If you have put together a number of quilts, probabilities are at least a few of them have been patchwork quilts. If you have one or two under your belt and have yet to do a patchwork one, now is a wonderful time to start!

To get you going, I’ve listed a few ideas to get you away from being bored by normal patchwork quilt designs.

Hexagons

Get a square, add a couple more sides and you have yourself a hexagon. This is at the very top of my list, just because I always have so much fun assembling a hexagon patterned quilt.

When you have your pattern worked out, it nearly always stacks and repeats well and looks superb when you’ve finished. As an additional bonus, its always the one folk remark on the most when I am showing them my quilts.

Triangles

Whenever I bring up triangles as a patchwork quilt pattern, there is often some die hard quilters announcing ‘triangles aren’t a real patchwork pattern!’. Well I say boo to that. If its a pattern made of spare or left over materials its a patchwork quilt pattern.

Let them stick to their conventional and uninteresting squares, I know which quilt patterns are going to get more interest at the end of the day.

Crosses/Plus Shapes

From a glance, this might appear one of the more complex patterns to try. Nonetheless don’t be put off from giving it a go, its really a lot easier than it first seems!

You could have to work around and switch positions of some of the blocks in your pattern, but when you’ve got it worked out, its actually really easy to copy (shhh don’t tell everyone though). I also have a lot of fun swapping and experimenting when i’m working out the pattern.

So there you go, a few different and novel approaches to patchwork quilt patterns. Go on and give one of them a go, you’ll be pleased that you did.

To get more superb tips about how to make a patchwork quilt, check out Jane Green’s how to make a patchwork quilt site now!