Basics of Divide and Conquer Quilt Design

Today’s Topic:  Basics of Divide and Conquer Quilt Design

Welcome to Week Fourteen of The Better Machine Quilt-a-long based on my book 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting.

Find all of the previous Lessons HERE.

Sign up for emails of the class HERE.

Good Morning, Quilters!

Yesterday’s post was all about quilt markers, pens and pencils- including my list of five favorite tools.  Thank you for all YOUR suggestions for quilt marking tools. I hope you will all check out the important tips included in yesterday’s comment section.

 

Frixion Pens

Several quilters commented that they love Pilot’s Frixion Pens.  Frixion Pens were not designed for fabric, but many quilters love them.  Frixion pens create a nice thin line that is easy to see and erases with steam.  The color of the ink erases completely though a faint line remains. This line may reappear when exposed to cold air. According to my conversation with Pilot customer service, the only way to completely remove the ink is by using a product called Amodex Ink Remover or Motsenbocker Lift Off 3.

I don’t mind the faint line or that the line may return with cold air.  However I stopped using Frixion pens because I noticed that it was difficult to remove the colored ink when I stitched directly over the drawn line.  It seemed the stitching line trapped the ink and required a lot of effort to remove with steam.

Give them a try…and see what you think.

By the way, I LOVE doodling with Frixion Pens!

Basic Divide and Conquer Design

NOTE-We breezed through Chapter 14 on Marking Tools and today we are forging ahead with Lesson 15 in 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting:  Divide and Conquer Design.

Quilt design is easier when you break it down into manageable pieces.

Often it is necessary to find the center of a block to help position a quilt design or stencil, for example.  You could measure the width and length and find the center of each, but there’s an easier way.

To find the center of a square or rectangle, draw diagonal lines from corner to corner.  The intersection of those lines is the center of the square or rectangle.

Easy Ways to Divide a Quilt Block

Once you know where the center of the block is, you can subdivide the square or rectangle into 1/8s.

Place the long edge of your ruler on the center point and then line up a horizontal line on the ruler with the edge of the square.

Repeat this horizontally. Line the long edge of the ruler with the center point and a line on the ruler with the edge.

This is the easiest way to divide a block into quarters.

And it creates a whole new canvas of shapes for inserting quilt motifs!

Extend the Lines for Larger Blocks

If your quilt or block is very large, start with a small square in the middle and use a yardstick to extend the lines.

Easy!

YOUR Assignment

Doodle:  Practice subdividing a square and a rectangle in your notebook.

Choose just two motifs and create a variety of compositions.  See how many combinations you can create!

You might like my latest WeAllSew tutorial for Butterflies!

Test your marking tools–Are they easy to erase? What happens when pressed with an iron–does the line disappear or is it heat-set?

If you have a Frixion pen, try stitching over the line and then steaming the line.

Tomorrow

More Ways to Divide and Conquer

Doodles from my Notebook

Channeling YOUR High School Geometry Teacher,

Mrs. Kennedy, Room 25

 

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ.  For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com.  Thank you!

Visit my Etsy shop: LoriKennedyShop for all of my books!  They are ALL bestsellers!

13 responses to “Basics of Divide and Conquer Quilt Design”

  1. This was one of the best things I learned from you years ago!….divide the quilt up in your head and it won’t seem so daunting…just work on the piece under your needle. That stuck with me when a big quilt felt too big! Appreciate you sharing all your wonderful quilty knowledge!😊

  2. Lori, I was on love with frixion pens. Until I had lines reappear after a few years. A table runner sitting in a sunny window that seriously was a few years old and had been used several times started showing marks. I washed it, ironed it. It’s never coming out. Dont think I will buy the product that supposedly removes it. The runner is not that important. I just noticed it on a wall hanging that is several years old. I will try to send a picture. Heaven forbid this was not a special quilt…although I may have used on something I gave away. I use them now only on areas that will never be used…Pat S

  4. I do like the fine line created by a Frixion pen. However, I stopped using them on my quilt tops a few years ago after seeing lines reappear on someone’s beautiful quilt in a January quilt show. The quilt had gotten cold during shipping and the Frixion ink reappeared. Heartbreaking for the quilter! I now use these pens to mark diagonal lines on the back of fabric squares prior to stitching HSTs. Cut apart on the drawn line. If there is a concern about the ink reappearing through light or white fabric, just trim down the seam allowance to a scant 1/4″. I also like to use the Frixion pens for doodling. Thank you, Lori, for these great quilting lessons!

  5. I am totally amazed at the varied experiences with Frixion pens. 1. using them for years, 2. didn’t like the colors and thus I stick to black. 3. I have never used steam on it. just heat. I have even stuck a small piece of applique on a lit light bulb for the heat to remove it. 4. Now I am concerned about all those quilts I gave away!! I am going to look at the quilts I gave family a few years ago and see if I can find any recurring lines. Gee , we get a good education here! Thanks, Lori.

  6. Coincidentally, earlier today I was trying to figure out how to quilt the border on my sampler quilt. I don’t want anything busy because it’s black batik with small grey dots and the quilting is more to add structure. After auditioning many different things, I decided to divide and conquer. Using the clover chalk wheel/ white chalk powder, I drew a “seam line” to mark where the binding will start. I then drew a series of triangles with bigger triangles in the corners using the white Dritz chalk cartridge. I’m planning to put half square flowers in the corners, parallel lines curving back and forth at each edge in the triangles next to the sashing and a 3 petal flower in the outer triangles. Each of these motifs is used elsewhere in my quilt so I think repeating them with add to a cohesive look.

    I’ve sewn the triangle outlines and the Clover chalk markings are almost completed gone. They served their purpose but I’m glad I’m not counting on them being there for the remainder of the quilting.

  7. I am currently quilting a Storm at Sea quilt with parallel lines weaving around the 8″ blocks. The 8″ blocks will be quilted after I have finished all the parallel lines. The only way to reasonably approach this queen-size quilt and preserve my sanity is to divide the quilt into quadrants and do one at a time from the center out to the border. I am marking those parallel lines with a Frixion pen (and did a test of the lines under stitching last night – they disappeared, thank heaven), and even doing the marking a quadrant at a time.

    It’s a lot like eating an elephant – one bite at a time until it is done.

  9. The quandary of Frixion pens is worrisome. On certain colors of fabrics, they are so helpful in making nice visible marking in comparison to other disappointing markers. I’ve had no problem pressing the lines away on any color or fabric, though a few times I’d go back with the edge of my iron to get the heat precisely on a line that was under stitching. Since I give many quilts away, the thought of lines reappearing over time makes me want to re-consider the risk. One thing I will never use again is the Clover chako color wheel in yellow. I learned the hard way that the yellow does not brush away nor does water remove it. I think they should remove the yellow from the market.
    Thank you for sharing all your valuable information.

  10. Now after what Patricia said I am getting nervous. This Storm at Sea quilt is a wedding gift for my youngest stepdaughter. I just ordered the Crayola Markers Lori recommends. Fortunately I only have one quadrant marked with the Frixion pen.

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