by Mel Beach
g
et ready to roll the dice
with a fun new twist
on quilt design!There’s nothing like a challenge
to get the creative juices fl owing
when designing quilts. Sometimes I
create rules in which to work. Other
times I ‘limit’ myself, only using
certain colors or processes. I’ve even
used the element of chance as the
foundation for my work and in my
exploration of design and study of
art principles.
I was introduced to using dice
by RaNae Merrill in her book FREE
MOTION MASTERY IN A MONTH. Her
use of dice inspired me and I’ve
had fun including them in my
design process ever since. I even
incorporated them in my 100-day
challenge projects.
Get Ready to Roll!
Dice are the perfect tool for generating random numbers or choices in our
design process. As they are commonly used in a variety of dice and board games,
I’ll wager there is a good chance you already have several pairs on hand. Dice
are manufactured in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. Six-sided dice are
most common, although they also make dice that have 4, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sides,
which would allow for additional design assignments. Standard dice have each
face numbered one through six, using round dots also known as pips. Faces of a
die may have alternate labeling: numerals, letters, shapes, and/or symbols. You
can even purchase blank dice that can be labeled to create your own unique
assignments.Dice Games to Try
Most of my mandala designs
feature six different petal shapes
(arc, lotus, cosmo, leaf, tear drop,
and compass points) and six free-
motion fi ller designs (pebbles, loop
de loops, spirals, parallel lines,
radiating lines, and echoes). Each
design option is assigned a number
1–6 and by rolling two dice, new
combinations are created. Even
the same roll can prompt you
to explore new variations! “No
Math Mandalas,” my article in the
August/September 2020 issue of
QUILTING ARTS, used this dice game.Dice pieces from the Left,
Center, Right ™ game were perfect
for determining the orientation of
my improv-pieced ‘spirangle’ blocks
in the quilt “Sixteen Sunsets.”
Once all the units were placed
onto my design wall, I rolled the
dice to determine each block’s
orientation, assigning each side of the
die to a directional rotation: left by
90 degrees; right by 90 degrees; fl ip
by 180 degrees; artist’s choice; and no
rotation. (In a pinch you could assign
numerals 1–6 from a regular die in
the same way.)g