sample blocks - what size?

eeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!! thats just way too much thunk'n i reckon, anne. just make any blocks in any colours using any technique you fancy. when you get a whole mess of them, then you can start considering how you might set them into a quilt. quilts do not have to be symmetrical. they dont have to use all the same size blocks either. they dont have to be colour coordinated. scrappy quilts are beautiful. heck, dont make this complicated cuz its really not. just do what you like with colours you like. it will all come together eventually. just have fun with it. cheers, jeanne

You can make a quilt with different sized blocks quite easily. Grouping 3" into 6", 9" or even 12" squares, or 6" into 12" squares is easy enough. The fabrics only have to be the same if you want it to look that way. Scrappy makes it much easier.

I agree with Jeanne - play around and have some fun. Isn't the idea of making the samples to try out some blocks and techniques? Then why not do different sizes and play around with that 'technique' too? Sounds like the perfect opportunity to me for learning all sorts of new skills. :-)

Interesting idea! I do a lot of miniatures; and, although 3" does sound like a sensible way of practising without wasting, some blocks are very difficult to make at that size. The size would defeat your object of trying out a block to 'learn' the technique. I have just finished a 3" version of last year's RCTQ block of the month; and, even though I do often work small, I had to abandon one of them. But - I did eleven of them! So, if you were prepared to abandon one or two of your attempts, and you enjoy a challenge, then go for the 3" ones! On the other hand, I do agree with Leigh that putting together blocks of

3", 6" and 9" is not difficult and looks really great. Just play around, on some graph paper, with multiples. You can put blocks together in sections rather than rows, so you don't even have to have regular rows and columns. Have fun. . In message , Anne Rogers writes

Can I do another plug for Sharyn Craig's Setting Solutions (and also her 'Great Sets' Book). Setting Solutions is full of quilts made from different size blocks pulled together by the settings, and how to tone down the block with the wrong colours for the quilt so that it looks planned!

My theory: there are so many blocks that you could sew for a lifetime and never get to the end of them. Therefore make the blocks that appeal, whenever they call to you, in whatever colors, whatever size they turn out to be. Eventually you will have a pile of blocks. Then some rainy day, toss as many onto your design wall as will fit and have fun. You can make a center medaillon out of, say, 8.5" or 5.5" blocks. Add borders to make a piece that will work with, say, a round of 9.5" blocks. Or work everything into 12.5" units. Or just lay them out and make fillers wherever needed. No worries! Roberta in D, Queen of the Scrap Heap

"Anne Rogers" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net...

Yup, the RCTQ HUG Gallery is there!

the homepages and photo links page. Thanks for the suggestion. I have some orphan blocks of various sizes. I used to belong to a guild that did a yearly block collection. I like to try out the block patterns, but sometimes my finished product is not suitable for raffling!

Sally, you beat me to it!

Anne, I have several quilts which combine all different sizes of blocks. In one of them I think the blocks range from about 2" finished to 15" finished. The key to putting them together is "compensating strips", which can be pieced or unpieced, and make things fit together. Several of the "compensating strips" in the one quilt are postage stamp blocks, 1 1/2" pieces joined in a strip, sometimes 2 of them set together to look like 4-patch blocks in a strip. These quilts were done in a group class that met monthly at one of the LQSs. Each was based on a book, each month we would read a section/chapter of the book, and then the instructor would give us patterns for section of the quilt. This would usually be several blocks all relating to the part of the story we just read. Compensating strips were used to make the sections fit together or be straight on the edges.

When I was doing these, I kept small pieces of various fabrics I was using in a container just for those compensating strips. In fact I had a ziploc type bag for the smallest ones. That way I could unify the later blocks with the earlier ones. These are very scrappy quilts.

Another thing to help bring a lot of different blocks together is to use an assortment of backgrounds but all in the same family. I have seen some done with various light greys that are gorgeous. Mine were done with tans/beiges. and so on.

Good luck, have fun, Pati, > It is my intention to start putting together some sample blocks, so I can

Thats because our time is ahead of yours!

LOL! That's it! ;)

What I have done:

collected a range of fabrics and kept them together

made sample blocks (of whatever size) out of them

What I have not done (yet):

put them together into a top

I have every confidence that this will look waaaaay cool. Mary

On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 00:18:28 -0600, Anne Rogers wrote (in article ):

I prefer to do 6 inch or 12 inch blocks. I chose those sizes because they'd probably work for a block swap or HUG quilt that I might want to participate in even if I don't have the time to sew something.

Maureen

thanks all, you know if never occured to me I could make them different sizes and still be able to put them together, which is particular silly as I had literally 5mins before posting been looking at pictures of quilts like that!

I may pick out a couple of sizes to stick to, so things don't go too complicated!

Anne

anything divisible into or by 12....

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12 those will all mix and match up so they fit 'right nicely, thank you.'. finished sizes that is. cheers, jeanne