One Block Wonder questions
 

Hello all - I'm thinking of using one of the two fabrics from Robert Kauffman Venice fabric line for my 1st OBW. I've played with the design helper, have read Maxine Rosenthal's book, have also read through many comments on the very active OBW facebook page and am curious what those of you with OBW experience think would be a good width of fabric for these fabrics? It seems many say "cut smaller than you think" - so I was thinking to reduce the standard 3.75" to say 3.25" or maybe even 3". Also, lots of opinions about blunt tip vs pointed 60 degree ruler - again, curious what my fellow QB members have to say. Of course, any other tips, recommendations, pros/cons are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Hope the two images come through this time..

Beautiful fabrics - but the prints already look like kaleidoscope images to me. .

I love your fabric. I have some of that but in a different color (blue). If i were using that particular fabric for a OBW, I would cut them small. At most 3 inches. I happen to be working on a OBW right now (from panels) and cut them using 3 inch strips but wish i would have cut them smaller, like 2.5 inches. I think mine will be fine in the long run.... Just wishing I'd cut them smaller. I think it would have blended better. Since i have worked with your particular fabric in a quilt, i think it will work best with smaller strips.

as for the blunt end or not... Go with a pointed end. It is easier to match up to sew.

Love the fabrics!

It's hard for us to tell how big the design is when looking at the photos.

For sure, the size of the print helps determine how large your triangles should be. Cutting too small on a large print, could mean that fabric design which creates the kaleidos may not be seen. Similarly, cutting too large for a small print, can just give you a jumble!

What I would do, would be to cut a triangle the size you are thinking from a piece of paper. Then lay the paper with the hole, over the fabric at different points to see how much design you will see. To get an even better idea, use the OBW mirrors. Mine are just a couple of small mirrors, duct taped together.

It's a FUN process ... and you have an awesome fabric choice and colours.
Good Luck!!

If you are still unsure when you are ready to cut ... cut a strip the length of your 6 repeats and stack. Then cut and stitch. At least that way, you are only risking a small amount of fabric lost, if you are unhappy.

There's a OBW design helper here - http://oneblockwonder.com/design-helper/

You can enter your fabric and experiment with different size triangles. After using the design helper, I decided against using one of my fabrics for OBWs - it was just too busy, too many colors.

To answer your other question, I always use the pointed 60 degree ruler for OBWs.

The mirrors are great for seeing how the fabric will look -

Google: quilting kaleidoscope mirrors - several things come up to look at.

Good Morning and thank you for your helpful ideas! I have used the design helper with various widths for these two fabrics and it does show how the patterns differ greatly. FYI the pics reveal approximately 10" of the fabric. I had a few other fabrics in mind that I was certain would look great but once put through the design helper I did not like the look, at all. I forgot about using the mirrors - I actually have them but they're packed away tightly, with most all of my personal and sewing belongings, in storage as we are in-between homes right now. Hence, why my book and 60 degree rulers are also not in reach at the moment. I do have all four of my machines with me (would never put them in storage) and essential sewing notions. I'm off to purchase another 60 degree ruler now - pointed tip. Thanks for the input - this will be slow going but sooner or later I will upload some progress pics!