If you are a purist who likes to measure and cut accurately and is proud of your scant quarter inch seam, you may want to stop reading now.
Like most people, I used to think that an embroidery machine could only be used to add cute little designs to clothing and towels. When I retired from full time (Science) teaching I decided to treat myself to a new sewing machine so I visited a dealer with an open mind, having used the one I had for many years. The rest, as they say, is history!
I bought a combined sewing and embroidery machine and soon discovered the wealth of websites which offered free designs and for a few months I played. I embellished a lot of items (which didn’t really need it) and then began to look further and think sideways. A Christmas present of a software package was the beginning of my new adventure.
I wasn’t really interested in creating cute little pictorial designs and I soon discovered that I could easily create designs with straight lines. The light bulb moment came when I realised that straight lines equal seams! It was just a matter of getting them in the right places and in the right order and I could create quilt blocks.
After doodling a batch of blocks, I tested them and used them to make this sampler quilt – called Bodger’s Dream because no measuring had been done except on my computer screen.
The blocks were sashed and joined using a conventional QAYG method.
After doodling a few other ideas, including rag dolls and zipped purses, I came back to my blocks and refined the method. I made them so that they could be backed, quilted and joined in the hoop so all the extra sewing needed was to hand finish the backing and bind the quilt.
To explain the process, this video shows how to make a simple square in square block.
This block repeated 16 times forms the central panel of this quilt.
All of the blocks in the pictures above are 20 cm square (approx 8″), but the only limit is the size of the embroidery area your machine can manage. Even the simplest machine can make lovely blocks.
The blocks in this panel are just 100 mm square. (Approx 4″)
If you are tempted to try this method, my designs are available from Engineered in Stitches. (A Facebook closed group.)
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