Beginner looking to make non-traditional quilt.
 

Hello All!

I just joined and will get right down to business! I did a quick search to make sure that I'm not being repetitive but, didn't find what I was looking for.... so I guess what I'm doing is truly unique. I'm casting a wide net for this question across the web on other forums as well.

I want to make a quilt for a California King size bed. The twist? I want to to be an overall non-traditional shape. No squares or rectangles. Another twist? I've only made one quilt before but, I will have help getting the back and binding on. And I don't really want to buy a whole lot of equipment to complete this (money honey). By this, I mean like special rulers, scissors and such.

I don't mind if it's not really functional. I'm making it as a gift for my husband who I have been separated from for a year because we're going through the immigration process. So, if there's a way I can fit something Indian on the quilt, that would be nice too... I might just do it in the colors though.

To get an idea of what I'm talking about, I've found this quilt on someone's blog: http://<wbr>seamstresserin.blogspot.com/<wbr>2012/08/<wbr>my-hexagon-quilt-is-quilted.htm<wbr>l

I want this, but kookier.

Thanks for reading my life story. Haha!

That looks like tumbling blocks which is actually traditional. I made a king sized quilt that you might like because there aren't squares or rectangles. . It is made with batiks (from India I believe... Which is how you can toss a touch of India in). PM me if u are interested in this pattern.

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Hi! I saw your post on FB, too, and didn't have a chance to respond. You know, your fabric choices can add the twist you want to a traditional block. You can also arrange blocks in any way you like, so it won't end up as a rectangle at the end. Have you seen any other examples of things you like?

I think I've got something that will work. I'm looking for a tutorial right now, but can't find it. I'll try and discribe the method:
Cut 9 squares of fabric, 14 inches. Make a stack. Make 4 cuts through all the layers, 2 vertical, 2 horizontal, sort of like a tic tac toe grid. Don't make the lines parallel, make them slanted, in different directions. Leave the stacks the way you cut them.
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Now shuffle the fabrics.
Take the first fabric from stack 2 and put it on the bottom.
Take the top 2 fabrics from stack 3 and put them on the bottom.
Take the top 3 fabrics from stack 4 and put them on the bottom.
Take... well you get the picture.
Now sew the squares together using a 1/4" seam. Trim them all down to 12.5".
Depending on the size of the quilt you want, you will need to make several of these stacks. You can make a pattern of the lines and cut them all the same, or cut each stack a bit different.
Although this results in squares, when you sew the squares together, match the colors on edges to the ones in the adjacent block and the squares will blur.

What about a bargello, I did one as my first big quilt and they are not as hard as they look. All strips.
http://www.lockwoodquilts.com/store/...lo_quilts.html
This is just one designer, there are others out there, just do a search on Bargello quilts

Looks like this would make a GREAT crazy quilt pattern, think of all the embellishments you could put on it! :)

i would do batiks. find the colors you love then look for a pattern. there atre tons of patterns out there that are traditional that look modern in batiks. its all about color and pattern opp lacement. sorry placement. all you need is a good ruler matt and rotery cutter as well as a decent sewing ma hine. machine. i love batiks and find that they make traditional patterns look and feelndifferemt. you should hit the gallery here in the pictures section. look for something that speaks you and hubby. good luck and post pics of what you find.

PaperPrincess, here is the fons and porter video for the one you have described. I've made several donation quilts with this method.

http://www.qnntv.com/videos/1040_blo...-cray-9-patch/

This looks fun. Thanks for sharing.

I watched and want to try with some of my stash. Always looking for ways to use my stash.

If you want the whole quilt to be neither square nor rectangular, you might make the quilt in my avatar without the corners. It would be hexagon-shaped.

Check out "Carnival", made from batiks. Non traditional and easy. Gentle curves are VERY easy to sew. I am halfway through piecing this quilt. You can make it any size you want. It is going to be gorgeous!:thumbup:

I did this method and the link is in my post here http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...p-t183000.html
here is my finished quilt http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...d-t191417.html

Thanks everyone for links to the much more professional tutorials & videos! I could not find it anywhere, probably because I couldn't remember the name :p

I personally think since you have admitted to making only one quilt, and you do not want to invest in excessive tools, templates, etc., you would be better off staying with either squares, rectangles, or the like....no additional cost there presuming you already have at least one ruler, a rotary cutter and mat. So I suggest you find one of the more modern patterns which do not require a lot of "work" and by picking the fabric you want, will fit your criteria.....

The Wonky Tic Tac Toe pattern was featured in the 2012 Block of the Month lesson at Craftsy.com (which is still available and free at Craftsy). Love the idea of stack and whack and shuffling the material.

You want to make a quilt for someone extremely special to you so it needs to be something that reflects who he is, or something about your relationship, or how you view him. Start with a little meditation of him! What are the colors he likes or wears? Is there a type of design that reflects his home area? That are his dreams?

My husband worked in the Sonora Desert for just a few years long before we met, but he has never given up his delight of the desert, its colors, its vegetation, its mountains. His quilts include a landscape quilt with as much of that as I coud get into one quilt; he put it up on the wall of our living room (it's 8x8'!). He saw some SW mimbres in a quilt shop and bought those (for me?) and the quilt of those is now on our bed as it's cover. Those are the only two quilts I've made that we have kept. Oh, I made a wonky heart with lots of red tones in it and wrote a poem explaining that the stripes reflect the romantic times, the hard times, the wild times.... you get the idea.

I have made (for our children, grandchildren and my siblings' families) quilts about water, sailing, dragons, music, flowers, astronomy.... whatever that person seemed to be "into". Most of those quilts had to perk in my brain for a while. But after thinking about them for a few days or a few months it became obvious what their quilt should be. That is what I mean by meditating on that person for whom you are doing a quilt. It is extremely rewarding.

My skills aren't great, but my quilts are considered very special. I've won a few prizes (viewers' choice; I'm not a good enough quilter to win a judged prize). At my husband's 75th birthday/family reunion party (about 100 people) our kids called in my quilts and the 150 year old hall in our mountain village was decorated with my quilts.

Final word: think about HIM and make it special for him. At least think about doing that.