6 DRAFTINGFORTHECREATIVEQUILTER
INTRODUCTION
I became a quiltmaker in 1978, and from then
throughout the early 1980s, I duplicated the quilts of
others. It was all I knew, and I thoroughly loved that
approach. I made quilts exactly as I saw them, including
the exact fabrics. Following a pattern is a safe, sane,
and largely successful way many quilters begin. If I had
not done that, I wouldn’t have been able to make quilts.
Eventually, my own confidence grew with my skill devel-
opment, and I began to make small changes in such
things as color, fabric, or block orientation, but I had no
idea how to change the size of blocks or designs.
Although my high-school education had not included
subjects like algebra or geometry, I enrolled in a sampler
quilt class that taught how to draft 12 ̋ quilt blocks. I
was thrilled, eager, and fearless. Sometimes ignorance is
bliss. That class fueled my interest in the “mysterious”
area of drafting and set loose my desire to make my
own quilts, in my own way. That glimpse of complete
creative freedom showed me the information I would
need to acquire and develop my technical skills and my
self-confidence in creating my own work. I will always be
grateful for that wonderful, patient, quilt teacher from
Moorpark, California, Charlotte Eckbach, because she
helped open the door to creative freedom for me.
Since then, I have followed and admired the work of
many great teachers and quiltmakers. The work of Jinny
Beyer, Sharyn Craig, Marsha McCloskey, Judy Martin,
and Joen Wolfrom has influenced me over the years.
The quilts, books, and classes of these outstanding
quiltmakers have been guiding lights along my own
search for creative freedom. I learned to seek continuous
improvement as I refined and advanced my drafting
knowledge and workmanship. Learning to draft my
own patterns has provided me with the opportunity
to create unique quilts in any size I choose, with com-
plete freedom and confidence in my ability to achieve a
worthy manifestation of the thought in my mind.
As I travel and teach across the country, I frequently
and regularly meet quiltmakers who are at the place
I was when I signed up for that class with Charlotte
Eckbach. These quilters are just as eager as I had been
to be in charge of both the size and the composition of
their quilts and to express their creative vision rather
than duplicate the work of others. I think what holds
them back most often is a simple lack of knowledge
and tools. This book is intended to serve that need; it
can open that door to those quilters who have not yet
acquired the knowledge and skill they need and seek for
that freedom. For those who have already opened and
explored that world of creativity, my design ideas, guide-
lines, and tools are here to make your journey a little
easier.
With this book, I hope to share my drafting knowledge
and approach to design with quilters and assist them
in achieving the confidence and skill they need to bring
their own ideas from thought to reality.
Included in these pages is a clear, detailed, concise
accounting of how to draft blocks based on grids; how to
draft blocks based on a circle; how to draft both simple
and complex 8-pointed, 10-pointed, and Feathered Star
blocks; how to design using mirrors, graph paper, pencil,
and a calculator; how to fracture the basic structure of
traditional blocks to create your own unique designs;
and more, all in the size you choose.
The three projects in this book are presented in their
order of challenge. To ensure success, I suggest you read
through the instructions carefully before beginning each
project. Feel free to make size or design changes to any
of them. Refer to either Designing on an Overall Grid
(page 71) or Designing within Traditional Blocks (page
79). Adding or eliminating elements changes the design
and makes it uniquely your own. You will obviously
need your usual sewing supplies. Total fabric require-
ments for each project are provided. Creativity begins
with one small step; there is no risk. Explore, have fun,
and enjoy.
I invite you to turn the page and join me on this journey
toward creative freedom.