lisajane

I am thinking about making a quilt for Miami County with all the blocks on barns in Miami County, OH. My problem is...All of the patterns I have found are not the same size. I would like to make them all 8" blocks, there will be 63 blocks. HOW do I reduce/enlarge a block pattern? Math has always been my weekness. I have found a few resources on the net that says reduce 67% or enlarge 78%, but what am I reducing. Do I have to put each individual piece in to get the correct size? I don't know, this is driving me crazy.

MTS

You can't get a one sentence answer to that question.

Well, unless you can find a cheap older version of Electric Quilt (v5 would be great for this).

You first need to understand how a block is made, and how to determine the basic grid pattern of each block
(((a 9patch has a 3x3 layout, a sawtooth star has a 4x4 layout, a pinwheel has a 2x2 layout)))
before you can begin thinking about resizing a block correctly.

How are you going to make the blocks? Hand piece, machine piece? Paper piece? Any applique blocks?

It's certainly doable (and actually sounds like a great fun project) but it would help to first have all 63 blocks separated by grid type and/or sewing method. That way you can tackle a pile at a time instead of facing 63 blocks and wanting to scream.

Will the colors be the same as the actual blocks on the barn, or are you going to come up with your own color story?

Also, maybe something can be done with the layout of the quilt to make all the different sizes easier to deal with.

Do you have a pictures of all the blocks in one place where I could look at them?

Scissor Queen

Redrawing them might be an easier option. Draw a square the size you need and draw your barn patterns. If they're pieced just measure and add seam allowances.

pocoellie

Use the following formula if the size you want is not on the table above:
BLOCK SIZE WANTED (divided by) CURRENT BLOCK SIZE = PERCENT TO ENLARGE OR REDUCE
Example:
To enlarge: Size you want = 12" and Current size = 4"
12/4=3 (answer times 100 = 300%)
To reduce: Size you want = 7" and Current size = 12"
7/12=.58 (answer times 100 = 58%)

I hope this helps you. I don't remember what site I got it off of.

lisajane

Yes, I would like to keep them true to the colors that were painted on the barns. you can see them on http://www.ohiobarns.com/otherbarns/...uiltbarns.html I think this would be a fun project to try and do, and then enter it in the Miami County Fair, thanks for any help you can give me. I would really like to understand what you were talking about 4X4, 2X2 how does that work? Thank You, Lisa.

lisajane

You have to hit the Miami County link, to see those barns, Thanks.

Scissor Queen

Another option is to leave the blocks the size they are and use filler blocks to make it work. I'd use blocks like flying geese, churn dash, hole in the barn door, corn and beans, etc that have to do with farming. Go look on quilterscache for blocks. It'll make for an infinitely more interesting quilt.

lisajane

That is where I got most of the block patterns, from quilterscache, my fear is that if I keep them there original size, and just use filler blocks, I will still end up with a quilt that would be big enough to cover my 4 car driveway, LOL. There is 63 blocks.

BKrenning

Once you have the pattern, we can tell you how much to reduce or enlarge it. Without knowing what size you are starting with--there is no way to tell you how much it needs to be reduced or enlarged.

For 6" finished blocks--you would enlarge 133%.
For 10" blocks--you would reduce by 20% or 80% of original--it depends on how your scanner works. Probably 80% of original.
For a 12" block--you would reduce 67% of original

The formula is: 8 (inches) divided by x (x = the size of the pattern you want to change) = x.xx which you would then convert to percentages by moving the decimal point 2 places to the right.

You have a 10 inch (finished) size pattern you want to change to 8". 8 divided by 10 = .80 Move the decimal point 2 places to the right = 80%.

This works for enlarging or reducing templates and paper-piecing foundations WITHOUT the seam allowance. You have to take it off and put it back on if your pattern has it.

Post your patterns as you find them and I'm sure someone will hop on and help figure it out for you.

MTS

I know these aren't from Miami county but from the first page in your link, but the same holds true (plus I already wrote it out before I saw the other link ;-) )

Let's take the first 3 in Indiana.

The Hunter's star breaks down into a 2x2 layout - so each of the 4 units would be 4" each. And each of the 4 HST's within each patch would be 2".

The next is the abstract one - 4 blocks in a 2x2 layout - again, each of those blocks would be 4" each.

So no problems so far.

The fans would be the same - each fan patch would be 2" each, 4 would make 1/4 of the total block.

Now, you might decide that making 16 of those multi-pieced 2" fan blocks is insane. I wouldn't disagree with that. And so maybe you might be do that block to be only 4 4" fan blocks, or even 1 fan in the 8" block.

That can apply to the previous 2 blocks as well.

But so far we're dealing with everything that easily fits within an 8" block.

You know, I just quickly went through the photos. It seems, because the boards are 4'x4', that most of the blocks do fit an even layout (2x2,4x4, 6x6) - iow, the calculations to make them fit into an 8" block without needing a calculator.


Let's skip down to the 38-10 in Iowa - this block is on a 7x7 grid.

There are some, like the Ohio Star 11-02 in Maryland, that's on a 9 patch (3x3 layout). But it has the border on it, so the fudge can be done there - if you decide you want to include those borders (I've noticed them on quite a few).

So the oddballs are the ones that have to be resized, or as I said upthread, make the blocks to the size that's the easiest, and deal with it in the setting of the blocks into the quilt tops.

I'm not a huge fan of quilts with the blocks is a straight setting with 2" sashing. They bore me. To tears.

Anyway, I can print out a lot of these in EQ if you want the patterns, the majority are pretty standard.

I think it would be a terrific project, and a tremendous learning experience. Sort of like your own personal Dear Jane.

PM if you want more info.