Oh, calm down. Not THAT kind of rattlesnake. Why would I do that to you?
I rarely use anyone else's pattern (I don't get paid to do that), but I took a class 20 years ago with the Karen Stone paper pieced Rattlesnake pattern as the feature. I made a quilt out of flannels and it somehow fell into the hands of my daughter who used it for the dog to snuggle in. Want to see that?
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| Original Rattlesnake quilt |
I used this pattern, published in 1996:
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| Karen Stone's Rattlesnake pattern |
I have made a variety of units since that first quilt, some made with batiks. These will be stitched into background units to become 10" blocks:
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| Batik paper pieced units |
This is what the unit looks like from the paper side after trimming:
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| Single foundation |
Here are some of the batik blocks on my design wall.
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| 10" Rattlesnake blocks being auditioned on my design wall |
As you may know, I've been sewing a lot with Kaffe Fassett prints in the past year. I thought it would be fun to stitch some in this pattern. I begin with 3" strips, which I then cut into shorter strips for each section. It makes it easier to work this way. These are the last 4 blocks I will be making for this color family. It's a lot of work, OK?
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| Pre-cut strips for 4 Rattlesnake blocks (yes, I know I need one more for 16) |
My light background fabrics are mostly Artisan Shimmer by Northcott.
Here are 11 units I pieced over the weekend:
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| 11 Paper Pieced Rattlesnake units |
I'll keep you posted on my progress. I was going to add a picture of a real rattlesnake here, but the good voices in my head won out over the bad voices. Lucky you!
HA! I was surprised by the title of your article. Your original quilt looks like it was well loved by the puppy. I love these prints by Kaffe and also the Artisan Shimmer ones too. I look forward to your finished project - you certainly made headway over the weekend!
ReplyDeleteI am making headway and hope to share 4 finished blocks by tomorrow!
DeleteHi, Debby! The flannel suggly looks to be in a similar condition of the various snugglies my beagles have enjoyed over the years. I can picture my husband's old flannel shirts - both plaids and solids - being repurposed for such a use ... assuming I can pry them out of his hands! I love the brighter colors in this pattern! Just might have to try this one. Too bad your bad (aka diabolically creative) voices didn't win this one. It would have been interesting to see the inspiration rattler coiling through the fabrics or across the pieced units! See you in Cleveland in a few days for Baby Blocks and Modern Vortex. Safe travels!
ReplyDeleteYes, Jane, this pattern works up well in all sorts of fabrics. And no, I'm not going to show the rattlesnake I was planning. I don't want my bloggers to faint! See you on Friday!
DeleteLove you sense of humor. Really? A time consuming new quilt went for a dog snuggly?
ReplyDeleteThe quilt was not used with my permission, of course! And, yes time consuming and that's why I was unhappy that Belle (dog) chewed it up. But it does make me laugh now.
DeleteWhere can I find the pattern for this great block?
ReplyDeletePattern is out of print. There is an exact replica in the book: Material Obsession 2. Not sure how the author copied it EXACTLY and was not sited for copyright infringement. Will share more on that in a future post.
DeleteTerrific! I've been thinking about doing some paper piecing lately, so you just inspired me to dig around to find a pattern in my ideas box.
ReplyDeleteI always seem to come back to paper piecing. It allows me to make those challenging blocks with sharp points with no stress.
DeleteHello Debbie! Your post did surprise me, but hey blogs are about our lives also, our lives shape our quilts! So, I was ready to swap a few good stories with you of when my Husband and I lived in Grand Falls, Texas!
ReplyDeleteBut since you are talking about quilting....it has been a long time since I have done any Paper Piecing. I remembered I had bought some of the Wash Away Stabilizer stuff to try for Paper Piecing and never did. With all of your lovely blocks and quilts shown with this method, I am going to have to give it a try after I finish a few very important quilts for Family Members. Like the Rattlesnake pattern, it really is a striking pattern! Thank you for sharing and have a great day!
I love that rattlesnake pattern.
ReplyDeleteIt really is an awesome way to create a neat block, though not really for beginners. There is sewing of the curves yet to happen!
Deletewhat great blocks and some lovely fabrics too
ReplyDeleteI have always sewn with the concept of getting a good look at the fabrics by using strong contrast. I haven't made a "blendy" quilt in decades.
DeleteI thought you were going to tell us about a real live rattlesnake :-). These blocks are beautiful. Love that shimmer fabric. To me the blocks look more like orange peels with teeth. Maybe someone should come up with a Rorschach test for quilters. LOL.
ReplyDeleteHa, Ha, Susan! I agree that they do look like Orange Peel units with teeth. I really have enjoyed how the lights and the darks work together in these blocks.
DeleteWow, this is so pretty in batiks! You might almost get me to paper piece that one. =)
ReplyDeleteCan I have your scraps????
ReplyDeleteI save every scrap of Kaffe fabrics. For these, I like to stretch them to the last inch. I'm waiting for the right inspiration for a true scrap project. Other fabrics, I don't really care about. I fill bags with my scraps as I cut and give them to a friend who promises to use them (someday). Maybe I should offer them on my blog to whoever wants to pay postage. These are gallon sized zip lock bags every 2 weeks. What do you think?
DeleteHi Debbie, I am working on this quilt now. It sure is a bear. But I am having a lot of fun with it. Once I am done I will be a master at sewing the curves! Your quilt with the Batiks looks beautiful
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