EQ6 – Sashing, Part 1

I thought I’d show a little more design exploration here with EQ.  Sashing can often be one of my favorite places to play.  When adding sashing to a quilt, I can simply just add strips.  That is, at times, just exactly what I want.  So this very simple design without strips,

becomes this design with strips.

 

Not that one is better than the other.  Just two slightly different effects.  Adding sashing is obviously a common enough strategy in quilt design.

I can also add blocks to the sashing. This one puts a diamond in the square block in the sashing (sash borders is checked).

This one puts a simple half-square triangle in the blocks.  Some of the triangles are rotated.  Sash borders is unchecked.

I can also, and this is a  favorite, use blocks in combination, with one block in the sashing strip and another in the cornerstones.  This puts a nine patch in the cornerstones and a stripe in the sashing strips.

Flying Geese look swell in a sashing strip.  Add a diamond in the square block to the sashing cornerstones and I get this:

Or this:

Notice two things in the above two quilt designs.  One, how a seam intersection in the block meets an intersection on the sashing.  When I’m putting blocks next to each other, usually I aim for matching grids.  When I use four geese in the sashing, then a block based on a four patch grid works particularly well in the blocks.

The second thing to notice is that with this coloring and rotation of the geese, there is a star created in the center of the design. 

In addition to matching grids, I also look to repeat design elements.  So, what happens if I put a star in the blocks?

I like that.  What if I double up stars?    

Oh, yes.  I like both of those versions.  Stars or diamonds in the center?  I’ll need to decide, though I’m leaning to the double stars.  I’ll play with fabric a little more, though I do really like the reproduction fabrics (of course).   In either case . . .

Remember I said I had plans for that Fons and Porter Flying Geese ruler?  Here it is.  Flying geese in the sashing and flying geese units to make the stars. 

I’m going to make this one up.  Give me a week or two and I’ll start a step by step tutorial for sewing this pattern.