One Block Wonder

In January, I decided I was ready to check out my local quilters' guild, the Boundary Bay Quilter's Guild. During show and tell, one lady brought out her remarkable quilt. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and I couldn't tell how she had managed to make the thing. When I learned that it was a "One Block Wonder" quilt, and that a workshop would be held in my local quilting store, I signed up! (the photo above is from the website of Picton Fabric World)

Although I admire the expertise that goes into them, I am not a big fan of abstract or art quilts...but I love these One Block Wonders. Suitable fabrics should have long repeats and also discrete areas of contrasting colour (you know those little notes in the selvedge detailing manufacter, collection and colourway dots? one of those notations is printed per repeat). Since you will be constructing hexagons from identical triangles cut out of the fabric, you can preview your fabric in the store by taking along two small hand mirrors taped together:



You cut six repeats of the fabric, layer them so that they are exactly matched (there is a pinning technique), then cut 60 degree equilateral triangles. You then fan out the triangles, and this gives you a hexagonal, kaleidoscope-like block. Depending on which side of your triangle faces out, you can choose from three different looks to your block:







Which do you like best??

You then, following a few arcane steps, assemble the hexagons, preview their layout on your design wall, and then sew them together in the arrangement that pleases you most. As you cut and preview the hexagons, you have the excitement of never knowing what you will get, and the pleasure of seeing what you do! Addictive!

Here are my first blocks, up on my workstation design wall (fabric is from the Harmony collection by Henry Glass):