Day 74 – Diamonds in the Rough
We’ve had King of Diamonds, but this can’t possibly be everything you can do with this wonderful shape, can it???
Nope, you can do loads more with diamonds than that, as proved with Diamonds in the Rough.
I was shocked by the number of comments to yesterday’s Coffee Beans! design. Who would’ve thought that so many quilters are such java junkies?
Well, now that I think of it, chocolate, coffee, and fabric really do go nicely together.
One of these days I will make my coffee quilt and wrap up in it in front of my fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa on cold nights. Makes me want to start piecing my coffee quilt right now!
Ahem, I guess we should get back to the design at hand first. Let’s learn to quilt it:
Inspiration – Last week I took myself out on a date. Just in case you’ve never done this, a personal date is extremely fun and (I think) very good for you.
I went to my favorite restaurant, a local sushi joint, ordered my favorite rolls, and proceeded to sketch and draw my way into oblivion.
I’m not sure where I went, but when I came back to earth, this design was sketched into my notebook, along with several other paisley variations I will be playing with over the next few weeks.
Difficulty Level – Intermediate. We don’t call it Diamonds in the Rough for nothing!
Paisley designs are fairly easy to master, just make sure to maintain a consistent diamond shape as you quilt it. The biggest challenge is navigating the weird areas and not leaving gaps (you see the one I left accidentally?)
Design Family – Pivoting. This design is created like Paisley, meaning that you pivot off a single point to echo a shape a few times before traveling on to a new point.
Because of the way it’s created, this design will work in just about any area of your quilt, but might be tricky for beginners to stitch in complicated areas.
Directional Texture – All Directions. This design can definitely produce loads of movement for your quilt wherever you place it.
Suggestions for Use – Quilt this design as the background of appliqued blocks or in the border around feathers. It really doesn’t matter where you place it – it will always look like a million bucks!
Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day
Lovely and with just a slight tweek and you could have:-
Ivy leaves
Ivy and berry heads
Holly and Ivy
Ivy and Mistltoe
Great ideas Ethne! Mix and matching designs is a hallmark of this project. Thanks for passing along your ideas!
Let's go Quilt!
Leah Day
Greetings, I just found your blog so I am slowly making my way through them…I was curious, how big is the fabric that you use for your sample and what do you do with them after you finished?:)
I have dial-up so I can't see the videos but I am sure enjoying the pictures!!
Thanks for the inspiration!!
Leah,
Diamonds are a girls best friend …. and I like this one too even if I can't wear it ……….unless I use it on a vest or jacket.
Love the ideas from Ethne too. Look forward to seeing how they turn out!
Judy B