Dogtooth or Shark's Teeth?

I have made many of these units - mainly using paper piecing. If you want really, really sharp points then the best method (other than hand piecing) is foundation paper piecing. I've spent several years off and on making these strips with a variety of bright scraps and a fun dotted light background print.

Dogtooth or Shark's Teeth units

Doesn't matter what the name it, but you can be sure that either a dog or a shark have quite a sharp bite if their teeth are shaped like this! For some reason I made this with a finished height/width of 2-1/2". Here's what they look like as I was putting the pieced strips into long rows. Each vertical row finishes to 2-1/2" x 21". I eventually made 13 rows.

6 of my eventual 13 Dogtooth Rows

Then I upsized the units and made them with Christmas prints last year. I gave these "Shark's Teeth" as the name. But I made them fit into a specific space with 3 "teeth" in each square. And notice that they are even sharper than the bright ones above! But also notice that the "teeth" are really elongated half-rectangles, so they ARE different than the Dogtooth units!

10" Shark's Teeth Block

I used the Dogtooth units in my New York Beauty quilt which took over 10 years to finish! It's still a popular workshop and I'm teaching it again for MAQ next summer (July 2022). Here she is. Same size as the brights above (2-1/2" high/wide).


And one more photo. I upsized the Dogtooth units to finish to 4" and used lots of Kaffe Fassett leftovers. These are a great way to "eat up" your scraps!

More scrappy Dogtooth units

And, for the final photo which is really dangerous to show. But sometimes you have to try out a variety of arrangements to discover what you DON'T want to do! Four LeMoyne Stars, One of four Dogwood Blossom curved blocks in center and all those Dogtooth units. NOT gonna do this!

Sometimes you just have to try things out!

And, now to end on a happier note. I put my 13 strips together and added borders (from the Raj Collection from Windham). 

Dogtooth Bites in Brights: 33" x 44"

This will be another sample for my workshop to show my students some other things that can be done with the paper pieced units. Fun, huh? 

Comments

  1. Still haven’t tried paper piecing! BUT, I just did a Martha Pullen licensing and there is a paper pieced project in the course so… now I NEED to try it. I “think” I might try the Kratovil way first. Yes, I know… you would be saying DO it!

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    1. With paper piecing, it's either love or hate. But it does yield a result that is pretty awesome, right?

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  2. That last picture is really awesome! I didn't like your rejected idea, either. LOL

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    1. Yes, it took a lot of courage to even share it! It will percolate in the closet until I think of a way to use the parts!

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Thanks for stopping by Debby Kratovil Quilts! If you had a question and don't get an answer from me, please feel free to email me at: kratovil@his.com