Rosie the "Ripper"

I just love plaid and checkered fabrics - also striped - but don't know the best way to use them in a quilt. Borders are a simple enough solution but I would like to use them interestingly in a pattern for a block. Does anyone have any suggestions or samples I could look at? I still consider myself a beginner quilter but am willing to be challenged. Thanks for any help.

hevemi

McCallsQuilting.com
has a nice free e-book "nine-patch-quilts" (Dressed to the Nines). <There are very pretty checker and stripe 9-patch block quilts. Try Googling their page or send me PM, I can e-mail you a copy as it's a free leaflet.

www.mccallsquilting.com/nine-patch-quilts.html

Scissor Queen

Here's one I did with a plaid and a gingham check. I love the way they work with florals. The main thing is to not obsess about the pattern on the plaid or the gingham being perfectly straight or matching up.

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lfstamper

So pretty scissor Queen.

yngldy

Me too. I have quite a few on my list with the scraps and the "didn't look good together after I bought them" pieces. There are the traditional: 9 patch with alternating solid white/cream, Glorified 9 patch, Goose Tracks, Bear Paws, etc. Also saw a French Braid shown on this board made out of plaid. I am making a quilt for my son out of plaids and stripes from the Quaint Quilts To Love, Leisure Arts. It has four squares cut into diamonds alternating with cream solid. Also made Kansas Troubles out of brownish plaids for other son. Don't have pictures yet.

AnitaSt

Check out Bonnie Hunter's quilts and patterns at quiltville.com. She make scrap quilts and uses LOTS of plaids. Her book Scraps and Shirttails is full of plaids.

Tartan

Stripes can look very cool in any block that has two triangles that come together to create corner like the Card Trick pattern. Someone on QB did an awesome Card Trick in special border prints and stripes. I can't remember who it was unfortunately.

MadQuilter

I have made some interlocking block designs using only plaids. They all seemed to play nicely together. If you pick any of the colors IN the plaid and use a small geometric or solid of it, that works well too. Any rustic design (woodlands, trees, maple leaf, etc) seems to have a place for plaids. One thing I don't like is stripes in directional patterns. Those tend to get wonky on me.

MdmSew'n'Sew

Have you checked Quilter's Cache? My favorite is the Plaid Scrap Block, but she has lots of others that would work with plaids and checks. http://www.quilterscache.com/P/PlaidScrapBlock.html

Tartan

I just cracked open my new issue of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine and found a dynamite pattern for using stripes! It has great movement and if you've ever tried her methods or read her books you know how wonderful they are. Anita Grossman Solomon has a new method that really makes bias striped blocks look easy. If you run out for the issue it is on page 59 under "Anita's Unbiased Block."