Making a quilt should be a fun and relaxing experience, so choose fabrics that you enjoy working with.
Two-color blocks have a unique appeal. To be most effective, choose colors that contrast – white with blue, red or green work well. White with pink, yellow or lavender are nice, but don’t offer as much contrast.
Where you place the colors in your blocks affects the look of the block and quilt as well. The two blocks pictured below have exactly the same patches in the same place in each block. The only difference is that the colors are reversed.
On the left, it is commonly known as Cross and Crown, and the dark fabric looks like the "crowns" while the white forms the "cross." The block on the right simply has the colors reversed. Notice the different effect that is created.
“Goose Tracks” is another not-quite-so-dignified name this block goes by. This is a relatively easy block to piece and offers an interesting variation just by reversing the dark and light fabrics.
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This block gets even more interesting when you combine them into a quilt. There are many possibilities for combinations of these blocks, including combining them with solid fabric blocks. Below are just a few simple combinations that create some very different illusions.
Keep in mind that these are combinations without sashing. You can also break up some of the sub-patterns by including sashing between the blocks. Or, what about using sashing the same size as the "cross" in these blocks, and including cornerstones?
Ah, the possibilities!
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Cross and Crowns quilt using blocks as shown above on the left. The blocks are placed directly next to each other. |
This design uses both blocks and has them alternating. Looking at the top row, the blocks on the outside corners have the red "crowns" while the block in the center has the white "crowns." |
This simple variation alternates the block with the white crowns with solid white fabric squares. |
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This design uses the blocks with colors reversed and blocks placed next to each other. |
And this one alternates the block with the dark crowns with solid red fabric squares. |
Or, you can alternate the block with the dark crowns with solid white fabric squares. |
It's fun to play with the different variations and, of course, these are just a few.
Before I had any quilt design software, I took a piece of plain paper and drew a relatively small outline of the block. Then I took it to the copy center (this was many years ago!) and made multiple copies of the block outline. Once home, I cut the blocks out.
Using a full size sheet of paper, I placed the blocks on the paper until I had a design I liked. Then I colored the blocks in.
Sometimes, I reversed that part of the process, and colored the blocks in and then tested the layout on the paper. Once I was happy with my design, I glued the blocks down to the paper and used it as a pattern for my quilt.
Pretty easy and it took just a little more time than it would today.
Using quilt design software makes this much easier. The only software I have used is that from Electric Quilt (EQ6 and EQ7). It is easy to learn and a lot of fun to play with. The software generates templates as well as rotary cutting instructions.
The QuiltBlockLibrary.com offers a variety of Four Patch, Five Patch, Seven Patch, and Nine Patch Patterns, with suggested color variations. While it is not necessary to stick with the suggested colors, maintaining the placement of dark, light and medium fabrics will allow you to retain the design of the quilt block.
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This information is from "Understanding Quilt Blocks" which is an email course from www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com. Sign up for the entire series here:
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Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
Master Quilter
