Drafting for the Creative Quilter

DESIGNINGWITHINTRADITIONALBLOCkS 83

Designing the 36 ̋ Sedona

The same three shapes—diamond,
square, and triangle—that make
up a LeMoyne Star make up a
Carpenter‘s Wheel block. In fact,
whatever size LeMoyne Star you
make—let’s say 6 ̋—those three
template shapes are the same size
shapes you need for making a 12 ̋
Carpenter’s Wheel block. For the
36 ̋ Sedona (page 116), I simply
fractured the square, diamond, and
triangle shapes of an 18 ̋ LeMoyne
Star. For the 18 ̋ Sedona, I fractured
the square, diamond, and triangle
shapes of a 9 ̋ LeMoyne Star.

To design Sedona (or you could
redesign it), I began with a line
drawing of a Carpenter’s Wheel
block that was about 6 ̋ square. I
knew I would make a 36 ̋ design,
but you do not have to know what
size you’re making to begin the
designing process; you can choose or
change size even after designing. You
do not ever have to actually sew it;
just begin to sketch and fracture the
shapes with a small ruler or straight
edge and a pencil. Your sketch does
not need to be perfectly drawn.
When I design, I’m only sketching
and doodling and hopefully ending
up with a new quilt design. I use the
mirrors right on my paper to “see”
the whole block.

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All templates are included for

Sedona (page 116) for both the

36 ̋ and the 18 ̋ sizes.

Drawing of a Carpenter’s Wheel block

Drawings of a Carpenter’s Wheel block with a variety of design possibilities. Mirrors

can be placed on one-eighth of the design (the red lines) to show the entire block as

it would appear if the design of this section were used for the whole block.

1. To create a smaller, third star in the center of a Carpenter’s Wheel
   block, simply connect the corners of 4 squares across 2 diamonds (red lines),
   as well as the corners of the 4 squares on-point (blue lines). This creates
   2 squares—one straight and one on-point—superimposed on top of
   each other.