in motion

I have a little tidbit of knowledge I wanted to share with you today.  It's about the "movement" of fabric and how it relates to quilting.

Before I go any further, let me clarify by saying I've never taken a class or anything on this subject ... I'm not an expert by any means ... these are just opinions I've developed over my quilting years.

When I started quilting, I'd hear the term used and was left scratching my head.  What the heck is fabric movement? 

Eventually, I learned that most prints have a direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, etc.).  Some are more obvious than others.  And this design element in the fabric can be used to enhance the design of a quilt.  Whether you are aware of it or not, the way you position any print in a quilt will affect the finished look ... sometimes in a very dramatic way, sometimes not so much. 

I quite enjoy using fabric direction as part of my own personal quilting style and I play around with it a lot.  (Sometimes maybe too much.)  My hexagon diamonds gave me the idea and inspiration to write about the importance of this subject.

Below are 4 diamonds made with the same small check.

Top left is diagonal, top right is vertical, bottom left is random.  Can you see how they all look different?  Ignoring the colour, each block has its own personality which results from the way I oriented the lines of the print.

The bottom right is also vertical, but if you notice the two hexagons that are side by side just above the bottom point, you'll see that the fabric was basted to the template a little crooked.  So even though most of the hexagons are vertical, those 2 slightly crooked ones affect the appearance of the entire diamond.  It looks a little wonky, doesn't it?

Ooh.  I just got an idea.  I'm going to make a block with all the lines going in the same direction ... except for one little errant hexagon.  :)

Here are 3 more diamonds with the same plaid print but the lines oriented differently.

Notice the first one ... it's supposed to be straight, but it looks really crooked.  That's because the strong red line is obviously misaligned from one hexagon to the next.  So even though all the lines are parallel there is a funky sort of attitude going on in that block.

In fact, the block on the left feels more tense to me ... like the hexagons don't quite fit together properly and were forced into position, whereas the block on the right looks and feels more relaxed, even though the lines of the plaid are going every which way.  (I actually worked a little on the green block, making the lines match up as best I could ... that's why it looks more orderly than the yellow one.)

As a quilter, do you notice that sort of thing?  If you do, does the wonky bother you or are you totally zen and let things go as they please?

My personal bent is towards order.  I can drive myself crazy trying to make sure the prints in my quilt are all going in the right direction.  It's sometimes like nails on a chalkboard to me if I see a print that's upside down.

That said, I've found myself more recently drawn to the playfulness of random.  This is hard for me to do.  But whenever I've studied antique quilts - or even just really interesting contemporary ones - and noticed how the makers didn't always care about "perfection", it makes me think that I should just relax and not be so controlling about things all the time.

Oh sweet irony ... this means I need to PRACTICE being DELIBERATELY random.

Comments

[Johanna]

I am an either totally in order or totally random person. That said, I like it when the randomness is equally distributed. So I guess I just like order :)
That is also why I never use checked fabric: matching up all those lines takes forever!

[Karen]

when a quilt has so many pieces in it I don't let that sort of thing bother me - the eye is not going to settle on just one of those pieces after all.

[Lorna McMahon]

Thank you for sharing this very interesting post. I did not know the term for this - movement - but yes, I was aware of it. And it is something I think about when planning a quilt or cutting fabric. I like random providing it is artistically pleasing and not random to the point of chaotic. There is enough of that in my life - don't need it in my quilt!

[A Little Blue Dragonfly]

I can relate. Once, I told my husband that I had decided to plant some annuals in our front flower bed all random like, instead of my usual way of planting in rows. After I was finished, we stepped back to look at the flower bed and busted out laughing. I had "randomly" planted every single flower in perfect diagonal rows except for one! Haha! I crave order, and I love clean lines, but I can identify Johannna....if I'm going to go random, it is deliberate. :)

[Hildy]

I can totally relate! That's the reason why I almost never use fabric with directions. I layout all my fabrics before using it you know the no-touching-rule but normally there's some error. And I always see this AFTER I've sewn the whole thing together, of course:-) And then I relize that I like this little error, this inperfection because Iit gives the quilt some personality. And I let it be (okay, I'm also to lazy to restitch it all I confess). The thing is I would never plan a random quilt but I like it a lot more then the absolute perfect ones. Perhaps it's then a lot more me?

[Elaine]

As a fairly newer quilter compared to you all ; ), I would fuss in agony over unaligned corners or a binding stitch that went through or FMQ where 4 stitches overlapped or weren't quite the right shape. Quilting became so stressful and full of tension to fret over all that, it made the whole project an agony. Generally I like for corners to be right. I may fix once or twice but then I let it go. Sometimes the "imperfections" is what makes it look handmade!! I decided that enjoying the process was far more important than perfection when I am the only one fretting!! And I do pay attention to "direction" but from far away (like my dad says) you can't tell. LOL!

[SamanthaK]

This is the reason I avoid directional prints and prints with straight lines in them--It would drive me crazy trying to make sure I cut my fabric straight to make sure the lines were straight in the finished block. I had made 3 quilts within about a year's time that had directional prints in them--one was airplanes, one was tractors, and the other was an antique looking garden scene. Although it isn't noticeable to others, but I had a block upside-down in all 3 of those quilts, of which I didn't notice until I had finished the quilt---drove me crazy until I let myself relax and decided it was just my trademark for those quilts. I do get reminded that when we are making them, they are handmade, not computer made, so they will not be perfect--they just have character!

I cannot wait to see your completed hexagon quilt either by the way! I'm slowly starting to collect fabrics to do a Grandma's Flower Garden quilt and want to make sure I have adequate fabric before I start so I'm not trying to match something in later on.

[Sally]

I didn't realise this had a name but like others was aware of it in some fabrics. Looking at your 4 gingham diamonds I like the green one at bottom left best, the lines on this ones all seem to radiate out to me, its so clever though the way the slight difference in pattern placement affects the whole look of the block.
With stripe fabrics I really need order, it really stresses me out if I cut with the weave of the fabric and the stripe is out of kilter, or if one little triangle in a block ends up with the stripe going a different way to the others.
Loving these hexagon diamonds and I can't wait to see them all joined together. :)

[charlotte]

Sometimes, no matter that I am trying to line things up, I make mistakes. Sometimes I leave them instead of ripping them out. I find that after awhile it no longer bothers me, and I sort of like the randomness. I think it's the universe's way of saying "chill out".

[Anne]

I've learned a lot lately about movement too, and more so now from this post. I know what many of you mean by avoiding those directional fabrics, but sometimes they are so beautiful, it's hard to resist. So if I find one that I really can't resist, I use it for the backing of the quilt.

I used to be very concerned about each little thing being so perfect. I remember what my first and second quilting teachers said; "There is no such thing as the quilting police," and a mistake is an opportunity to learn in your quilting and be creative."

[Bonnie nyquist]

This is extgremely interesting to me! I was taught anything under 1/4 ' did not have to match, I think this is a really important lesson to remember. Homepsun fabric drive me over the edge! I once threw away a lot of fabric from sheer frustration just tryinjg to cut it straight. I do like ordeer and staight lines, crazy quilting for example,to me, is ugle and hard to even look at. I will remember this lesson so well, thanks for taking the time to educate us in this. Your hexagones are going to be perfect!

[Bari Jo]

I know, right? Having to WORK at Random.... part of the charm of random is that happy go lucky, carefree attitude it (seemingly) conveys - like it just 'happens'.... and somehow has a charm all its own that just works.... I get bothered by wonky.... YET really long to color outside the lines and have fun rather than being all uptight about it all....when you get it figured out - please help me!

[Donna]

This has been really interesting. Your blocks were great examples and I learned a lot about movement. It's amazing how some of those little hexies look so unsettled when the lines are going every which way. I am definitely not a "random" person!

[Polly Hada]

This was a very valuable post Krystine! Your findings and explanations are helpful. It helps us all better realize our personal preferences and make peace w/them. I learned a lot. Thank you.

[cocoquilts]

Thanks for your insight fabric movement! Sooo interesting!! I love that you researched this with your quilt blocks! I have never taken the time to figure out why I didn't like some of my blocks! This posts explains so much about what I feel when looking at some quilts! I crave order but that isn't always best for each fabric. I see what I need to work with now! Thanks so much!! I am really enjoying seeing this quilt come together and appreciate that you share with your readers!!!
Cheers, Colette

[Amanda Perl]

I was lucky enough to grow up with two beautiful antique quilts. One was perfect - every seam straight, every block on grain, every tiny hand stitch even. The other was totally wonky - bent sashing, crooked curves, irregular triangles. But...it was still a beautiful antique quilt. The lesson of those two quilts has informed every quilt I've made. I work on the principal that fabric is stretchy and can be yanked. Some of my quilts have turned out gorgeous, spot-on corners and even the lesser lines all perfect. Others not so much. But perfect corners do not make a beautiful quilt, so I don't fret about them.