Artquiltmaker Blog

I know many of you are busy celebrating, but there is always time for quiltmaking, IMO. Enjoy.

By Ruth McDowell – Piecing: Expanding the Basics (1998-04-16) [Paperback] by Ruth B McDowell

This is an older book. My copy is dated 1998. It is well thumbed, tabbed and annotated. This is a book I use a lot and strongly encourage my students to buy. If you want to be able to piece anything, use this book as a workbook.

The era in which this book was written was more about teaching techniques than providing projects and patterns, as books are organized now. That method encouraged more creativity in making quilts.

This book is filled with color photos of the author’s work, which provides additional inspiration.

The text starts out with a preface called ‘A Brief History of Piecing’. It talks about people joining small pieces of fabric together, which eventually turned into patchwork in the US. McDowell also talks about her journey in piecing. She explains that this book “will focus on the piecing part of the process” (pg.3). She also writes that “this book is intended for those who have mastered the basics of sewing quilt blocks and are interested in developing original designs” (pg.3). I agree with that, though think that beginners can also learn from this book and use it to develop piecing goals.

The preface is followed by a detailed table of contents (pg.4-5), which helps the reader navigate the voluminous amount of information when looking for specific piecing instructions or a technique later. There are three parts to the book, Part 1: Technical Skills, Part 2: Designing Original Piecing and Part 3: Designing.

Part 1 starts out with an explanation of the type of piecing Ruth McDowell uses and why (pg.6). She mentions FPP and paper piecing, which answers the reader’s unasked question of why she doesn’t use those techniques. Ruth does not completely eschew FPP or paper piecing. She explains how she uses it and when it is appropriate. The basic message is use the right technique for the task at the right time.

Ruth goes on to talk about the importance of pressing seam allowances. She talks about the sculptural aspects of pressing seams and why to press when. Most modern quiltmakers insist on pressing seams open. This book will start the process of instructing you on when to press in which direction and why (pg.6-7).

Don’t be put off by McDowell’s use of templates. She gives a succinct description of using templates. She includes a suggestion that quiltmakers can save fabric by using templates. Unless you are almost out of an out-of-print fabric, I think this is less important to most contemporary quiltmakers (pg.9).

After these pages of information and explanation, McDowell starts on the ‘how-to’ of construction. This section includes templates (pg.10-11) and is only for the most basic shapes: squares and triangles.

The basic shapes are followed up with a section on curves (pg.12-19). She talks about curves in general and gives some specific details on when to use what techniques as well as examples of when Ruth has used which technique (pg.12). This section includes a discussion of clipping.

McDowell includes templates for four different types of curves (pg.14-15) that readers can use for practice. More examples of her quilts that use these techniques are shown for inspiration.

McDowell also discusses combination techniques (pg.18).

Throughout the book, she discusses the use of particular types of fabric. Ruth explains why she chose the fabric and the effect she was trying to achieve (pg.18).

The author ends this section by saying “Mastering these assembly methods is part of your craft. As you become more adept you will find you can greatly expand your ability to sew complicated pieces” (pg.19). This is 100% true and will enable you to make more complicated and original designs with confidence.

Piecing insets is reviewed next (pg.20-31). This section includes instructions and discussion around all kind of insets including insetting a square into a shape (pg.29) and insetting a circular shape into another shape (pg.31). Templates are included for practice blocks in this section as well.

For very sharp angles (pg.25), Ruth provides a few different options for piecing. Seeing the different practice blocks will inspire new designs in your own work as well.

Knowing how to sew Y-seams and partial seams is helpful when starting the practice blocks (pg.34). At least knowing the basic reason behind Y-seams helps. Different types of Y-seams (pg.36-39), equilateral triangles, hexagonal blocks (pg.44-45) and diagonals (pg.42-43), are all included.

For nature quilts and other designs with strong linear elements, it is important to know several different ways to create those linear elements. McDowell covers a number of techniques including narrow templates (pg.47,48), flip & sew (*pg.49) and piping (pg.49-50).

In my design class, I teach students about seam lines being a design element, which I learned from Ruth. She covers this thoroughly (pg.51-54) and includes a practice piece for making an invisible tree (pg.52). If you are a teacher, the author includes a Teaching Guide (pg.64-65).

Part Two covers ‘Designing Original Piecing (pg.66-91). She starts with an example of planning piecing from a freehand sketch (pg.66). McDowell takes the reader from the sketch through the piecing (pg.66-69). She offers variation on the simple leaf shape and then follows with other variations such as “sliding the diagonal seams away from the corner” (pg.70-71). This technique makes joining blocks together easier. Working from a skeleton is a process by which the quiltmaker can make different versions. This process provides a choice of designs and creates the foundation for a series of designs.

The section on ‘Designing Original Piecing’ includes ‘Other Combinations’ (pg.72), ‘Combining Piecing and Applique’ )pg.73), ‘Flaps’ (pg.74) and ‘Faced Flaps’ (pg.74-75).

For modern quiltmakers, the section on ‘Block Shapes’ (pg.77-83) is useful to create structure for modern designs while ensuring your quilts have good technique. You don’t, after all, want your quilt to fall apart while it is hanging at QuiltCon. This section also introduces tessellations, which can make for exciting design elements. Ms. McDowell provides her favorite resource, Tilings and Patterns by Branko Grunbaum and G.C. Shepard, for more information on tessellations.

While you may use EQ8 or Adobe Illustrator or some other computer program to design and plan your quilts, Ruth’s examples of how her designs look on graph paper can help visualize how a design or a block would work.

This book was written before paper piecing and foundation paper piecing became super popular, but many of of her design lessons can be easily translated into PP or FPP (pg.82). The radishes, with a few adjustments, are one such idea.

McDowell discusses the practicalities of piecing complicated quilts (pg. 86-91). In this section she covers techniques such as enlarging drawings (pg.86) and supplies such as paper for templates or foundation piecing (pg.87). This section includes pros and cons.

Part 3 (pg. 93-157) is all about designing. Ruth McDowell takes the reader on a journey from a photograph to different quilt designs (pg.92-111). She shows a tracing of the photograph with a simplified version as a block next to it (pg.92). I think the comparison allows the reader to see how the medium of quiltmaking can be used to good effect. The design can be used for straight piecing and FPP.

The author shows how to piece the first design (pg.96), then goes on to show variations of the same block using gentle curves (pg.97-99) and a more straight seamed design (pg.101). Ruth also shows the same design as a couple of different pentagons (pg.102-103 and pg.106-107). Both of these parts are followed by example of the blocks and different ways to assemble them.

Ruth McDowell’s book has two more sections that, basically, follow the same sub-chapter organization. Once uses a drawing of grizzly bears (pg.112-117) and one uses a landscape (pg.118-143).

There are a couple of additions. Ms McDowell saw the grizzly’s face as a certain block design and used that the structure (pg.112-113). Again, she shows the transformation from drawing to a pattern from which she can piece.

In the landscape sub-chapter, the author talks about the difficulties of piecing certain elements of landscapes (pg.118) with some ideas on how to achieve a certain look.

There is a brief discussion of working style (pg.145) before she begins a discussion of fabric selection (pg.146-157). Ruth has a very particular style of fabric she uses. Some of style is preference, but there is also an element of having to use what was available at the time. You may have a hard time appreciating the plaids and other large prints. Keep in mind that today we have a lot more fabric choices than McDowell did when she started quiltmaking. She uses fabric to great effect, regardless of substrate, to make interesting quilts.

The author gives good advice on fabric usage (pg.152), such using the wrong side of the fabric. She also talks about cutting up fabric, especially directional fabric, and sewing it back together in different ways to create the perfect effect. The “there is always more fabric” advice I give to students is advice I got from Ruth McDowell. I truly believe that quilts are more interesting when more fabric is used.

Ruth talks specifically about plaids (pg.155), which will appeal to those you who enjoy thrifting. She talks about the colors, but also about the uses for plaid fabrics. She gives examples of specific uses she has made of plaids as well. Looking at the many images of the quilts shown in the book, reader can see all the different ways Ms. McDowell uses them. On pages 156 and 157 readers see examples of the use of plaid both in the foreground and backgrounds of quilts with similar designs.

“Although quilters’ reactions to the materials are similar, then fabric choices are as individual as the quilters making them. The collecting of fabric into a quilt can be a collaboration between the artist and the piece. Let the fabrics talk to you. Be willing to listen” (pg.157).

Ruth McDowell is a true artist. She raised two daughters alone through quiltmaking. Readers may think her techniques are old news and not useful, but using this book as a piecing workshop will improve your skills now that Ruth can no longer teach the workshops for which she was famous. Ruth was a prolific writer and many of her other books have patterns that she started discussing in this book.

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