This is so pretty! I love the kaleidoscope effect.

Monkey and I think you might want to use this technique in Electric Quilt for the Love the Lines Contest, but the instructions and tips apply even if you don’t have EQ.

Whether you call it kaleidoscope, One Block Wonder, Stack-n-Whack ®, or just fussy cutting, we want to show you how easy it is with Inklingo!

FABRIC

This fabric has been in my stash for at least 10 years. I think it has great potential for a kaleidoscope effect.

I want my kaleidoscope fabric to have:

• pretty colors
• a variety of shapes
• no “background”
• lots of movement and swirls
• size of design appropriate to the size of the shapes

Is the size of the design right for 2 inch 60° Diamonds?

TIP!  I printed a page of diamonds from Inklingo on ordinary paper to make a window template and placed it printed-side-down to see what the diamonds would be like.

The size of the shapes in the fabric seems to suit, don’t you think?

  (Click for larger view.)

The  page in the Catalogue of Shapes for Diamond Layout A gives me suggested custom page sizes for 6 or 12 diamonds at a time.

There are 4 different layouts for diamonds (A, B, C, D)  in the Inklingo 60° Diamond – 2 inch shape collection. All of them are suitable for this method.

PRINTING

I decided to start by printing 6 diamonds at a time, so I cut the freezer paper (FP) 5 x 9.5 inches.

Fussy cutting always wastes some fabric, but this doesn’t look too bad.

I need to print 6 sheets to have enough identical diamonds for each star.

If there seemed to be excessive waste, I would try another Inklingo diamond layout or another size of FP to see if it worked better with the repeat of the design in this particular fabric.

(When I print the rest, I will cut the FP 7.25 x 9.5 for 9 diamonds per sheet because there will be less waste with this particular fabric. Live and learn. Also, there would be less waste if I printed strips of 60° Triangles to make hexagons.)

Notice where to position the corners on the design.

Iron each sheet of FP in position, making sure the design in the fabric is the same where the corners of each FP sheet are positioned.

I cut with scissors at the ironing board (tips in an earlier message).

TIP!  Don’t cut around the first sheet until you have ironed the next one in position. That way, the first one is a handy reference to make sure the second one is positioned identically on the design.

Use a hot, dry iron. No steam!

TIP!  Most jams are caused by the freezer paper separating from the fabric in the printer. Jams should be very rare if you wash the fabric to remove the sizing and use a HOT, dry iron.

Press on the fabric side and the FP side to get a good bond.

With the right amount of heat, you can avoid jams—and the freezer paper should peel off neatly, so you can use it over and over again.

Six identical sheets all ready to print, each with 6 diamonds!

TIP!  I must make sure that each sheet is printed identically, so I put a mark on each sheet of FP indicating which end should feed into the printer first.

  Click to see the perfect lines!

Printed! Ultra-fine lines. No templates! No measuring!

6 sheets of 6 diamonds for 6 stars

Every diamond is printed perfectly with cutting lines, stitching lines, matching marks, and precision corners, so there is no measuring, and the diamonds line up perfectly.

CUT AND SEW

Remove the freezer paper, use a rotary cutter or scissors to cut the diamonds apart, and stack them in 6 identical piles.

There are tips for rotary cutting several layers at a time in an earlier blog post, including video.

No machine has as many advantages as cutting with Inklingo:

• Every shape is perfect without measuring.
• You can use scissors if you want a portable project.
• Every diamond has precision corners.
• There are stitching lines and matching marks on every diamond!
• You can sew by machine or by hand because of the lines on the fabric.
• Use the tools and printer you already have!

Sort 6 identical diamonds into 6 piles and start playing with the shapes!

Arrange a set of 6 diamonds in the star shape. There are two options for the center, depending on which way the diamonds are turned.

I can hardly wait to see how these will look! This step is fun.

WHICH IS BETTER?

Here’s a good example of the surprising effects.

The star on the left has the diamonds positioned with the pink end toward the center. The star on the right has the same pieces of fabric turned so the pink end is toward the outside.

Isn’t it amazing how different they look?

I like to try both ways before deciding which point of the diamond looks best in the center.

Sometimes it is very hard to decide—because they both look fabulous!

TIP!  You may find that a digital photo of each option will help you make up your mind.

When you decide, pin each set of 6 together.

TIP!  I insert the head of the pin closest to the point I have decided to place at the center of the stars (above).

Machine piece or hand piece?

I was not in the mood to get the machine out, so I hand pieced while I watched TV with Russ. Hand piecing helps me relax—especially when I know everything fits so perfectly!

If I felt like machine piecing, of course I could, and everything would line up because every shape is perfect and there are precision corners and matching marks on every diamond.

 Click for a larger view!

PRESS

These press perfectly!

All of the seam allowances in this star are pressed counterclockwise around the center.

Notice how this eliminates the bulk in the intersections! Your stars will look their best and be easier to quilt.

TIP!  If you press all of the stars identically (all clockwise or all counterclockwise around the center), when you add the rest of the diamonds, the pressing will be perfect over the entire quilt top.

This method works with One Block Wonders by Maxine Rosenthal.

However, I probably don’t have enough fabric and it says 1999 in the selvage, so there is no hope of getting more. I can make a bigger quilt by adding the gold background fabric to set the stars as Seven Sisters.

Note to Self:  When you love a fabric, buy the bolt because you never know. . .

I love the way this is turning out!

OTHER SHAPES

There are several other Inklingo shapes which would work just as well as these diamonds.

• 60° Diamonds 3 inch
• 60° Triangles 3 inch  (perfect for One Block Wonders!)
• Dresden Plate Blades (pieced or appliqué)
• Orange Peel
• Yin Yang
• and more!!

By the way, there are 8 other messages on the blog related to  fussy cutting. (Select Category in right sidebar.)

EQ HINT FOR THE CONTEST

Seven Sisters could be your choice for the Love the lines Contest because there are many sizes of Inklingo 60° Diamonds.

TIP!  Monkey suggests that you start with the  Baby Blocks Quilt Layout and take the Fussy Cut tool for a spin! The Fussy Cut Tool is a Quilt Worktable tool in EQ6 and EQ7, but it is not in the toolbar by default. To add it, click the Customize Toolbars button > Add/Remove Buttons > add the check mark. Click away from the list to close it—and prepare to have some fun!

YOUR PHOTOS

Every fabric is completely different when it is used this way. I would love to see photos of your kaleidoscope blocks, so please share them on your blog and let me know, okay?  If you don’t have your own blog, you can share photos on the Inklingo Projects Blog and in the Inklingo Yahoo Group.

I can’t get enough of these!  Don’t you just love playing with fabric?

Linda & Monkey

New to Inklingo? Order and download free shapes and start sewing in the next few minutes. Quick Start (Always FREE.) There are triangles, diamonds, and squares in the free collection—great for dozens of different blocks.

Inklingo for Beginners

Tilde’s 15 Minute Challenge

Fussy Print Checklist

The new Inklingo Shape Collection for Yin Yang inspired Monkey to prepare a Fussy Print Checklist. (Download the PDF.)

Two of the Yin Yang shapes in the block I used yesterday (how to sew curved seams) were fussy cut/fussy printed with Inklingo.

Fussy Cutting

Fussy cutting is sometimes called “fussy printing” by Inklingo quilters.

Fussy cutting requires extra fabric and it is difficult to know how much extra to allow. It also takes more time, but the results can be spectacular!

How to Fussy Print

It all starts with a window template (above). Print the shape on scrap paper with Inklingo. Cut on the stitching line to create a window template. Monkey likes this kind of window.

For Yin Yang, the custom size is 5.5 x 7 inches. (Suggested Custom Page Sizes are included in every Inklingo shape collection.) Cut a piece of freezer paper (FP) the same size.

Place the window template on the fabric to select a suitable motif. Move it around until you find something you like.

Important! Since you will be printing the Inklingo shape on the wrong side of the fabric, place the window template printed side down.

In this case, I was able to find a motif near the edge (less waste) and position it so the outside edges of the block are still on straight grain.

If you choose a position that will not result in straight grain on the outside edges, it is it more difficult to sew, and you must be very careful not to stretch the block out of shape. It is always better to have straight grain on the outside edges of every block, if possible.

Identify other places with the same motif to make sure you have enough fabric to cut as many more identical shapes as you need.

Notice where the corners of the window template are on the design, so you can position the sheet of FP identically.

Press the FP in position, and trim around it with scissors. Press on both sides to get a firm bond (avoiding jams). Print the shape.

Important! Yin Yang is not symmetrical in either direction. It is very important to place the fabric in the printer so the shape will print on the motif, not at the other end.

Mistake!  It is easy to put it in the printer with the wrong end first. I did. When I realized my mistake, I could have printed again with another color and just ignored the incorrect lines in the first color. However, I wanted to use Color 46 on this black because it showed perfectly, so I rinsed the fabric in the kitchen sink to remove the ink, ironed it dry, replaced the FP, and re-printed with the same color.

Peel the FP off and use it to print another shape.

Position it identically at the corners.

TIP  You can use the first sheet of fabric to identify the corner positions to place the FP  again, if it makes it easier.

I printed the gold fabric with two shapes at a time because I was not fussy cutting. (Custom page size 6.75 x 8.5 Landscape)

Cut the Shapes

You can cut Yin Yang shapes with scissors or a rotary cutter. I start by trimming the straight edges.

A 45 mm blade works well on these curves. It is easy to steer if you focus your eye about a half inch ahead of the blade and pull gently on the fabric with your other hand.

Voilà! I’m ready to sew! There are instructions for sewing curved seams in the previous blog message, and an EQ7 project file for Yin Yang too.

When you fussy cut shapes based on the design in the fabric, it can create wonderful effects and make a design like Yin Yang even more impressive.

Many quilters think you can’t fussy cut with Inklingo. Now you know. The Checklist might help you convince your friends to try Inklingo too.

Are you ready for Yin Yang? Download the checklist now and start looking at your stash for suitable fabric!   

Tilde’s 15 Minute Challenge

Don’t forget to do Tilde’s 15 Minute Challenge this weekend! If you complete the challenge and leave a comment here or on the Inklingo Sampler blog by Monday 30 May, you will be in the draw for one of two $25 Gift Certificates. So far, the odds are very good!

Are you thinking about fussy cutting now? Maybe Pie & Tarts or Winding Ways or Double Wedding Ring or . . .  Try it, you’ll love it!

Linda & Monkey

New to Inklingo? Order and download free shapes and start sewing in the next few minutes. Quick Start (Always FREE.) There are triangles, diamonds, and squares  in the free collection—great for dozens of different blocks.

If you have ever looked at how to sew a Feathered Star quilt, you know that the sizes are weird. I bet you noticed.

For example, if the Sawtooth Squares in the rows of feathers above are 1 inch, the overall block measures about 18.68 inches. ??? What’s that all about?

Traditional Feathered Star blocks often finish with odd sizes like 27.5 inches, 21.75 inches, or 18.5 inches. Why? Designers draft the feathers first to make the small feather triangles easy to measure. Smart eh?

This has been a good way to do it because there are so many feathers compared to the other shapes, but it is different from the normal approach of drafting for a specific finished block size.

The strange sizes are not a problem when Feathered Star blocks are set together, or when they serve as a medallion for a larger quilt.

On the other hand, since Inklingo quilters do not have to measure the feather triangles at all, I was able to take a different approach, and it is one of the things I love!

I love it!  # 1

Inklingo Feathered Stars allow quilters to use any standard blocks in the center. <gasp> That’s beautiful! Set your inner designer free!

I worked from the center to the outside instead of starting with the feathers or drafting for a specific finished size. For example:
      Center Square       Inklingo Feathered Star       Feather Triangles
       4.5                               15 inch (14.72)                         0.795
       6.0                               20 inch (19.63)                         1.06
       9.0                               30 inch (29.45)                         1.59

The overall finished sizes are still weird, but for a great reason. That’s cool . . . and lovable.

(It’s okay. You won’t have to add 7/8ths to 0.795 and measure it. LOL Inklingoists don’t do that.)

I love it! # 2

Some of the shapes are perfect for fussy cutting. 

Kathy Timmons in Nashville fussy cut the kite shapes and she fussy cut the diamonds in the center of her star. She used shapes from the free Diamond/Triangles/Square shape collection for the center, and she hand pieced, because that is what she loves.

Kathy is an artist, a genius with fabric, and the absolute Queen of Fussy Cutting. (You should see her Dragonfly Diamond quilt made from Quilted Diamonds. It takes my breath away. Photos on Webshots)

You don’t have to be a genius to get great effects, like my frogs (previous post).

The effect is gorgeous with 16 fussy cut owls like Kathy’s, and impressive with 8 identical frogs, and special with just one fussy cut rose in the octagon.

Inklingo makes it easy and fast to prepare all of the shapes. You can use the extra time to make your design even better. We love fussy!

I love it # 3

Everything fits. No worries. 

When I assemble the rows of feathers, I know they are right because of the unique pressing guide. It’s simple to check that my seam allowances are the right size and pressed perfectly. I know that if the rows of feathers are good, everything will fit without puckers or easing. Whew. Gotta love that!

More to love?

Those are my three favorite things about Inklingo Feathered Star, but I could go on and on.

I pin at the matches and the block lies flat whether I sew by hand or by machine or a combination of both. Yes, I love to be able to do some of my sewing by hand in front of the TV with Monkey and Russ. Very relaxing, no worries.

Your favorite thing might be the clever, simple partial seams—a fun thing to know about.

You can see it all in the Feathered Star Design Book (free 85 page download, limited time only), and choose your own favorite thing.

The WOW Factor

Okay. One more thing. You’ve got to  love the Wow factor of Feathered Stars. My non-quilting friends have no idea how easy it is, and I might not tell them. (I happen to love sewing and fabric, and not everyone gets it.) I think you understand, and it would be very nice to tell your quilting friends about Inklingo Feathered Stars.

Let’s see what you love about your Feathered Stars!

Linda & Monkey

PS  Happy New Year!

New to Inklingo? Order and download free shapes and start sewing in the next few minutes. Quick Start  (Always FREE.) There are triangles diamonds and squares  in the free collection—great for dozens of different blocks.

Some of the Clamshell Club quilters are using English Paper Piecing, some are using appliqué, but some are using Inklingo to print the shapes on fabric with an ordinary Inkjet printer. Inklingoists cut on the lines with a rotary cutter or scissors and hand piece with a running stitch, or machine piece.

Cathi posted about her progress today. She has started TWO Clamshell quilts, one in each Inklingo size.

It doesn’t sound like much, but there is a big difference between 3.0 inch Clamshells and 3.5 inch Clamshells!

Inklingo is the fastest, easiest, most precise way to prepare Clamshell shapes.

  (Click for a larger view)

Print several Clamshells at a time. . ..

  (Click for a larger view)

 . . or print one at a time, for a charm quilt.

You can even fussy cut with Inklingo.  (Previous blog entry:  Go to Search at the top of this page to gather all of the messages about “clamshell” or “fussy cut” on one page.”  Handy, eh?)

The Clamshell shape collections include tips for stitching curves by hand or by machine. Click on the page for a larger view, which you can print.

If you haven’t tried Inklingo yet, you can print your first shapes in the next few minutes with the free Inklingo Shape Collection. It includes diamonds, triangles, and squares for LeMoyne Star, flying geese, Sawtooth Squares, Hourglass Squares, etc. The Quick Start Guide is a good place to start.

MONKEY REMINDS YOU! The introductory price on the 3.5 inch Clamshells ends at midnight on July 1.  ($12 instead of $15)

We’ll be back next month with more Clamshell news. (Maybe partial Clamshell shapes and Clamshell sashing?) In the meantime, I hope you are as happy as clams at high tide!

Linda & Monkey

PS Looking for something else? Why not use the Search feature or the Index at the top of this page.

Passacaglia by Tilde Binger

Passacaglia is a musical form dating back to the early 1600s. Lucy Boston, the renowned English patchwork artist, interpreted the style in fabric as a gift for the talented friend who played her favorite Passacaglia on the harpsichord in her ancient manor house near Cambridge. 

Tilde Binger, a dear freind (friend) and Inklingoist, took one look at the Passacaglia Patchwork in Diana Boston’s book and knew she had to make one!

With Diana Boston’s permission,  Tilde has prepared a pattern for a gorgeous Passacaglia Table Runner. Her interpretation of Lucy Boston’s gift is a gift to you—free, just in time for Christmas. Thank you, dear freind! 

A few of Tilde's Passacaglia variations

In theory, you only need four Passacaglia blocks for a table runner, but we think you will find it hard to stop making variations. Tilde is making a spectacular bed quilt with these. Aren’t they stunning?

• details of Tilde’s Passacaglia blocks

• Tilde’s Passacaglia Table Runner Pattern

• the free Inklingo shape collection (to make Passacaglia)

• more about Lucy Boston

• video for fussy cutting—useful for Passacaglia and Patchwork of the Crosses (POTC)

Russ is on antibiotics and I am not feeling too great myself, so it will be a quiet holiday here. We wish you a wonderful time with family and friends!

Linda & Monkey

I fussy cut four of the sixteen octagons—à la Lucy Boston—with Inklingo KISS 103, and stitched this one on the porch.  An Inklingo KISS (Keep it Simple, Stitchers) was just what I needed on a quiet Saturday afternoon—needle & thread, pretty little scissors, and some fabric in my lap—keep it simple pleasures. It was a nice break from all of the machine piecing I have done with Inklingo this summer.

I absolutely love Inklingo KISS 103. This new Inklingo OCTAGON shape collection was inspired by Lucy Boston’s Keyboard Patchwork in Diana Boston’s wonderful book, The Patchworks of Lucy Boston, recently reprinted.

When quilters started receiving Diana’s book, it was clear that they wanted/needed octagons to print on fabric with Inklingo. Monkey says it was predictable. He knows that quilters who use Inklingo for one quilt want it for every quilt.

KISS 103 – Octagons PLUS!

The “Keep it Simple, Stitchers” KISS format makes it possible to introduce new shapes quickly, and start having fun sooner.  If you have Diana Boston’s book, the original Keyboard Patchwork is on page 54. There are several stunning blocks inspired by Lucy Boston—and Inklingo KISS 103—in the photo albums of the Inklingo Yahoo group.

If you don’t have Diana Boston’s book yet, you are in for a treat. It is one of my all-time favorite quilt books. The story of Lucy’s quilts is inspiring, and with the Inklingo KISS collection, you can save time preparing, and spend more time sewing.  Inklingo KISSes are small and inexpensive, but they include the features you love—shapes to print on fabric, a choice of layouts, suggested cutting plans, and suggested custom page sizes.