Well! I used to think I was pretty intelligent but this block has me stymied. What the heck is "strata" and how do you "build" them?? In the TULIPS block for Sept (Blue Mountain website), the directions for strata are clear as mud to me.... Can someone EXPLAIN how to sew and cut these together... or better yet a tute! I am gonna feel REALLY stupid if it's easy! Thanks!

I have been quilting for a few years, but I haven't a clue about this! :?

Sorry when I googled the blue mountian quilts, it came up with this.
http://bluemountainquiltersguild.ca/block-of-the-month
Which site has the tulips??
Strata has always meant the upper part to me. Maybe it is refering to the light and shadow created to make it look more three d?
Perhaps a link would help ....???

Garnet! you had the correct site.. TULIPS is the 2008 December BOM. I have read and re-read those directions. I figured out the center sq (lol) then the 4 side rectangles, then the 3 1/2 squares with the 8 2x2 squares (flying geese). Now THIS is where I lose it... I have strips.. so NOW what do I do with them. There are no measurements for me to cut... I think I AM an idiot......

Strata is just a bunch of strips sewn together.

According to the quilt nook, strata is strips of fabric sewn together to be cut into quilt pieces. I think strata is a fancy word for strip piecing.

It just means strip piecing really take a look at this picture...once you so this then cut each strip set into 2" pieces! then sew them together according to the picture!

Did that make the water a little clearer? It took me a minute of looking at pictures to know what they were talking about!! LOL

strata quilts are typically strips sewn together of different widths and colors.

then these strips are cross cut and sewn back together to create the quilt.

many of them will have a strata A group and a strata B group - with one starting with a light color and the other strata starting with the dark color.

examples of strata quilts would be bargellos and optical illusions.

this is the strata quilt i made

Sometimes we need quilter's dictionaries to figure out the patterns :D

Some of them sure make me wish I paid better attention in math class that is for sure! LOL!

Leave it to you gals to know what a strata is. Klue ... That is beautiful!

Now I think I understand the block. I hope you do too, hon.

Thanks for the information.

Klue-Lovely quilt

I sew scraps together as leaders and enders and then cut out the size shape I want from the sewn scraps. That's one way of building a scrappy strata.

Thanks everybody! I've got a better handle on STRATA now. JUST-thanks for the visual. Makes more sense. KLUE- wht a beautiful quilt. Knew I would get help from all the knowledge here... off to the sewing room to tackle the TULIP block....

Strata was a new term in quilting for me.. but it makes sense as in geology strata is a layering of stone/etc.

Strata has been used as a term for strip sets at least as far back as the early 90's when Bargello quilts came on the scene. Marilyn Doheny did a lot of work in developing strata quilts, both bargello and optical illusion, before Colleen Wise and Karen Combs came on the scene.

Thanks again for ALL the info. Very interesting.... I finally "got it"! I was looking at the drawings thinking the strips were sewn end to end since that is the way they looked (to ME!) not long SIDE BY SIDE. Had I turned the drawing the other way I would have realized it. Duh! just my old eyes, I guess... So ! problem solved! You guys are aLL TERRIFIC...

Klue, I would love to have the instructions for that quilt! Do you know where to find the pattern? or is that an original design?