How to Plan to Make an Easy One Block Quilt
Find the Most Pleasing Layout Before Quilting to Save Time
Sep 15, 2009
Before sewing squares to make a quilt, a little planning avoids having too many of one color and not enough of another. Plan to make the same block in different color combinations and arrange them into a larger pattern for a simple one block quilt. An easy to make plan before stitching can help you find your favorite layout.
What is a One Block Quilt?
One block quilts are those that are made from a single block repeated and arranged to form another design. The block itself is the primary design, the design they form when put together is the secondary design.
Find a simple quilt block you'd like to repeat to make a quilt. Log cabin blocks have traditionally been very popular because of the many ways to lay them out. Other one block patterns include Hunter's Star, and the French Quarter block shown here from Fig Tree Quilts. The simpler the primary block design, the easier the quilt will be to construct. The French Quarter block used here has only 4 pieces. Click on the pictures below to see a larger view.
Quilting Simple Geometry is Fun & Relaxing
Playing with simple geometric shapes is something quilters love doing. Simple blocks can form a complex looking quilt, depending on how they are arranged in the quilt. Very often, the simplest blocks and layout are the most pleasing. The geometry used in quilting is beautiful, unlike the stressful math class many struggled through in school.
Steps to Plan a Quilt Layout
- Select a quilt block
- Decide the size of quilt to make
- Figure out how many blocks it will take to make the desired size (or as close as you can get)
- Draw the block on a piece of paper or in a computer quilt program, or other design program.
- Reduce the block to 8-10% of it's finished size. The 6" block in the layout shown was reduced to 8% of 6" to fit the layout on a single page. That's a 92% reduction.
- Make as many copies of the reduced block as required for the quilt
- Arrange the blocks and make copies of the arrangement. Rearrange the blocks as many times as you can, making copies each time.
- The French Quarter block layout chosen was simplified even further by using solid 6" squares in the center and the outside corners.
Have Fun With Coloring the Layouts
Use colored pencils or a computer painting program to add the colors desired in the quilt. There's no need to match the colors exactly or to be super neat. Think of it as a rough sketch. Pick the one that you like best to make into a quilt. The one chosen here has 256 6" blocks to make a 96" x 96" quilt.
Divide Large Quilts into Sections
Dividing large quilts into sections makes them easier to construct and quilt. See the quilted center section of the French Quarter quilt. This quilt will be made in 9 sections as shown on the layout. Construction and quilting can be done easily on a home sewing machine. Three sections of three will be quilted and joined to make three strips that are joined to complete the quilt. Smaller quilts need fewer sections.
Simple quilts can be beautiful, easy, and relatively quick. Design a quilt using a simple block and quilt it heavily to add interest. Every quilt doesn't need to be a masterpiece, so relax and have fun with it. Check back often to see the rest of the quilt as it progresses.
You may also want to read Tips for How to Quilt on a Home Sewing Machine.
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