kaleidoscope quilt

This might be kind of late but I'll tell you what we figured out from the class I took. I'm pretty sure the class was the "Stacked Posie." The more contrast between the background and the pattern the better the kaleidoscope stands out. The size of the repeat doesn't matter so much as the variety in each repeat. The less variety in each repeat the more blocks you'll get that look the same or similar. I would say you want the repeat to be at least 10 inches to get the most out of your fabric.

I highly recommend shopping.

The symbol was in a book featuring Asian-looking projects. I also have stencil with the same symbol in different sizes. Originally I was going to applique the black silk strokes. Bad idea. That old silk (Daddy sent it home when he was serving during the Korena Conflict) frayed immediately and persistently. I fused them and stitched the edges.

joan

I saw no mention of Circular Logic. It was billed as a new and easier way to cut the stacks of fabric for the stack and whack. Didn't really see new or easier, but it looks like it still works the same way. How does Circular Logic differ from her earlier quilts?

joan

.sandymike.net

The best fabrics are large prints. There should be about a hands- width of space between motifs. If you have a set of mirrors placed at right angles to each other, you can put them down on the fabric to get some idea what fabrics work and which ones do not. Too small and the result is muddy; too large and there's no spinning effect. It's a trial and error sort of thing. The nice thing about the four patch version is that you can play with less fabric than the traditional stack and whack.

joan

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She uses alternating motifs in the kaleidoscopes, for one thing, which makes it easier. For another, I don't think the original SnW (I could be mistaken) was ever in a traditional kaleidoscope block, was it? These are, giving a circular effect.

The original stack'n'whack was probably the one that is really more like a pinwheel; Bethany Reynold's book calls it a "Kaleidoscope Pinwheel". You can see one I made at . But there is another quilt that Bethany calls "Diamond Ring" in the book. This is much more like the traditional kaleidoscope block. I made one that looks likes this: My blocks were a different size than hers and I used the "Quilt-in-a-Day" Kaleidoscope ruler, but the principle is the same.

Julia in MN

Julia, I've forgotten how many "spokes" are in that Diamond Ring block

-- is it eight? Twelve? At any rate, that's another difference in the Circular Logic pattern; there are 24 sections, and they are all put together into a circle, which is then appliquéed onto a background. Another smaller circle is appliquéed onto the very center to cover the hole where the sections don't meet (on purpose! ).

The Diamond Ring block in Bethany Reynold's Stack'n'Whack book has eight spokes. It is basically the same as the kaleidoscope in Quilters Cache:

Julia in MN

Thanks to you & Ms. P for the tips. I've printed them out for my shopping trip!

Pauline Northern California

joan

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