After doing the No Diamonds in the Sky pattern I've been playing around with using all HSTs in a quilt. The original pattern of this variation of the Carpenter's Wheel block is in EQ6 and it uses diamonds. I liked it so much that I was going to bite the bullet and do diamonds with the red and white fabric I got though I hate doing them. Then I thought... can I do it with HSTs? Took a little bit to get oriented and look at it in a different way but, I think it came out OK. This opens up a whole new world that I had cut myself off from... diamond patterns!

The original version is a 24" block, my red and white one is 78"x78".

Love them BOTH!!!! You are very artistic!!! :D :D :D

How nice!! :D I love them both.
Thank you for sharing with us.
:D :D :D :D

OMGosh!! How awesome is that!! I've been trying to make the Lone Star with no diamonds as I don't do diamonds PERIOD!! I have it drawn out, but I think I drew another line somewhere because it's there and it shouldn't be.

Oh i love it Pam! You know, i tried to conquer the lonestar a few weeks back. The sewing part isnt hard, it's the math. I find the math in a lonestar too hard, and decided i don't want to do diamonds any more either. I love how your pattern came out, it will look gorgeous! :)

Brilliant concept - when is your book coming out, I want to buy one!

both are awesome

Oh Yea Pam!!!! I love it! I do love working with those HST...they are awesome and sooooo versatile!!

This pattern and the Lone Star on another post are the best patterns I have seen for a while! What a great idea.

it looks great i look forward to seeing the finished project

very nice - can't wait to see it live.

does your quilt program break it down and give you the blocks...and sizes of each cutting, etc., like a regular pattern?

yes she's using electric quilt. the software tells you everything and can even print out the pattern pieces along with fabric quantity and cutting directions.

the pattern pieces can be templates or paper piecing patterns.

i think electric quilt is one of the more popular design programs.

No, I'm not writing a book. These could well be done already as far as I know and I just like playing with designs. I use Electric Quilt 6 and it will print templates, rotary cutting or foundation patterns. It doesn't tell you how to put it together. This pattern, and the first one, use all the same size HST or square, 3" finished.

The tumbling blocks were visible when I was playing with the first one so I tried that too. Don't know if it's been done before but it's new to me. I never tried them because I don't want to do that many set in seams. There's none of that using HSTs.

i don't know if there's a book but i've seen patterns using HST and the same basic designs you're doing.

you already did one of them and the tumbling block in HST has been around for a while.

PP

What I have seen of the pics you have posted you are very talented and a confident quilter, why are you afraid of diamonds? Have you ever tried the diamond strip peicing technique? You sew strips in the series of colors of the star points and cut the stips at a 45 degree angle then sew the newly cut strips together. I will fire up my digital camera today and post a pic of my lone star quilt (aka Star of Bethlehem) done with this technique. It was mega-easy and the top pieced together in no time, can't say the same for the quilting (I hand quilted it). The only set in seams were the squares and triangles that formed the background.
I learned this technique from the book "Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! The Complete Guide to Quiltmaking" by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes.

FF

Well, I figured "there's nothing new under the sun". Just a new way of putting the same old thing together. But thankfully there is endless variation or we'd all be doing the same quilts! :P

I have done the strip piecing of diamonds. I still don't like doing it. I'd love to see yours.

I could waste a whole lot of time playing with these things. It's time to get off my butt, get some coffee, and head to the sewing room and actually get some work done.

Wow, thanks for posting this. I've wanted to do a tumbling blocks quilt someday, but didn't like the thought of piecing them the conventional way. The HSTs makes it look so much easier.

That is an excellent book! When I started, the LQS recommended it - and if I could have only ONE book, I think that would be it.

It's one I feel very comfortable recommending.

Nice designs - didn't occur to me to HSTs -

Interesting take on traditional designs.

There is always more than one way to skin a cat! I always hated that saying because I would NEVER skin a cat!, but I do like to find alternative methods. I just bulk up and get steroidal when I am told I MUST do something THIS WAY!

WTG Pam. :lol:

I love your design! I can't wait to see it finished, you do such amazing work!

After seeing what Pam did with the HST I went back to EQ and started playing....
I hope you don't mind, but I"m going to put my pic here of what I did with it. I'm trying to make that Lone Star. Figure that I can do the HST alot easier than the diamonds..

Thank you for the inspiration Pam. :-)

Tuesy, how great is that! Just as I'm getting to watch the fireworks!!!!!

That's great Tuesy! Are you going to do it? I think that a whole lot of diamond patterns could be done this way. I'm going to do some browsing and see what other ones would do well with HSTs instead.

These all look stunning! Your designs are gorgeous Pam, absolutely gorgeous. I know EQ makes life easy and takes a lot of the hassle out of making up patterns, but even so, you have a fantastic eye for balance and symmetry and your designs are gorgeous.

You don't have to publish a book... I'd buy your eq files! :-)

Pam I love the first star you posted especially and the tumbling blocks are stunning! I hope you're going to make them both. And I agree with the others that your eye for design is excellent - the software is just a tool - you're the one with the skill.

I love what you have done with the HST. I am working on a HST quilt at the moment but I am doing it the old-fashioned way with grid paper and colored pencils. Maybe I need to get this EQ thing you are talking about. I wanted to post a picture but my digital camera is not cooperating at the moment. If I get it to go I'll post the two blocks I have done so far.

I hate to sound silly but what are HST"S,,It is probably right on the end of my toung but,I for the life of me can't remeber.

HST= half square triangles
Don't feel bad, sometimes my brain won't decipher abbreviations either.

I'm thinking about it. Then I thought about making it with all different fabrics on each round. I have an old Lone Star that my brother tore up that was done in all different fabrics on each round of the star.

I'm loving playing with the HST in there, makes some of these patterns that I thought were out of reach for me, easily reachable.

Pam, I love the HST Star. You definitely could get published when you get that quilt done and then they often give fabric for rights to publish your quilt like McCalls etc. especially if you use one manufacture for your fabric. It makes me think I should practice HST's more.

Of course,I knew it would be something simple like that. Isn't the 60's wonderful,it just gives you a peeck at whats to come.Ha

Very nice. Love them.

You so such a great job!! Love them both!!

Yeah--thanks for thinking outside the box for me, Pam. Now, even I can do a "diamond" quilt. I really need to get EQ6.

Published??!!?? Whoa, I'll definately have to get it done soon!! :lol:

I am working on my patriotic quilt now, have 28 blocks about done, just need to do the last sides on 8 stars today. I have 8 of one type of star and 4 of another type to do and then all ready to sew together. I think the next one is a simple fall colors one and then I'll do the red and white.

I'll export the picture from EQ6 into paint and use a heavier line to mark out the best way to piece it first.

I did this coloring for my eldest daughter. She wants a patriotic quilt and she doesn't like the off-white, old looking ones, she wants bright white. I saw a bright white with tiny red and blue stars on eBAY (I think) and used a similar one in EQ.

hehehehe looks just like how it should. Good for you. I'm still working on those pesky triangles but I just might be getting the hang of it.

I find doing HSTs is one of the easiest things to do when it's done with a square, sewn both sides of the middle, then cut in half.

Time consuming to draw the center line though.