Deborah Fisher - Quilting from every angle: 16 geometric designs

To Andy, who built us a home of peace, and to my Dad, who helped him.

With very special thanks to all of the women of the Bright Hopes Collaborative Quilt Project whose generosity of time and spirit fills my soul. These women are mighty. They are friends, sisters, aunts, mothers, and grandmothers, loyal and fierce. Thank you for sharing the journey and for hanging on through this wild and bumpy ride.

What is your superpower? Come onwe all have one. I am a maker. Not as exciting as being invisible or shooting laser beams from my eyes, but its what Ive got.

In 2003, after years as a fine art maker, I decided to use my superpower for good. It was time to start making things that people could use and that would make them happy. For me, that meant making quilts to give and share. I launched the Bright Hopes Collaborative Quilt Project with my mother; our mission is to give those without a permanent home a sense of place, with a beautiful quilt.

Creating a quilt is always a gift. It may be a gift to yourself either the actual quilt or the time to do what you love. It may be a gift to someone you love or to someone you may not even know. Your mission may be to create a quilt for each one of your grandchildren, to provide quilts for a local charity, or even to finally make a quilt for your own bed after years of sleeping under that old ratty comforter. A birthday, a wedding, or a holiday quilt. A new home, a new couch, a new baby quilt. A sick friend, a favorite teacher, a just-because-I-love-you quilt. There is always a good reason to make a giving quilt.

The quilts in Quilt Giving are designed for maximum impact. They are bold, streamlined designs that are easy to cut and piece. Not quick. Simple. Whats the rush? Here, there are no complicated lists of 25 different size pieces to cut, no 350 half-square triangles to piece. You can take your time to enjoy the process and still have a quilt before the next ice age. There are quilts here that will be your go-to good grief, the baby shower/birthday/holiday is in two weeks! gift. This does not mean slapdash sewing, bad craftsmanship, or low-quality materials! These projects are solidly doable, and the finished quilt will be even more beautiful because of it.

Making giving quilts is also the perfect opportunity to expand your sewing skills. Try something new. My designs in this book have a variety of compositional conventions. do away with traditional blocks and use a vertical or horizontal grid.

Make sure your sewing is giving back to you as well as to the recipient of your quilt. One of the joys of my job is the opportunity to work with so many wonderful volunteers and community groups, such as scout troops, 4-H groups, and adult day treatment programs. can be made by yourself, but are designed to be made with groups. You may have a local or online group or sewing bee that you would like to work with. If you dont, please find one! It is a gift to yourself to be connected with like-minded creative makers.

Sew with care. Give your sewing away. Make yourself happy. Make other people happy. Your superpower is sewing smiles.

Deborah

Between choosing fabrics, cutting, piecing, and quilting, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the technical side of making a quilt. A quilt is a big project, but it doesnt have to be a scary one. There are a few things you need to know how to do, but the most important thing is to enjoy the process. Be sure to take your time and complete each step with care. Good craftsmanship is something every maker should aspire toyour gift will be that much more beautiful.

Basic Sewing Kit

In addition to your favorite fabrics, threads, and batting, you will need the following standard sewing tools to complete the quilts in this book:

• Sewing machine

• Sewing machine needles

• Rotary cutter and self-healing mat

• Gridded 812" 24" (21.5 61 cm) and 812" 12" (21.5 30.5 cm) rulers (or your favorite sizes)

• Scissors

• Seam ripper

• Hand-sewing needles
• Pins
• Iron and ironing board
• Fabric-marking tool
• Safety pins and painters tape

• 14" (6 mm) piecing foot, walking foot, zipper foot, and free-motion foot (optional)

To make these quilts, you need to use only basic sewing and quilting techniques. They are specifically designed with simplicity in mind, so you can concentrate on color and careful cutting and stitching, while still creating a wonderful gift. If you are a beginner, you will find these basic techniques essential to many of your future sewing and quilting projects.

To make , you need to know how to make corner triangles. They are versatile features, adding interest to your quilt with minimal fuss.

Follow the project instructions to cut the larger block fabric and the smaller squares for the corner triangles.

On each small square, mark a diagonal line on the wrong side of the fabric from one corner to the opposite corner ().

Figure 1

With right sides facing, place the smaller square on the block fabric on the appropriate corner. The marked line should not go into the corner but should touch the two adjacent sides ().