Happy Accident -

This post will consolidate a bunch of other ones - 

 

And try to show/explain my "layout formula" - 

 

For my Upstairs/Downstairs quilt tops - 

 

Using Upstairs/Downstairs - Meredith as my example - 

 

The original post for this one is - HERE - 

 

And I'm going to "borrow" parts of it - 

 

So that I don't have to "reinvent the wheel" - LOL - 

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The "inspiration" for this top comes from a video/tutorial I saw on YouTube -  

 

Missouri Star Quilt Company - calls it - Crossing Paths - HERE -

but I never remember that name until I go to add the link - LOL -

It's one of my favorite - no-brainer patterns -

I'm going to tweak it to use one jelly roll - 40 strips -

Since there are two each of 20 different prints -

And I need sets of 5 -

It was easy enough to peel them off 8 at a time -

And make 5 piles -

The top two in each stack will make the first two strata -

The next two in each stack will be the next two strata -

The next two -

And the last two -

I'm playing with the first sets of strata -

And the rest are waiting their turn -

If my MATH is correct -

Each 5-strip strata should give me three 10" blocks -

So -

One jelly roll - 40 strips -
Strata in sets of 5 = 8 strata -
8 strata x 3 blocks/strata = 24 blocks total -
4 x 6 layout -
Approximately 40" x 60" -

Or I could use both jelly rolls - 80 strips -
Strata in sets of 5 = 16 strata -
16 strata x 3 blocks/strata = 48 blocks total -
6 x 8 layout -
Approximately 60" x 80" - 

 

===

 

I wound up using 2 identical jelly rolls - with 40 strips in each one -

All of the fabrics were "doubles" - so 2 each of 20 fabrics in each roll -

 

I split the first roll like I showed above - 

 

The second roll was also split into five piles of 8 strips each -

But the strips in each pile were mixed up a little to give me some variety -

 

ALL of the strata were sewn in the same order - 

PURPLE #1 - PURPLE #2 - Strip #3 - Strip #4 - Strip #5 - 

 

The PURPLE top strip will be the MAIN DIAGONAL in ALL of the blocks -

And ALL of the strata should shade from dark to light - 

Those are key to making this whole thing work -

I broke my own "rule" with the dark green being Strip #5 in the last strata -

But it worked out - so don't stress about it too much - it will be fine - LOL -

 

 

I sewed all 16 strata - and cut the segments - 

 

 

 

And made the blocks - 6 identical blocks in 8 different variations - 

 

I put the blocks up on the design wall in DIAGONAL rows as I finished each "set" of 6 blocks - in a stair-step sequence - just like the blocks - with the blocks in each row oriented in the same direction - going either UP or DOWN - because it was easy - and I could see the pretty colors -

When I finished all of the blocks - I rearranged them for what seemed like f.o.r.e.v.e.r. playing with the layout - trying to get the colors/value balanced -

 

I could have kept futzing with it - but I didn't like what I was seeing - and I was getting frustrated - there HAD to be an easier way -

 

So - I took them all down - and started over -  

 

Then I put them back up on the design wall -

 

Pretty much the same way I had them in the first place - stair-stepped -

 

Because I thought they looked "pretty" that way -

 

Which is kind of funny to me now that I think about it -

 

I "accidentally" had it right in the first place - LOL - 

 

One of those "Happy Accidents" that make life so much fun!! -

 

So - my "layout formula" is to use a stair-step sequence - just like in the blocks - 

 

And alternate one diagonal row UP - and the next one DOWN - 

 

It's so simple - it makes me wonder why it took me so long to figure it out - LOL - ;))

Anyway -

The top is made using 48 blocks - 6 rows across and 8 down - 

So ALL 6 blocks in the first THREE diagonal rows fit across the top in ONE diagonal row -

Rows #4-5-6-7-8 will be split up - you'll see later - ;))  

In the photo below - the first "column" has two blocks - alternating UP and DOWN -

Step 1 - Choose the SECOND Block in Column One -

Decide which block(s) you want for the SECOND DIAGONAL row -

That row is the MOST DOMINANT one in the whole top - and the most critical -

So I chose the "prettiest" PURPLE print for that row - and it goes DOWNstairs -

 

 

Step 2 - Choose the TOP LEFT Block -

Decide which block(s) you want for the FIRST DIAGONAL row -

The row ABOVE the one you did in Step 1 - 

The dominant diagonal in this row goes in the other direction - UPstairs -

So it's effect is a tad bit different - and all 6 blocks fit across the width of the top -

I chose the next "prettiest" PURPLE for that one -

Step 3 - Choose the First Block in the Second Column - 

Because of the stair-step nature of this pattern - 

This will also be the last block in the first column -

It goes DOWNstairs like Row #2 - so I chose a pretty one for that, too - 

 

 

Then I chose the blocks for the rest of the rows -

Remembering to alternate them UP and DOWN -

And paying attention to where I put the dark GREENS -

I didn't want them too close together -

 

 

 

 

Once the blocks are chosen for the first column -

I number them - 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8- 

And take them down off the wall - one set at a time - keeping all 6 blocks together - 

Then I lay them all out - and double check the block orientation -

#1 - 3 - 5 - 7 go UPstairs - so they should be turned a quarter-turn to the right -

#2 - 4 - 6 - 8 go DOWNstairs - so the diagonal goes from top left to bottom right -

 

 

NOTE - 

This top is designed in DIAGONAL rows - 

But is constructed in HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL rows - 

 

Because of the way I "web" it - HERE - 

I can lay out my eight piles of numbered blocks - 

And pick up the ones I need - in order - for each HORIZONTAL row -

 

The HORIZONTAL block sequence  is -

 

Row #1 - left to right - 1-8-7-6-5-4 -

Row #2 - left to right - 2-1-8-7-6-5 - 

Row #3 - left to right - 3-2-1-8-7-6 - 

Row #4 - left to right - 4-3-2-1-8-7 - 

Row #5 - left to right - 5-4-3-2-1-8 - 

Row #6 - left to right - 6-5-4-3-2-1 - 

Row #7 - left to right - 7-6-5-4-3-2 - 

Row #8 - left to right - 8-7-6-5-4-3 - 

 

Of course, you can also web it in columns - just follow the chart - 

 

Sew it together - and get this -

 

 

The dominant diagonals give it structure - 

 

And the six matching blocks in each set give it a nice balance of colors/values -

 

Three of the diagonal rows are complete - and the other rows are split -

 

Part in the bottom left corner - and part in the top right corner -

 

Automatically balancing the colors/values throughout the quilt top - 

 

Lots of "bang" for very little "buck" - LOL -  

 

So - the "formula" worked on this one - 

 

And it worked on Gleaned - 

 

I chose the prettiest ORANGE for the SECOND diagonal row - 

And put the second ORANGE in Row #6 - 

The light WHITE patches really stood out to me - so to balance them out -

I had one WHITE block go UP - in the FIRST diagonal row - 

And one WHITE block go DOWN - in Row #4 - 

 

 

 

And it worked on Winter's Graudeur - 

 

I used the "medium gold" in Rows #1 - 4 - 7 -

The rest had the "checkered" print as the MAIN diagonal -  

And because they "all looked alike" it didn't matter which set went where - LOL - 

 

 

The layout is a stair-step sequence - just like in the blocks - 

 

And it works like "magic" -  LOL - ;))

 

 

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -