Granger - Circle quilts : create dramatic medallions from strip-pieced rings

Text copyright 2011 by Colleen Granger

Artwork copyright 2011 by C&T Publishing, Inc.

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Acquisitions Editor: Susanne Woods

Editor: Cynthia Bix

Technical Editors: Helen Frost and Gailen Runge

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Cover/Book Designer: Kerry Graham

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Kirstie L. Pettersen

Production Editor: Julia Cianci

Illustrator: Kirstie L. Pettersen

Photography by Christina Carty-Francis and Diane Pedersen of
C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be used in any form or reproduced by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systemswithout written permission from the publisher. The copyrights on individual artworks are retained by the artists as noted in Circle Quilts. These designs may be used to make items only for personal use or donation to nonprofit groups for sale. Each piece of finished merchandise for sale must carry a conspicuous label with the following information: Designs copyright 2011 by Colleen Granger from the book Circle Quilts from C&T Publishing, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Granger, Colleen.

Circle quilts: create dramatic medallions from strip-pieced rings / by Colleen Granger.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-60705-175-6 (softcover)

1. PatchworkPatterns. 2. QuiltingPatterns. I. Title.

TT835.G728 2011
746.46dc22

Printed in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Jaxon Grant Maloney, my fearless grandson, who inspires me to always reach for the stars. He believes that with our sewing machines, we can do anything! I love you.

No man is an island. I believe that John Donne had it right when he reminded us that rarely do we do things alone. The inspiration for the ideas and projects in this book came from many sources that deserve to be recognized: Dover Publications for some design ideas, Peggy Martin for the great strip paper-piecing technique, Judy Dales for showing me to look beyond the norm, and Mary Ellen Hopkins for teaching me and millions of others to just do it. Credit also goes to my mom for always being there with words of encouragement, hands ready to work, and the occasional kick in the behind; my husband, Grandpa Tuna; and my daughter, April, for believing in me.

I could not have finished this book without the fantastic support of some of my quilting buddies: Nancy Eberlin, Joanne Farrell, Cara Gulati, Kanani Jones, Val Manning, Sunny St. Pierre, and Kathy Vedder. I am so blessed to have you in my life and to call you my friends.

Thank you to the folks at Elna USA for the use of the wonderful 8300 sewing/embroidery machine. It is great, and I have enjoyed using it to create the quilts in this book. The beautiful labels were also made on this machine.

Thank you to Fairfield Processing for the contribution of Soft Touch 16-inch pillow forms. I love the way they hold their shape but are still soft and cuddly.

A special thank you to the guys at Digital Blue Print in Anchorage, Alaska. They reproduced all the patterns for the original designs.

Last, but certainly not least, my thanks to C&T Publishing for providing me with this wonderful opportunity. To my editors, thank you for your patience and for holding my hand throughout the process.

My heartfelt thanks go out to all who helped me bring this book to life.

Are you ready for a new adventure? You and I know that paper piecing and the technique of layering pieces are not new, and that circular quilts are not new. But what is new in this book is putting them all together in a unique (and easy) way to make a fabulous and dramatic round quilt. Get ready to stretch your skills as you take on one of these fun, round designs.

In this book, each project is different and uses a different number of rings to create designsfrom simple to more intricate. You can finish your pieces as round quilts, or you can set them as medallions in a square or rectangle and add interesting border treatments. Either way, they make dramatic wallhangings, table coverings, or quilts. In addition to six quilt projects, youll find a pillow project and a fun, unique table runner and place mat set.

Cock-a-Doodle-Doo by Colleen Granger | This quilt features the Liberty Star design set as a medallion.

These projects use the strip paper-piecing technique brought to us by Peggy Martin in her books Quick-Strip Paper Piecing and Paper Piece the Quick-Strip Way. This fast and easy method allows you to do assembly-line sewing on your pattern pieces by chainstitching multiple pattern pieces onto the same strips of fabrics. I refer to this method as power piecing. You will build arced sections into rings and then layer the rings to create a quilt. Tips will be provided along the way to make sure your project is a success.

The dramatic designs youll find in this book work best when your fabrics have high contrast. Contrast can take several forms:

COLORSopposites on the color wheel, such as red and green or yellow and purple

VALUElightness or darkness, such as light, medium, and dark blue

PATTERNSlike stripes paired with polka dots