Tumbling blocks
#11
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 10,590
What PP said. I made one a long time ago (pictures posted here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...ks-t22344.html)
You do have to assemble the pieced blocks and continue with Y seams. I did put them together into rows and after a while I got quite adept at stopping, back-stitching, then pivoting the assembled blocks so it went together pretty fast once I got rhythm. My pattern had the partial units for top and sides and made the partial units the same fabric as my inner border so the mass of blocks appear to be floating in the quilt.
You do have to assemble the pieced blocks and continue with Y seams. I did put them together into rows and after a while I got quite adept at stopping, back-stitching, then pivoting the assembled blocks so it went together pretty fast once I got rhythm. My pattern had the partial units for top and sides and made the partial units the same fabric as my inner border so the mass of blocks appear to be floating in the quilt.
#15
Super Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,391
If you have the blocks already made into hexies, you will need to continue with the y-seam way to join the rows. If you want to join your rows with straight seams (Yes, there is a way), you need to create your hexies in halves. The diamond that you cut in half to do this needs seam allowance added. There will be a seam across one diamond.
For each hexie, sew a half diamond to a full diamond twice. Now you have two halves. Do not sew them together. Make all the hexie halves you will need.
Now you need a design wall (floor, bed). Lay out the halves so that they touch their partner half, nesting them together in the combination you like. The outside row will have blanks at every other spot. Make a blank of border to fill in, or if the quilt will have a shaped edge, just leave those for now.
Pin the next row from top to bottom, sewing bottom of left halves to tops of right halves all the way down. Be sure to keep the halves in the right order so that they can find their partner at the end. Sew next row. Lay it next to the first row to be sure each half is next to his own partner. Continue across the quilt. No Y seams. Add top and bottom fill-in pieces as you go. Now sew the rows together, add those edge half pieces and you are finished. Good luck.
For each hexie, sew a half diamond to a full diamond twice. Now you have two halves. Do not sew them together. Make all the hexie halves you will need.
Now you need a design wall (floor, bed). Lay out the halves so that they touch their partner half, nesting them together in the combination you like. The outside row will have blanks at every other spot. Make a blank of border to fill in, or if the quilt will have a shaped edge, just leave those for now.
Pin the next row from top to bottom, sewing bottom of left halves to tops of right halves all the way down. Be sure to keep the halves in the right order so that they can find their partner at the end. Sew next row. Lay it next to the first row to be sure each half is next to his own partner. Continue across the quilt. No Y seams. Add top and bottom fill-in pieces as you go. Now sew the rows together, add those edge half pieces and you are finished. Good luck.
Last edited by maviskw; 02-03-2017 at 07:57 AM.
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,402
The tumbling block quilt I am making is all done by hand. I made the cubes (hexagons) sewed them together in a row by connecting the flat sides (looks like a zig zag - chevron, whatever you call it) then I put those rows together. The even rows had one more than the odd rows - or you can do it the other way around. It does go slowly but my quilt is an I Spy so easier to keep them in order that way. And doing it my hand, it is not awkward. There is someone on the internet that did it this way using a machine, but I just can't remember who it was.
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