In the 1950s and 1960s, Lucy Boston was a pioneer of fussy cutting and she created fascinating effects with simple shapes, like her Patchwork of the Crosses (POTC), above.
By artistic use of designs in the fabric, she created masterpieces.
No matter what the shape—clamshells, hexagons, diamonds, pentagons, squares, anything–there is a big reaction when I post fussy cutting on the Inklingo page on Facebook. It is a phenomenon on Pinterest too.
Surprising effects! .
Lucy Boston acknowledged that traditional methods of fussy cutting are wasteful and that is not consistent with the traditional ideas of quilting—but we all love the look!
The brilliance of Lucy Boston was the way she used the designs in the fabric, not her sewing method!
Of course, Lucy Boston was sewing at a time when there were no rotary cutters (gasp), no acrylic templates (or plastic garbage floating around the Galapagos Islands), and very limited resources.
Lucy Boston was ahead of her time, going where other quilters feared to tread, so if she was alive today, I think she would be printing with Inklingo, rotary cutting and sewing with a running stitch. The incredible selection of fabric available now would feed her creative soul!
It makes me sad to think how many more exquisite quilts Lucy Boston could have finished if she did not use paper piecing! All those hours basting—and removing basting!
Stack n Whack ™, Kaleidoscope Stars, One Block Wonder and other riffs on this theme have become popular in the last 15 years or so.
Now, Inklingo makes it easier than ever to get astonishing effects with simple techniques.
TWO METHODS OF FUSSY CUTTING
With Inklingo, there are TWO ways to get fabulous fussy cut effects!
- Traditional Fussy Cutting – by printing freezer paper templates to make Swiss Cheese of the fabric (The sewing lines are marked manually.)
- No Waste Fussy Cutting – by printing identical sheets of fabric! (The cutting and sewing lines are printed.)
Printing identical sheets of fabric with Inklingo makes fussy cutting more fun and saves waste! The effect is fabulous.
With either method of fussy cutting, you can use a rotary cutter or scissors and cut several layers at a time. No basting, no whip-stitching, no removing templates.
Stay tuned for more:
- How to choose fabric for fussy cutting.
- How to print identical sheets of fabric.
- How to determine yardage requirements.
The new COTDN mystery quilt is very pretty without fussy cutting but it is a nice small project, so we’re hoping to tempt you.
I hope you will subscribe to the blog (top of right side-bar), so you don’t miss the details.
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If you are new to Inklingo, there are step by step instructions and VIDEO on the Welcome to Inklingo page.
Please tell your friends about the COTDN mystery too. It is perfect for beginners AND experienced Inklingo quilters.
ARE YOU SUBSCRIBED?
I hope you are subscribed here and following the Inklingo Facebook page for the clues.
- COTDN Clue # 1 (5 pages, PDF to download)
- COTDN Intro Notes (4 pages, PDF to download)
I would love to see and share photos of your fabric choices too. linda@lindafranz.com
More on fussy cutting soon!
Linda & Monkey
New to Inklingo? Order and download free shapes and start sewing in the next few minutes. Main Beginner’s Page There are triangles, diamonds, and squares in the free collection—great for dozens of different blocks.
$10 Coupon! 10 Year Anniversary Special on the handbook
This looks like a very interesting new technique to me.