Helen G Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hello all you quilt wizards. I have a question that I should know the answer to, but I am not really sure. Our quilt guild is making sampler quilts with patterns that have been contributed by each of the members. When joining the blocks, how wide are the sashing strips supposed to be? Is it one qjuarter of the size of the block? The finished block size is 14 inches. Thanks, Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I must have missed something in ALL the years that I have been piecing...I didn't know that there was an actually math ratio to making sashings.....I always make mine (if not using a book or pre-printed pattern) the size I want....if the blocks are small I normally keep them also small 1 -2 1/2 inches, and if 12 inches 3 or 4 inches.... I really really didn't know that there was a mathmatical ratio to what is right or wrong. I have been even known to float my blocks that all have the same background with WHATEVER the size to make the quilt either size I need it to be or what I think looks best.... Guess the judge who gave me a first place ribbon didn't know it either, because she commented on my sashings being the perfect size for the blocks and trust me it was a fabric issue...it was all the fabric I had so that is what the sashing turned out to be....nothing mathmatical about that. Blocks are 12 inch with 4 inch sashing one way and a 2 1/2 inch sashing the other, with a 1 1/2 inch outside border before the black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'm with Bonnie. I vary the size depending on what I want the finished quilt to look like or the size I want it to be. The only rule I know of that I remember is not to make the sashing or binding an exact half of the block size but you know if that was what worked for me I'd break that rule too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspingler Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 No quilt police on this one. For a 14" block, I would go 3" or you could do a 3 strip sashing....1 or 1 1/2", 2 or 2 1/2" then another 1 or 1/12" would look really nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbishwit Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 It's whatever size that appeals to the one putting together the pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Whew...for a moment there I thought I has really missed something. ;) I'm one of those that if ALL ELSE fails then I read the directions......:cool: And Rules...who needs those stinking rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I about dropped my jaw to the floor thinking the same ...."there is a rule to this?" LOL! Bonnie! B E E E AUTIFUL Quilt honey!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyc Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Generally the most appealing sashingis one that reflects something already in the block. For example, if you have 2 1/2 inch 1/2 square triangles, a 2 1/2 inch sashing is good. If you have a 4 1/2 inch square or 1/2 square triangle block inside the block, you could go that size sashing. In this case a 3 inch sashing might not "look right." Quilting is based on math, so mutiples or parts of the whole visually are more appealing. Everytime I have tried a sashing that is wider than a part of the block, it never is as appealing to me as I described above. I will always end up cutting it down to a proportional size. Just lie with a vase of flowers, the vase should be 1/3 or the height of the arrangement for the most appealing look. But, the bottom line is, quilting is an expression of the quilter, you can do whatever you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I agree...definitely personal choice. I love one story about Karen Stone...she made all the blocks for her quilt called Delirious and attached the sashing...she used a variety of different fabrics for the sashes. When she stood back & looked, the sashes looked too wide for the blocks & overwhelmed the blocks. Not good if your sashing takes center stage. So she cut the quilt top apart again down the middle of all the sashes and then rearranged the blocks so that the sashing was narrower (because of new seam allowances) and comprised of two fabrics. Am I making any sense? Each sash became a two fabric strip. The end result was much scrappier and more interesting looking. This wouldn't work for all quilts but on Karen's quilt it looks terrific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtreusch Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Ditto to Hollyc. For the most visually appealing sashings, I've alway been told that they should be a multiple of something already in the block. However, it's your quilt and what appeals to you might not appeal to someone else. Do whatever looks the best to you. Debbi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Or you could do a complete mathematical quilt using the Fibonacci sequence of numbers - the total of the third number is the sum of the previous two numbers. Definitely not for Mary Beth! If you have a 14" block then the previous numbers would be 8 3/4", 5 1/4", 3 1/2", 1 3/4". As long as you use any number in that sequence, for borders, sashing etc it works. Without realising it most of us would choose the "fibonacci size" because it looks right. The Master artists size was always 5 x 8 or multiples thereof eg 25" x 40" etc Sorry its the Mathematician in me! Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Lyn :P Like Mary Beth, I too, am not a math whiz, so my eyes started to glaze over after reading the 2nd sentence in your paragraph... LOL! I've never heard of Fibonacci before. At first I thought it was a type of cookie you dunked in coffee.. Now apparently this is a guy and he was a genius. One main thing I learned at MQS last year was this: When it comes to quilting, there are no rules. But, that said, if I do need some numbers crunched I will rely on people like you and my coworker engineers or my husband who is way smarter than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennan100 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 blinkblinkblinkblink...... Ummmmm, in porportion and balanced. I have no rules, I just look at it and decide, add it all together, and if it fits the bed (or what ever purpose) it works for me! I usually follow the instructions unless I don't like it and then I change it , as long as the balance and proportions look good, just eyeball it......(except.....gee, why can't I see? opps! My eyes rolled to the back of my head!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Oh my gosh!!:P:D Just reading this posting I am on overload:D:P:D Stuff like this makes me know I am in the wrong place! My math teacher kept telling me "you will use this everyday" - I thought she was sooo wroooong.....I feel like I have stepped into the twilight zone and my math teacher is going to pop out of my computer screen :P:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dib Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Oh, my! Fibon...who? I must have missed school that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 I am also - "if it looks right then it is right" type of gal. To figure my sashing, I just put all my blocks on the wall in the order I want. I cut one or two sashing strips that I know will be too wide. I lay them next to the blocks and start tucking in the edge until I find a width that I like - that will become the sashing width. I then cut down the strip/s that are too wide and finish cutting the rest. My big issue is to make sure I add the seam allowance...LOL. This is easy and seems to always work for me. If I am following a pattern I like, I will generally just follow the pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crawysong Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 lol.. im in the same boat as the most i do what looks best.. i do find myself using measurements from the blocks quite a bit but my steadfast is questions are .. do i like the way it looks? and the age old .. do i have that much fabric left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiltgrrl Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 When I do sashing, it depends on the quilt, of course. I am rather partial to a couple sashing for the quilt. I like to do one that is narrower (usually 2-3") and then another in a coordinated color that is wider (4-6"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I'm with Lyn and Fibonacci, quilting looks best when it is based on proven mathematical formulas. (shhhh, don't tell Mary Beth or Shana). I took a drafting class 2 months ago and had to leave early for GD birthday. The quilter who taught it is well-known in the local area (and a Paducah ribbon holder) for creating beautiful quilts, mostly with needle-turn applique. It was the first time I went to a quilt class where the supply list included a compass, calculator and colored pencils. LOL. We discussed block types (4-patch, 9 patch, etc) sizes, and formulas. It was like the Holy Grail to me, all of a sudden I understood why some things in quilting work and some just don't. I have signed up for the class again so I can get the rest of the info. We also made 4 blocks using the same 4 fabrics so that we could see which mock-up block looked best. That was another light bulb moment for me. I have made quilts that I loved the pattern and fabrics but when it was done, it fell flat for me. I'm sure you've probably had a similar experience when you say "where are the stars" in a quilt because the star points recede. I wish that I had my hand-outs and exercises with me so I could look up the numbers. Take a look at Janet Rice-Bedin's blog and see what I mean. Click here for her blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliagraves Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Fibonacci numbers and the Golden Ratio (the vase at 1/3rd the height example) are well known among art students. There are lots and lots of examples of these in classical Greek art and Renaissance art. It's all about proportion. Disney put out a cartoon years and years ago called Donald in Mathemagicland that illustrated these concepts beautifully. Lacking that, Wikipedia has a nice article that shows the relationship between both of these concepts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio It's all about proportion. I agree with the previous poster that also said that it's good to use a similar size sashing as to what is already being used in the block - this will keep them in proportion. If you don't want to do the math, trust your eye - lay out a length of sashing fabric, and arrange the blocks over it with varying widths of fabric showing as sashing and pick what looks best. Good luck! Julia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dar Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Linda, Thanks for the introduction to Janet Rice-Bedin's website. I found it very interesting and I also want to thank YOU for your detailed information on Vertical SID process. That made perfect sense to me and I can also see the logic behind your choices. I learn so much from this forum. Now if I can only remember what I read and put it into practice!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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