Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Modular quilt tutorial part 2

I cut many areas into my chosen sizes, using about 1/2 yard of this fabric.  I cut several other fabrics too.  You have to just cut shapes to play with using the chart I gave you yesterday as starting point.
Then I went to the design wall and just started putting pieces up there.  You have to overlap slightly to make them fit while they still have seam allowances on them. I have the extra pieces not used yet to the right of the piece.  I also have 4 more fabrics cut into shapes since I took this photo.  This isn't the final layout but just a quick play time to see if it is going to work.  I will replace a lot of these pieces with the new ones that I cut as I go.  You have to decide if you want to cut every fabric before you play or just cut a few and play a little.

If you are making a small piece you want to use each fabric at least 3 times for a balance in the design.  If you are making a large quilt you might use 5-8 pieces of each fabric.

This is another quilt that I used the modular approach for.  I have 2 sizes of stars, 4 patches, plain squares in 2 sizes and large stars.
In this quilt I used the large star block as the main size and all of the combinations of small pieces made a block the same size as the star.  It was easy to sew together in straight rows unlike the hand dyed one with the partial seam in the construction.  This quilt was started in 2004 and finished in 2009.

21 comments:

tropicslady said...

Thanks for the tutorial. I need to stitch binding today, but as soon as I am done I am getting going on this modular quilt. Already have my fabric picked out! Your fabric choices are lovely by the way.

Deb

Cedar Ridge Studio said...

Thanks for the info. This is very helpful in the thought process in putting together a quilt. Makes it simple.
I love the black and white animal quilt.

sosarahsew said...

Great information. I can't wait to see more.

Lynne said...

It's 10:45pm at the end of a very long day and my head is fuzzy! I think I understand but I'll have to sleep on it and read your post again in the clear light of day (and with a clear head)!

didi said...

it seems to me that hanging a (smaller version of a) quilt like this bedspread in a baby's room would be like playing Mozart to him/her. every casual glance or deep reflection would build a growing sense of structure and rhythm.

Debbie said...

I like where this one is going! Very striking with these fabrics. It reminds me of the 9 patch pizazz technique.

Eat Sleep Quilt said...

Oh wow, I like your modular tutorial! I'm just now reading yesterday's post, and it occurs to me I have several pieces of African fabrics with large motifs - just the right thing for this design. Thanks for the tut, gotta go dig it out and start cutting!

Linda
ps - today's secret word is acint - as in "You can use a lot of acint pieces in this design!"

Eat Sleep Quilt said...

One more thing... the quilt you're working on now, approximately how large had you planned the finished size to be? You cut about a half yard of your focus fabric but I notice they're spaced out a lot.

Linda

Needled Mom said...

It is so nice to see how this is all coming together. I love the star modular quilt.

Diane said...

Wanda, this is going to be exquisite!

Elsie Montgomery said...

You know how much I like anything with zebras in it! Watching with interest...

Sharon said...

You are sharing a great tutorial for those who don't know this technique. I think quilts put together in this manner are so interesting to look at! Great job!

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

Ooooh! I am loving the animal print and how you've fussy cut it to use it to best advantage. That is going to be some stunning quilt!

And the modular stars is really pretty, too. So many wonderful ideas, so little time. LOL

Sheila said...

Love your b&w animal print!
Thank you for the tutorial. Hope to start one soon.

Lynn Cohen said...

the animal layout is great...beautiful work all.

PJ said...

Thanks for the tutorial. Your fabric is lovely and your instructions are very helpful.

Cathi said...

This is a fabulous tutorial - I got the idea immediately between reading what you wrote and looking at the pictures. I can't wait to see how this one turns out -- and now you've given me an idea for a toile that I have and couldn't figure out how to use!

Leslie said...

That's really an interesting process. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that!

Purple Pam said...

Thank you for sharing your modular process. I love to watch your mind work. Everytime I look at your new quilts you give me more food for thought.

Anonymous said...

Great tutorial today ... Just love those prints and watching you have fun on your design wall.

I love your star quilt as much as I did in '09'.

J~MT

Pat said...

Thanks for explaining how this goes together. I know the finished quilt will be beautiful.
Hello, Great weather!!!!