by Pat Gray

Created on: December 14, 2011   Last Updated: May 03, 2012

There is something very satisfying about planning a patchwork quilt on paper. Having a dozen sketches scattered on your desk and floor, and tacked to the wall will make you feel like a real artist. You'll be very familiar with your design - drawing by hand is a slower process that using an expensive computer software - and you'll know whether you want to invest the time to complete your project. And playing with different layouts and colors will get your creative juices flowing and you may end up with more than design before you are through!

The tools you need:

- Graph paper

Tip: There are many different types of graph paper including squares, hexagonal paper (for Grandmother's Flower Garden), Diametric and Isometric paper (useful for three dimensional effects), logarithmic (straight lines forming various sized rectangles) and even circular or "polar compass" paper. On websites like Print Free Graph Paper you can print different types of graphs, and adjust the size so your sketches can be easily drawn to scale. Flip-charts also come with grids for larger designs.

- Pens and pencils

- Eraser

- Colored pencils or crayons

- Compass (optional, but handy to have for dividing spaces)

- Ruler

- Calculator (Useful for calculating the width of sashing and borders)

A good book of quilt patterns will come in handy too - the Encyclopedia Of Pieced Quilt Patterns  is an excellent reference book.

To create a basic multi-block quilt:

1) The first step in the quilt planning process is to make some basic decisions:

- Determine the finished size. Quilt batting comes in standard sizes, but you can add to or trim a batting to suit your requirements.

- Decide on the general layout. Do you want slashing between the blocks? Do you want a substantial border with a detailed design or only a bit of binding?

- Decide on the block structure. Many patchwork designs are grouped by the number of patches - four-patch, nine-patch, 16-patch and so on, and even if you're copying a pattern rather than creating one of your own, it's useful to know which block structure you'll be working with.

2) Next, on your graph paper, sketch the quilt's outline - the layout of the blocks, sashing and border. Draw a permanent line in pen to represent the outline of the quilt, then draw the lines for the details lightly in pencil - you can redraw the lines in ink once your happy with the layout. Try to make the drawing to scale, although this can take a bit of calculating and practice.

Tip: Unless you know which

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>