Plan the Design & The Baptist Fan

    I love quilting..love it, but the most challenging aspect of quilting for me is planning a design. After all the piecing is complete it's time to take a long hard look at the form and function of the quilt. Is there a clear design element to the quilt (lines/circles)? What will this quilt face in it's lifetime? Is it for use or display? Does the batting have requirements? I have some questions to ponder before a design is chosen.
     Let's look at an example: the quilt in the picture above is lab/crib size, intended for use, may face plenty of washing and wear and it has a lot of straight line elements. This in mind I needed a smaller gauge design to give stability..the amount of piecing may make detailed designs more challenging..and with all the lines already in the design, some curves may soften the texture.

   Drawing the quilt on a sheet of paper gives me a canvas for testing ideas. I use a spiral notebook for design doodling and block planning. Here you can see my basic pinwheel quilt sketched out with a few variant quilting designs played with in the spaces. This gives me room to play and keeps the designs from getting lost on the sewing room desk.

   Some quilts just shout a design. This vintage star quilt is hand quilted with 'meandering stars' giving the appearance of stars scattered across the bed. Other quilts are artistic and beg for embellishment..i.e. the Holly Lane quilt made last Christmas needed stars in the night sky with smoke curling from the chimneys. Baby girl quilts easily lend to flower or ribbon effects while a boys quilt may need bubbles or sail boats. I try to keep in mind the person receiving the quilt..their tastes and preferences. No matter the design, the end result will be beautiful and functional. I do talk a little bit in the video about smaller quilts and their designs.

   Now for this week's quilt design: the Baptist fan. I love the simplicity and flow of this traditional quilt design. Easily fit in any quilt space and versatile in gauge and direction, this design can fill a large quilt or an outer border. The arches quilt well without too much curve, enabling us to load those needles with more stitches and move the work along at a faster pace. My Jungle Babies quilt pictured at the top is on the frame right now being quilted with this very design.

    Share your  projects with us..add pictures or your link in the comment box to encourage and inspire others. Questions..quilt troubles you need help with? Send me an email at simplyscaife@yahoo.com.