I found the cutest fabric (Moda American Jane Happy Campers) that is coming out in Sept. The panel has a series of 12 rectangles that I would really like to use as centers to squares, but as a newbie, I don't even know if it's "legal" for squares to include rectangular centers!!! Does anyone have any info (or another area of the site) that might help me with this? Thanks in advance.

Chrissy, sometimes playing with panels that are cut apart into different shapes can be fun! I did that with the Red Rooster Vintage Homestead panel:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/22633.page

As long as you match the rectangular pieces with blocks that will make things come out even measurement wise, it is not only legal but lots of fun. Some of the square blocks of that panel I made into the large star centers, some went rectangular lengthwise and some widthwise - using the combo block set of the churn dash and the smaller star enabled me to turn them which ever direction they needed to go to fit.

I don't think you can make an "illegal" block -- No quilt police here!!!

And your "squares" don't have to be "square" -- they can be any shape you want as long as you can sew them together. For example, if your shapes are rectangular, the blocks could all be rectangular too. Does this make sense?

she's absolutely right.

A "block" can be a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a hexagon -

Sometimes the fabric determines what will work -

Ok, so how does a VERY new quilter figure out what will work best???

And BTW, Roben, that quilt is absolutely beautiful!!!

That is a good question. There really is no easy or absolute answer to it, though.

You can look at various pictures - there are many here - for ideas.

Some fabrics are easy to "fussy cut" - "fussy cutting" is placing a pattern/template over a particular design/part of a fabric and cutting around it. Sometimes that leaves the rest of the fabric looking like swiss cheese. One can achieve some great effects doing that. It can also "waste" some fabric doing that.

Experience and experimenting are still the best teachers. I don't know any way around that.

I do suggest starting with something relatively easy/simple and not overly large to begin with - like a crib quilt or table runner - for a couple of reasons.

1) To keep the cost down - it's still a good idea to use decent/good fabric - just don't have to buy as much of it as one would for a king size quilt.
2) to make it easier to get it done
3) smaller projects are easier to handle - and hence more likely to get done
4) if it turned out to be only a "learning experience" - it's not a major disaster cost wise

There are some excellent tutorials on this site - maybe some of the other members can point you to them.

Good luck!

TY, Chrissy :oops:

You might want to have a look at some of the patterns designed by the fabric designer of the American Jane series and see how other panels have been used (especially the Let's Pretend one; it looks like those are rectangular as well.)

http://www.americanjane.com/patterns.php

That could give you some ideas.

that's exactly what I need: examples to copy! Thank you! And it doesn't look that difficult either, which I definitely must think about!!!

Sometimes a block can be wonky too. If it feels right, do it.

Here is another website that shows quilts with rectangular panels in them :wink:

http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/Item...-Center--m-637