Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns

Quilters have fussy cut quilt patterns for decades to get special effects and to create secondary patterns.

Two Great Methods

The keys for TWO fabulous methods of fussy cutting are Freezer Paper and Inklingo.

The fact that acrylic templates are NOT the best tool for isolating individual designs in the fabric might surprise you, so read on!

All of this info applies whether you use Inklingo or not!

Fussy Cut Quilt Pattern Silent Garden

Fussy Cutting is easier and more fun than ever today. I have a few secrets to share that take the mystery out.

Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns POTC

Inspiration for Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns

The most influential fussy cutter is Lucy Boston. She was fussy cutting in the 1950s and 1960s when cotton fabric was rationed and the selection was very limited in England. Lucy Boston saw fussy cutting potential in the most unpromising places.

quilt book 1950s

This was the kind of quilt book that was available to Lucy Boston in the 1960s. I’m not sure I would have found much inspiration in this . . .

Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses    The Patchworks of Lucy Boston book

. . . but it was love at first sight when I discovered the Patchwork of the Crosses in Diana Boston’s book.

I needed permission to do my POTC book (2009), so I contacted Diana. I was able to tell her that I had worked with the Jane Austen Memorial Trust to make the first accurate instructions for the Jane Austen Patchwork and she graciously agreed.

As Diana Boston says in her book, “This marshalling of the pattern in the fabric to create a new doubly-intricate pattern in the patchwork became Lucy Boston’s hallmark.” The Patchworks of Lucy Boston is a wonderful book and includes photos of TWENTY of her quilts,

Fussy Cut Quilt Pattern

Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns on Pinterest

Quilters all over the world have made spectacular POTC blocks with Inklingo. Many quilters have been influenced by her artistic fussy cutting.

If you look at Pinterest, you will see thousands of amazing blocks that Lucy Boston inspired and they are not all hexagons.

Best Templates for Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns

The best quilt templates for fussy cut quilt patterns are NOT made from acrylic! (Why I don’t sell acrylic templates.)

Freezer paper templates are the best choice.

Acrylic templates and templates made from plastic don’t do anything that freezer paper templates don’t do better—and cost less!

Bingo!

I just saved you some money and some extra clutter in your sewing room. Monkey says, “You’re welcome. You can spend more on fabric instead.”

Fabric for Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns

Some quilters assume that you cannot fussy cut when you print with Inklingo. I can understand why they think that way but it is wrong.

There are TWO methods of fussy cutting with Inklingo and the design in the fabric determines which method is best.

Fussy Cut Hexagons

(1) Fabrics with widely spaced designs.

I recommend two-part freezer paper templates for fabrics like this.

This is sometimes called “Swiss Cheese Fussy Cutting” because we end up with fabric with holes all over it.

This video explains the method in detail, so I hope you will watch. When you do, it helps me if you click to “like” the video too.

Fabric for fussy cut quilt patterns

(2) Fabrics with overall designs.

This is cool! (Freezer paper pun.) Print identical sheets of fabric with Inklingo to get sets of identical shapes. We call it “No Waste Fussy Cutting” because we don’t end up with Swiss Cheese.

I like to print from Inklingo to create a page of windows (above) to take with me when I shop. A preview helps me choose fabrics with the appropriate scale.

No Waste Fussy Cutting

Print 6 identical sheets of fabric with Inklingo and get sets of 6 identical diamonds.

Ìnklingo “No Waste Fussy Cutting” is similar to Stack n Whack™, One Block Wonder and similar methods—but is faster and more precise.

We talked about it when I was a guest on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. (Show premieres in November 2021.)

Inklingo Mystery Quilt

I teach “No Waste Fussy Cutting” in one of the clues in the Case of the Diamond Necklace Mystery Quilt (COTDN). (2017), so you might like to check that too.

Fussy Cut with Jinny Beyer fabric

(3) There is a third kind of fabric!

Jinny Beyer’s border prints are in a separate category.

Her meticulously symmetrical and mirrored designs are suitable for both Inklingo methods of fussy cutting, so I love them.

Winding Ways by Linda Franz

No Waste Fussy Cutting is one of the reasons I wrote my new hardcover Winding Ways book.

The instructions in this book are valuable no matter what pieced design you are considering. It’s new and it teaches many Inklingo tips that I have wanted to share in a book for years—in addition to fussy cutting.

Fussy Cut Quilt Pattern Quilted Diamonds

Quilted Diamonds to Fussy Cut

Are you inspired to look for more brilliant examples of fussy cut quilt patterns? Kathy in Mexico did amazing fussy cutting with dragonfly fabrics when she made her Quilted Diamonds from my first book 20 years ago.

Even then, we were using freezer paper templates. You can see Kathy’s amazing diamonds on Flickr. They are sensational.

Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns Joseph's Coat

Summary: Why Fussy Cut?

It’s fun—and it elevates any quilt if there is even a little bit of fussy cutting to admire. Your quilt can create an unforgettable impression.

We have the best selection of fabric ever available in the history of the world AND we have a long history of examples to follow.

Freezer paper was the right tool 20 years ago and it is still the right tool today for both methods of fussy cutting. Nothing is better.

You are going to need extra fabric for fussy cutting, so save money on templates and spend more on luscious fussy-cut-able fabrics!

I am looking forward to seeing photos of YOUR next fussy cutting.

Thank you for visiting.

Linda & Monkey in Canada

4 thoughts on “Fussy Cut Quilt Patterns”

  1. Inklingo and fussy cutting are made for each other!! Swiss cheese fussy cutting is easy using Inklingo templates printed on freezer paper. The jewel in the crown though is the no-waste Inklingo method of fussy cutting. It is brilliant and makes it oh, so easy to audition fabrics for fussy-cutting just by using a template sheet printed out. Inklingo has turned me into a fussy-cutting addict! Nothing is more fun than seeing a block with Inklingo fussy cutting finished!!

    Reply
  2. what is the block in the very first picture in this article? I think it might need to be my next project- I have the perfect piece of material that has been lurking in my stash for years!

    Reply

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