Choose A Pattern. Simple And Complex Quilts
The easiest quilts to make are perhaps four-patches upon which so many little girls have
learned to sew, and "brick work," that boon plan of piecing for the woman who has a lot
of "sample" oblongs all shaped alike. Brick work is simply sewing into shallow rows a
strip of equal size oblongs, then jogging the seam half way over for the next row, etc.
Four patches are 2 dark and 2 light squares joined checkerboard fashion, and two of these
alternated with plain square of equal size to make a large block. A nine-patch demands
that you get four intersections to meet exactly instead of just one as in the four patch.
A double nine patch made of tiny squares cut about 1 1/4 inches square makes one of the
daintiest quilts imaginable when flower-like colors are used in profusion with white for
the alternate squares. Using all four corners of little pieced nine patches as well as
the center makes it even lovlier.
Quilts like Orange Peel, Old Maid's Puzzle, and Windmill are elaborated four patches;
while it is easy to trace the nine patch variation in many like Weathervane, Pin Wheels,
Maple Leaf, Greek Cross, Jacob's Ladder, etc.
Beggar's Block, Burgoyne's Quilt, and the triangle corners of the Skyrocket are sort of
three patch placings. Then come a great group based on the diamond unit, the six and
eight pointed stars, the piecing plus applique designs like Honey Bee, Noon Day Lily,
Cherry Basket, and Friendship Ring. There are those that take curved seams, Mill Wheel,
Rob Peter to Pay Paul, and the French Star and those that demand shallow angle seams like
Baby's Blocks and French Bouquet. Double Wedding Ring and Lone Star have the whole quilt
top as a unit, although they, too, must work from small pieces to larger. We do hope you
will find the very one that appeals to you, and after that another and another as every
one has possibilities of real beauty. It's up to you - Choose a pattern!
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