Design Wall Monday–May 28, 2012

Before I get back to machine piecing or quilting, I am preparing hexagons for another quilt that I hope to do by hand while watching TV in the evenings, or while waiting at doctor appointments and such. 

A week or three ago, I saw a quilt that immediately grabbed my attention, and I wanted to make it. The quilt is Patchwork of the Crosses and was pieced by Lucy Boston.  As a former children’s librarian, the designer/pieceworker added extra appeal. Lucy Boston is also the author of children’s books, among them the Children of Green Knowe and the rest of that series.  Green Knowe was based on the home that Lucy Boston and her family lived in. Though it was built in the 1130s, the home still stands today and it is possible to visit and see Lucy’s patchworks.

Here are a few of the hexagons that I fussy cut and sewed together. They will form  the center cross of the blocks. If you have a fabric suitable for fussy cutting, the centers can create some amazing  designs. Enlarge the photo to see some of Lucy Boston’s blocks on the book cover.

 

Linda Franz, the creator of Inklingo  has produced a set of  shapes to make this quilt, and has written a book about the quilt. With the book, you don’t need to use the Inklingo pieces, and she discusses hand piecing, English Paper Piecing and machine piecing, rotary cutter or scissors. You don’t need the shapes, but I don’t know why you wouldn’t use them. Use the shape collection to print out the pieces, then cut them apart. They are marked so that you can hand or machine piece accurately, they make economical use of your fabric.  Cut on one set of lines, sew on another-and the lines wash out when you are finished. The shapes also include some that are without a seam allowance, these you print out, cut apart and then they may be used as your papers for paper piecing. 

I have used this system before, most recently last fall to make all the HSTs for Orca Bay. Anything that can make HSTs simpler and more accurate is for me. Check it out at Inklingo.com.

Stop over at Patchwork Times to see what other quilters are up to.  Thanks for visiting!