This blog post, 3a will address only the Double Wedding Ring quilt with solid arcs as shown in the picture above. You can easily see that this is a 4 block x 5 block quilt. What you will also immediately notice is that the blocks share at minimum 2 Footballs or the shape produced when two Arc pieces, two 4 Patch Corner pieces and one Small Melon piece are sewn together.
The picture below shows the Marti Michell templates that would be used to cut these shapes. Your template pieces may not be identical to those shown below but they will be very similar.
For this quilt, it is very important to determine your decorative stitch thread color all the while auditioning fabrics that will surround each of your quilt block center pieces.
Can you see that I have yet to decoratively stitch around any of the vintage linen circles? I need to be absolutely confident of the fabric arcs before I choose a thread color for any one of the circles. And yes, I used many different thread colors!
Once you are satisfied with the layout of your center block pieces, you will find yourself at the point of experimenting with your fabrics. I began this process by choosing reproduction fabrics, many from the Moda Aunt Grace collection. I cut 8 solid arc pieces from each of about 10 fabrics and began randomly laying them out on the design wall taking care to keep an eye pleasing distance between same fabrics.
Did I absolutely love all the fabrics I chose…no. Instead, I chose fabrics that would work well with and/or compliment the vintage pieces they would surround.
It took me a day or two to cut and place my solid fabric arcs. I was constantly taking pictures looking for visual heavy spots that needed to be addressed.
From previous Classes do you remember about the importance of a black and white picture? Our eyes tend not to see unbalance when looking at color pictures but once we change them to black And white balance or unbalance becomes very obvious.
Look at the two identical pictures below, one in color and one in black and white mono tone:
There are a few areas that “read” heavier than others. You will find the correct placement of fabrics depends on the vintage linens circles composition, the appropriate fabric distribution and the results of your black/white picture. And who said quilting isn’t an art! 🙂
When you are completely satisfied with both your fabric and block center placements you will begin to choose the threads and decorative machine stitches. Once you have securely sewn your circles in place you will be very close to beginning to sew your block pieces together.
Are you ready? Happy stitching and blessings to everyone!
Rhonda
Rhonda Dort 