How To Design A New Quilt, Full Time Job.

My new quilt grows every day, and I’m happy to see it growing!

This quilt began with just one 5 x 5 block, so little, so tiny, and from that block I got the idea of making a full quilt with different blocks, all same size!

Little I knew about all work that needs to be done to make a full quilt (queen size) with such a little block.

This quilt became an UFO for a while, it stayed folded in a drawer for so many months, almost a year!, well I’m happy to tell you that I have done 49 different blocks, and the top begins to look big, big enough for me to start thinking on how am I going to quilt it? of course I will quilt it by hand, but I might do it in a different way, this subject will be a subject for another blog post.

So this week, as I was working on a new blocks (6 in one day!), I place the top on my bed to see how big it is, ah!! think all quilters dream is to make a block and it is perfect for the whole quilt!!

My First Panic Attack!

Far I was from it, the top was not even for one quart of the top I need to make!!! this is when I got a PANIC ATTACK!

Yes, I also have panic attack, I just have 49 blocks made and the top is not even one quart of the quilt… how many blocks will I need to make more!!

Think all quilters could have a panic attack every time we or at least me thinking on making 1000 + blocks for a quilt, in most of the cases this is not true, but some times could be 500, 300 depends on the quilt size and the block size.

But back to my panic attack, I began to make some maths, and this is another reason to love Quilts, they can keep our brains working, in this case I love to do math as I see how they work and how maths help me out with my quilts all the time.

Ok, I got the big numbers, for one quart of the top I will need 64 blocks!! don’t bad, eh?

For the whole quilt, I will need 4 x 64 = 256 blocks , ok, not even 300

My second PANIC ATTACK!!!

I need to make 256 different blocks, as this is my own challenge for this quilt, and all these blocks will be designed by me!!

Where can I get all those designs?, how can I make them?

Today, and after I could take 5 minutes to relax and to think with more calm, I began to draw different ideas for new blocks, yes sometimes I get inspired by classic Patchwork designs and sometimes I get inspired by all those great quilters and their beautiful designs.

And some times I also can get some inspirational ideas from some illustrators,

I just need as a quilter and make some drawings,

Then I work on the patterns, with some paper sheets and my always trusted pencil

Then, it’s time for my scissors and my copying machine!!

The rest of the story I think you know how it goes… yes, it’s time for the my loyal best friend, my sewing machine,

As you can see my quilt now can be folded and it’s getting bigger!

To design a quilt, it can take some will power, some inspiration and more things, like the perfect tools and lovely fabrics, and you might find easy moments to work on it with no problems at all, but there will be hard moments of course.

But at the end, always a new quilt to be shared with the world will see the light for the first time.

You might love it or not, you might make it or not.

But one thing is for sure, to design a new quilt takes a lot of work and a lot of time.

To all quilts designers, a big thank from here and a big thank to all quilters of the world who appreciate their designs and work and are willing to pay some money for their patterns!

This time I have no ‘Free Pattern’ for you, but no panic!!! if to work to make a new block takes time to do it, to make the pattern is a lot of work to, so I will sit down to make the pattern for you, so stay in contact and I will let you know when the next pattern is ready for you.

I thank you for your visit and for your interest on making this quilt.  I also thank you for Pin It and for sharing my work!

Alejandra.