Making Sense of Quilt Patterns

A wide variety of quilt patterns are offered on the market and more designs are being created everyday. For those just beginning with quilting, it's advisable to start with the basic patterns and then advance to more complex ones, once you gain experience with time.

Simple patterns are square blocks. Four patches will to be sewn together on a block. Nine patch blocks, as the name suggests, need nine squares to form a block. These basic blocks can be combined with various color or printings to create the desired effect.

Another type of pattern, the double nine one, uses two layers each having nine blocks, measuring one and a third square inches. Larger quadratic forms include the laying together of four darker and four lighter fabrics, to create an interesting pattern effect while the small quadratic forms include four lighter and five colored fabrics. These color combinations can be mixed together for fun and for variety as well.

Churn Dash is one type of quilt pattern that you can easily create if you're a beginner. The pattern encompasses three different fabrics with a background one and different design. This style is used in many variations, such as the Greek cross, Wrench or Greek Design. All these types have a rectangular form, measuring two inches per four inches, a large triangle and a square as part of the pattern.

One of the most famous quilt designs is the Log Cabin model, which encompasses fabric strips, carefully sewn together in order to give the appearance of a log.

Other famous quilt patterns include the Cross and Crown model, Job's Tears, Jacobs Ladder or the Bethlehem Star, all dealing with a religious aspect.

Hopes and Wishes, Double Wedding, Lover's Knot or the Carolina Lily models are all examples of quilts that celebrate love and marriage.

Furthermore, each of the United States has a quilting pattern after its name such as the California Rose or Lily or the Ohio Star.

Obviously, not all quilting patterns are to be attempted by beginners; the Drunkard' path for example is an exceptionally difficult quilt that may discourage you from your endeavors if you try it.

Choice of patterns is often assimilated with choice of fabric, because the two closely depend on each other. Whether your choice of fabric should be influenced by the pattern or vice versa is still to be discussed by quilters and the choices available and wide ranges of patterns clearly fuel the debate even longer. Always remember to buy enough fabric so that you have enough of it for a project and never run out. Because the fabrics may be sold quickly, you may find that you won't be able to match the quilting anymore.

A vital aspect of your quilting is the color. Research the available market for shades, hues or tones, but for the beginning ones, you could begin by choosing monochromatic areas. That is, one color but its different shades. A hue also depends on the lightness and darkness in a fabric. These values are increased or decreased in order to make up different patterns. Dominant colors are part of a quilting block on a regular basis; accent colors ensure that contrast is made and blender colors mix colors in the pattern. If you feel uncertain regarding the material, try a sampling of the pattern and then make your decision.

Beginner Quilt Patterns

Free Quilting Ideas