or Baby Blocks
quilt using coordinated fabric. This gives you all kinds
of opportunities for creative design.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/1121-tumbling-blocks.php

Often quilters can use just a ruler and their rotary cutter
to cut all of the patches in a quilt.

It’s easy to cut strips, squares and triangles with just a
rotary cutter and ruler, and there are some things you can
do to make your cutting even easier and more accurate:

* Stack up to 4 layers of fabric to cut at one time. More
than 4 will likely result in inaccurate cutting.

* Press the layers of fabric together before you cut them.
The tend to stick together better as you cut.

* When cutting triangles, cut strips first, then cut the
triangles.

* Stack fabric right sides together for cutting. Stacking
fabrics you will sew together will save additional time.

* Use the same ruler or same brand of ruler to cut all of
your fabric. There really is a difference between rulers.

For additional tips and more details, visit:

http://quiltblocklibrary.com/cuttingfabricforquilts.html

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. Accurate cutting will save headaches and heartaches
in your quilting:

http://quiltblocklibrary.com/cuttingfabricforquilts.html

The good thing is that you can accomplish two things at the
same time.

Chain sewing patches is how it all started with me, although
I didn’t learn about chain sewing until way later in my
quilting journey.

For years, I sewed one patch, took it out of my sewing
machine and cut threads at the top and bottom of the patch.

Yes, it took extra time, and wasted thread. But, when I was
first learning how to quilt, experienced teachers with tips
and techniques to share were few and far between.

Once I learned how to chain piece patches, the next progression
was to leave some of the patches inside a block connected so
the pieces in each block would get sewn together correctly.

Of course, every once in a while, I mess it up, and have to
rip something out. But, by and large, by using chain sewing
techniques and keeping some patches connected, I am able to
get my blocks sewn together quickly and with few mistakes.

With just a little planning and the use of a flannel board,
you can increase the speed and accuracy of your piecing and
avoid the dreaded seam ripping and re-sewing.

I’ve spelled it all out in a step-by-step fashion, with
pictures to show exactly how it works:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2031-chain-sew-blocks.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. Once you have the blocks sewn together, you can use the
same technique to sew your quilt top together - and avoid
ripping and re-sewing blocks, too.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2031-chain-sew-blocks.php

I’m sure it was a big transition when quilters began using a
sewing machine instead of hand piecing their blocks.

The next progression was probably when quilters stopped
backstitching at the beginning and end of each patch in a
block.

By the time I started making quilts, all of those steps had
been taken. But I was still feeding patches through my
machine one pair at a time, taking them out and cutting the
threads.

Since I have been chain sewing my patches for years now,
it’s difficult to remember what it was like to cut the
beginning and ending threads on each pair of patches I sewed.

As vague as the memory is, I do still remember. And possibly
many beginning quilters haven’t yet heard the secret.

This one is a real time saver. In addition, it saves thread,
scissors, and aggravation.

It’s called chain sewing, and you just put your patches
together and feed them through your machine one after
another, enough space between to cut the patches apart.

The extra benefit to chain sewing is that, if you are even
a little organized, you can use your chain sewing to sew
more than one quilt at a time.

You will discover a few more ways to organize your chain
sewing to speed up your piecing here:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2015-chain-sewing.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2015-chain-sewing.php

The quilt featured a large square in the center, set on
point, and surrounded by triangles, so it looked like a
diamond set inside of a square.

After I studied it for a while, I realized that it is
really quite simple to make.

And, like a Log Cabin block, you can just keep adding
pieces to the outside to make it larger, and then sew
blocks together to complete your quilt.

Unlike a Log Cabin, often quilters start with a fairly
large center square, which means you just need to add
a few triangles and you’ll have a good size quilt.

Of course, it will be a square quilt - perfect for a
double, queen or king size bed, or a great throw for
a couch.

Often these quilts are made using solid colors with
high contrast, and the quilting designs are quite
elaborate - since the fabric is solid.

I’ve written out step-by-step instructions for you to
make one of these simple blocks, starting with a 4 inch
square.

All of the measurements are there for the triangles, and
you can easily make these as small blocks for a quilt.

Visit:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2201-square-in-square.php

for the step-by-step instructions.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

And if you are sewing simple 9 patch blocks or patches
together, you can use a technique called “strip piecing.”

In this method, you cut up strips, sew them together, cut
them up, and then sew them together again.

Sounds like a lot of cutting and sewing, doesn’t it?

But, then, isn’t that what quilting is all about?

But, really, by cutting the strips and sewing them
together to make two different types of strip units (I
call them), you will get a simple 9 patch with alternating
colors, creating a kind of checkerboard.

You start by cutting strips of two different colors of
fabric - typically one light fabric and one dark fabric.

Then you sew one light and one dark strip together - and
sew as many of these together as you will need to make
the number of blocks or patches you need.

The width of each strip depends on the finished size of
the square you need.

If you are sewing a patch within a block, the finished
size of the individual square might be 1 inch. If that
is the case, cut your strips 1 1/2 inches wide.

If you are sewing a block with 2 inch squares, finished
size, you will cut strips 2 1/2 inches wide.

You get the picture.

Once the two strips are sewn together, add a strip onto
each of these pairs. For some of them, you will add a
light strip to the dark strip, creating a unit that has
3 strips with a pattern - Dark-Light-Dark.

On the others, add a light strip of fabric next to the
dark fabric, creating a unit that is Light-Dark-Light.

Once you have these units, you are ready to cut them up
and sew them back together.

Match one of each of the units, and place them right sides
together. Cut pieces off that are the same width of the
strips you cut earlier.

If you cut 2 1/2 inch strips, cut 2 1/2 inch units from
these pieces.

Oh, it’s probably more clear at this point, if you see
what I am talking about.

I’ve got step-by-step instructions - with pictures and a
short video:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2028-strip-piecing.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. It’s pouring rain here today in usually-sunny San
Diego - it’s a perfect day for quilting and sewing 9
patches:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2028-strip-piecing.php

There are several different block designs using simply
strips of fabric, and each block is simple to make.

Basically, you just sew strips of fabric together
(usually the same width), cut them off to the correct
length, and then sew them together as patches to make
the block.

While it’s fairly straight-forward to sew two or three
strips together and then cut them off into shorter units,
when you start sewing several strips together, there a
few things to keep in mind:

* Make sure you check the accuracy of your seam allowances
before you begin

* Check the pressing of your strips and make sure that you
are pressing on the seam lines and not some random place
between

* If you are sewing more than about 4 strips together,
occasionally begin your stitching on the opposite end of
the strip.

When I sew strips together, I rarely cut off the selvedges
before I sew. Maybe it is because I am a little lazy, but I
haven’t found a need to do that.

Often you will end up with uneven lengths of fabric strips.
This is because not all fabric is exactly the same width.
Depending on how you will use the strips and how much fabric
there is on the end, you may be able to attach a new strip
onto the bottom of the strip that is extra.

View some traditional patchwork blocks that can be easily
strip pieced, and learn other tips for sewing strips of
fabric together:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/1109-quilt-blocks-from-strips.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. Tomorrow we will explore blocks that you can “spice
up” by using strip-pieced fabric instead of plain fabric.
In the meantime, see some traditional blocks that you can
easily strip piece and save time:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/1109-quilt-blocks-from-strips.php

“How Can I Combine Different Sized Blocks in my Quilt?”

Sometimes it happens by accident. You may have been in a
block exchange, and everyone was supposed to make 9 inch
blocks. But there were some quilters who forgot and made
12 inch blocks instead.

Rather than making two different quilts or leaving the
different size ones out, you can get creative!

Here is just one real-life example of how I combined
several different sized blocks and patches to make an
interesting fishbowl quilt for engineer son, Bubba -
when he was 6.

He combined his love of fish and my love of quilting
when he found a quilt pattern in a magazine. When I
first looked at the picture of the quilt, I was amazed
and puzzled about how it was put together.

When I cut the picture of the quilt into sections, though,
it became obvious that it was pretty easy to put together.

Using the same techniques, you can combine different size
blocks to create a masterpiece as well.

When you visit the page, you can see how the quilt was
broken into sections to make. Using the same idea, you
can take different size blocks and combine them into units
to be sewn into your quilt.

As always, a picture is worth 1,000 words. In this case,
I’m certain you will enjoy the variety of fabrics a 5 year
old chose for this fun quilt, including some beautiful
batik fabric along with Popples and Care Bears.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/1104-different-size-blocks-in-quilt.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. The key to making any quilt is to break it down into
smaller, sewable parts. And this quilt was broken down
into several even smaller pieces - most notably half-square
triangles. And even some half-square triangles with an extra
strip to add some interest.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/1104-different-size-blocks-in-quilt.php

most animals would be upset with the turmoil of things
coming off the shelves of closets and being piled on
the furniture.

not my buddy, jackson, and me - m. mouse, the official
diabetic how-to-quilt.com siamese cat.

it was completely because the things that were coming
off the shelves of the closets in our house were quilts.

and, penny spread them around.

she didn’t spread them all over the house like she was
decorating or anything. she had a project.

her mission for the next few days is to talk to you about
quilting designs.

she stirred up quite a bit of interest in that topic when
she sent the email out showing you the chalk mechanical
pencils.

so, she decided to use some of her quilts as examples of
quilting designs - the good, the not-so-good, the well-
maybe-we-should-give this one away, and the i-wish-i-had-
done-this-differently.

now, won’t that be fun?

i’ll take the “well-maybe-we-should-give this one away”
quilts for myself. i may even share one with jackson.

anyway, while she is off taking more pictures of quilts
and quilting designs, she asked me to write up a message
and let you know what’s going on.

this first article talks about how much quilting to do
on a particular quilt. she shows a quilt with a lot of
quilting and one with a medium amount of quilting and
tells you why she quilted each one the way she did.

(she quilted a nice fancy design in the blocks that had
big muslin pieces in them. and she had to quilt a bunch
on a quilt she uses as a wall hanging when she discovered
that the fabric on the quilt top wouldn’t stay put when
she hung it on the wall.

my solution would have been to use it on the couch - so
i could sleep on it. but - - - she had different plans.)

in two other examples, she shows how you can make designs
stand out or move to the back of the quilt just by the way
you quilt.

here’s the page where you can see the pictures and read
her explanations:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/5004-quilt-design.php

happy quilting!

m. mouse
the official diabetic how-to-quilt.com siamese cat
(jackson didn’t help at all!)

p.s. i’m off to curl up on one of these cuddly quilts
before she puts them back onto the shelf in the closet.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/5004-quilt-design.php

p.p.s. i understand that she is going to talk even more
about how to decide how to quilt your quilts, plus tell
you where you can find designs, and do some more about
how to mark your quilts. so stay tuned. this is going to
be some great information that you won’t find anywhere
else.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/5004-quilt-design.php

I have received many emails recently with the question of
“What do you do when your finished blocks are different sizes?”

Most experienced quilters kind of chuckle that knowing
chuckle, because most of us experience the same thing.

Here are a few things you can do to check and improve the
accuracy of your stitching:

* Watch the cut edges of your patches as you are sewing
on the machine ? instead of watching the needle.

* If a seam is longer than 2 to 3 inches, pin along the
seam before you sew ? not just at the beginning or the end.

* Iron your patches facing right sides together.

* Consider getting a “little foot.”

* Use a 1/4 inch wide piece of masking tape to mark the end
of your sewing line

* If you are sewing bias pieces, try starching your pieces -

* When sewing angled, pointed pieces (such as diamonds or
triangles, start at the wide end first.

* When beginning chain sewing, start with a scrap of fabric,
and then add your first pair of patches after you sew through
the scrap.

To read more details about each of these, visit:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2020-sewing-patches.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. You’ll also see a picture of a Little Foot and a “fabric
bunny”

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/2020-sewing-patches.php