A Whiptips post from Reese Dixon about her log cabin quilt that looked like a swastika once pieced, was a reminder of the importance of testing a pattern BEFORE you cut out all of the pieces. I know, I know, I know. You finally have fabric you like and a pattern you can’t wait to make so you’re dying to get going and you just want to cut it all up and sew it together. Resist the urge. Test it first.
Some people advocate using graph paper and colored pencils to test how a design will look. I think it’s a lot more practical, especially if you are using patterned fabric, to use a digital camera, a color copier or scanner. Here’s what you do: Cut up just enough fabric for one block or a small section of the quilt. Using a digital camera, color copier or scanner, print out several versions of the block and arrange them as you intend to in the quilt. You might also find that you want to adjust the scale of the block or its arrangement. This is the time to make those adjustments. Follow the Ten-Foot Rule looking at it from ten feet away to see how the colors work and if any awkward patterns (such as swastikas) are forming. This may seem like a time-consuming step but what it takes in time it saves in heartbreak.
Here’s the final quilt as it appeared in American Patchwork & Quilting in June 2006.
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Wow, that’s great congratulations. The finished product is beautiful
Hi, I think your finished quilt is lovely – I’m particularly enchanted by your colour choices.
In addition to the method you outlined for pre-testing a quilt block I’d also like to add that you can use View Multiplier which allows you to view a single quilt block multiplied – thereby giving you a sense of how a complete quilt would look. They retail for about $2.99 and can be found at your local quilt shop.
There is a swastika pattern. It’s a very old Greek symbol and used to stand for good luck. The pattern can be found in old paintings. The Popes used the symbol on their clothing.
But, somewhere around the ’30s the word kind of veered off into a whole ‘nother realm.