Drafting for the Creative Quilter

DESIGNINGONANOVERALLGRID 75

be 6 ̋. These were my initial decisions; change can occur
at anytime... and often does.

Next I went with 1/4 ̋ graph paper. With a grid value of
11/2 ̋, I drew the outside perimeter of my quilt, without
borders. I started with 31 × 31 grids. Within that space,
I sketched a rough composition of the placement of each
block on the grid. For example, if a block finished 12 ̋
and my grid value was 11/2 ̋, 12 ̋ ÷ 1.5 ̋ = 8, that meant
that my 12 ̋ block would occupy 8 × 8 grids on my
drawing. I did not use a ruler; I just darkened grid lines
freehand to put in the space I needed for each block. I
did not draw in each block design. Instead, I attempted
to create a balanced composition of space based on the
block sizes I had already chosen.

#1 indicates placement of the largest block—15 ̋
Chrysanthemum (Spiraling Squares).

#2 indicates placement of the two remaining major
blocks—93/4 ̋ Trip Around the World and 12 ̋
Interlocking Squares.

#3 indicates placement of the five remaining 6 ̋ blocks.
I tried to keep a sense of balance when arranging them
within the gridded space, keeping in mind their relation-
ship to the three major blocks.

#4 indicates multiple-grid areas that could be filled
with pieces of beautiful fabric; pieced units, such as
half-square triangles, squares-on-point, or appliqué; or a
peace symbol.

Nothing is written in stone; this is only the beginning.

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Sketch #1, Sampler Supreme

Refining the Design

I liked the basic composition and overall feel of the first

sketch, but I wanted to make some changes.

„ Sampler quilts are all about the blocks, so I wanted

to change the area around the blocks (the back-

ground area) from all squares to primarily rectangles.

The squares seemed a little busy and chaotic, and I

thought (just guessing here) that rectangles would be

smoother and would enhance the blocks better than

squares.

„ The first sketch was a 31 × 31 grid. Each grid was

11/2 ̋, which meant that my quilt would be 461/2 ̋

square without borders. This was too big.

„ I felt the background space between the blocks could

be less, as it all seemed a little too spread out.

„ I also eliminated the #4 multiple-grid filler areas,

except for the peace symbol, because I was drifting

away from my initial idea of a simple composition.

My second sketch was 27 × 29 grids (401/2 ̋ × 431/2 ̋),

which is smaller than the first. It included less space

between the blocks. I also decided to make the 6 ̋ block

from the Fan drafting category (page 21) a half-block to

add some interest, and I placed it where the #4 rectan-

gular shape had appeared in the upper right area of the

first sketch. My sketches are rough; I make notations

everywhere, erase, and adjust—a little messy looking,

but it works.

Sketch #2