Tag Archives: quilt blocks

Wyoming Valley Star Quilt Block

Posted on May 24, 2013 | 10 comments

This week’s practice block is the Wyoming Valley Star.

Wyoming Valley Star Quilt Block

It is drawn with a 6 x 6 grid.

And here is how it looks set side-by-side in a straight set:

Wyoming Valley Star Straight Set

How about a little color to add a spark to the quilt?  All I did was draw a line across the four corners of the block and popped the color in.

Wyoming Valley Star Straight Set

Let’s open up the design a bit.  This time I deleted lines from the Wyoming Valley Star quilt block to create alternate blocks.

Wyoming Valley Star Straight Set

The same block looks different when the color is moved around.

Wyoming Valley Star Straight Set

It is nice to have open spaces to show off your quilting skill.

Wyoming Valley Star Straight Set

The next design is similar to the first, but the Wyoming Valley Star quilt block is now set on point:

Wyoming Valley Star On Point Set

Another variation on point:

Wyoming Valley Star On Point Set

Lots of room for quilting!

Wyoming Valley Star On Point Set

If I were to make one of these last two, I think I would play with border variations.  I might like something simpler to go with the simpler quilt design.

Wyoming Valley Star On Point Set

What do you think?

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Wedding Ring Quilt Block

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 5 comments

This week, I am playing with the Wedding Ring quilt block, found in the perpetual calendar, 365 Quilt Blocks a Year by Nancy Martin.

On the left, a traditional blue and white block is pictured.  On the right, a more dramatic color scheme is shown.

Wedding Ring is drafted from a 5 x 5 grid.

Here is how the traditional colored block looks in a straight set:

Wedding Ring Straight Set

And again, with sashing strips added:

Wedding Ring Straight Set 2

The two-color quilt is soft and pretty, but what happens when we’re feeling dramatic?

Wedding Ring Straight Set 3

I created alternate blocks by eliminating a few lines from the Wedding Ring quilt block.

Wedding Ring Straight Set 4

Soft and pretty Wedding Ring set on point:

Wedding Ring On Point Set

And again, set on point with alternate blocks created by simply eliminating lines from the Wedding Ring quilt block:

Wedding Ring On Point Set 2

The next three variations are for the drama queen in all of us:

Wedding Ring On Point Set 3

Wedding Ring On Point Set 4

Wedding Ring On Point Set 5

I think my favorite is #6, but I’m fickle…I could change my mind, as I often do, when I try different settings, color schemes, and blocks.  Fortunately, Electric Quilt makes quilt designing easy and fun.

Which is your favorite?

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Vermont Quilt Block

Posted on April 26, 2013 | 6 comments

I played with the Vermont quilt block this week. 

The block is drawn with an 8 x 8 grid.

The block on the left is the way the block is colored in Nancy Martin’s Perpetual Calendar, 365 Quilts A Year.  The block on the right is my colored variation.

For comparison, I’ve put both variations in a straight set. 

There is no right or wrong; it is simply a matter of personal preference, or the look one wants.  Using two or three colors is common in many wonderful traditional quilts.

The next three designs are also straight settings, but the Vermont quilt block has been altered to create an alternate block to use with the original.  The Snowball quilt block is also used.

Vermont Straight Set 3

Vermont Straight Set 4

Vermont Straight Set 5

The Vermont quilt block set on point:

Vermont On Point Set

And three more on point designs using the Vermont block, a couple of variations, and the Snowball block:

Vermont On Point Set 2

Vermont On Point Set 3

Vermont On Point Set 4

Which do you like the best?

Not every design is a winner.  I certainly don’t like all the virtual quilts that I’ve designed.  That’s not the point.  The point is to play; to learn what works and what doesn’t.  Enjoy the process, and maybe make a real quilt once in a while.

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