method for sorting blocks
03-19-2018, 08:32 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Grant City, Missouri
Posts: 105
method for sorting blocks
Hi, I'm making a quilt out of 12 in. blocks cut out of 4 different fabrics chosen by my daughter. It is going to be queen size so I am doing 72 blocks in 8 x 9 rows. How can I arrange them without them ending up diagonally placed? Placing them in groups of 4 did not turn out good. Thanks
03-19-2018, 10:56 AM
#2
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,535
When block placement is important, I put them up on my design wall and take a picture on my iPad. For some reason I can see which needs to be moved better in a picture. If you don't have a design wall, pinning them to large window curtains works too.
03-19-2018, 11:04 AM
#4
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,018
So you will be only arranging the 4 different colored 12" blocks...no sub cutting or sashing? If so, maybe drawing out on graph paper, and using colored pencils to see if by maybe making 4 patches something will emerge...ifyou have EQ, that would be better......just a thought
03-19-2018, 11:16 AM
#5
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NE England
Posts: 212
Changing the saturation of your picture to black and white also helps to see the differences in values that aren't always obvious in colour.
03-19-2018, 11:34 AM
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Because the quilt is an even number of blocks across (8 blocks) and you are using 4 fabrics, I think there is only one way to avoid diagonals and avoid having the same colors next to each other. It would involve repeating the same 4 fabrics, but shifting over by 2 on each new row. Let me see if I can explain.
Number your colors 1 through 4. In row 1, fabrics will be 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. In row 2, fabrics will be 3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2. Those two rows will be repeated throughout the quilt.
If you change the quilt to 9 x 9, there are other possibilities. For 8 x 9, I think this is your only choice if you don't want diagonals and don't want the same colors next to each other . I did a quick work-up of this in EQ and the result is pleasing. It is similar to a woven effect.
Edit: I realized there is one other way to arrange the blocks. This would be Row 1 fabrics 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 and Row 2 fabrics 3-4-3-4-3-4-3-4. I do not find that arrangement as attractive as the first because there is less alternation for the eye, but it may work for different colors than I selected for my trial.
Number your colors 1 through 4. In row 1, fabrics will be 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. In row 2, fabrics will be 3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2. Those two rows will be repeated throughout the quilt.
If you change the quilt to 9 x 9, there are other possibilities. For 8 x 9, I think this is your only choice if you don't want diagonals and don't want the same colors next to each other . I did a quick work-up of this in EQ and the result is pleasing. It is similar to a woven effect.
Edit: I realized there is one other way to arrange the blocks. This would be Row 1 fabrics 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 and Row 2 fabrics 3-4-3-4-3-4-3-4. I do not find that arrangement as attractive as the first because there is less alternation for the eye, but it may work for different colors than I selected for my trial.
Last edited by Prism99; 03-19-2018 at 11:45 AM.
03-19-2018, 04:06 PM
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Grant City, Missouri
Posts: 105
Thank you everyone! While I was waiting for replys I started putting them together. I had no idea when I started this project how limited it would be...using only 4 fabrics and doing a 8 x 9! The only way that it would work, and it doesn't look that bad....is to make every other row the same....1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 alternated with 3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2. The all in all....isn't really that noticeable.
03-19-2018, 06:41 PM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southwest Idaho
Posts: 6,000
Because the quilt is an even number of blocks across (8 blocks) and you are using 4 fabrics, I think there is only one way to avoid diagonals and avoid having the same colors next to each other. It would involve repeating the same 4 fabrics, but shifting over by 2 on each new row. Let me see if I can explain.
Number your colors 1 through 4. In row 1, fabrics will be 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. In row 2, fabrics will be 3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2. Those two rows will be repeated throughout the quilt.
If you change the quilt to 9 x 9, there are other possibilities. For 8 x 9, I think this is your only choice if you don't want diagonals and don't want the same colors next to each other . I did a quick work-up of this in EQ and the result is pleasing. It is similar to a woven effect.
Edit: I realized there is one other way to arrange the blocks. This would be Row 1 fabrics 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 and Row 2 fabrics 3-4-3-4-3-4-3-4. I do not find that arrangement as attractive as the first because there is less alternation for the eye, but it may work for different colors than I selected for my trial.
Number your colors 1 through 4. In row 1, fabrics will be 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. In row 2, fabrics will be 3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2. Those two rows will be repeated throughout the quilt.
If you change the quilt to 9 x 9, there are other possibilities. For 8 x 9, I think this is your only choice if you don't want diagonals and don't want the same colors next to each other . I did a quick work-up of this in EQ and the result is pleasing. It is similar to a woven effect.
Edit: I realized there is one other way to arrange the blocks. This would be Row 1 fabrics 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 and Row 2 fabrics 3-4-3-4-3-4-3-4. I do not find that arrangement as attractive as the first because there is less alternation for the eye, but it may work for different colors than I selected for my trial.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
copycat
Main
9
04-13-2016 11:51 AM
