Features
Monthly Letter
Teaching Engagements
Workshops & Lectures
Joen's Favorite Recipes
Joen's Books
Patterns for sale
Joen's Greeting Cards
Travelogue
Eateries & Restaurants
Lodging
Quilt Shops
Attractions
Other Items
Guest Book
Biography
Interesting Links
Go back to books  Without much difficulty, you could spend your entire quilting life creating quilts from the patch-pattern families. Most quilters do not take advantage of this great pattern collection’s potential, because they do not draw their own patterns. However, if you draw these patterns yourself, you are free to create whatever your mind wishes--in the exact block size you need. You can use obscure patterns that are rarely published or you can use well-known patterns in the exact size you desire. Also, you are free to create your own pattern designs. This can be extremely exciting and energizing. I have written Make Any Block Any Size for three important reasons: First, I want to give you an up close and personal view of patch patterns. The patch-pattern families represent both the largest and the most exciting group of quilt patterns in existence today. You could spend your entire quilting life creating quilts just from this wonderful pattern group. If you are able to recognize each pattern family's makeup, you will be able to make excellent pattern choices before beginning your quilt projects. Included in Make Any Block Any Size are almost five dozen historic traditional pieced patterns, shown in a lively spectrum of color. I hope this selection will whet your appetite. Many of the historic patterns included will be familiar to you, while others have rarely been seen. In addition, I have designed a few dozen original patterns especially for this book. I hope you will use them in many of your future projects. All block patterns can be seen in full color within their family's chapter. Most patterns are shown also in a full-view quilt illustration. This allows you to see the blocks' overall designs. Then you can make good decisions on which blocks to use in your projects. The second reason for writing this book is to present you with the easiest method in the world for drawing your own patterns. This procedure involves no math, no calculator, and no fuss. It allows you the freedom to choose any patch pattern and make it precisely the size you wish---even to a fractional number. You can draw any pattern easily, quickly and accurately. This drawing approach is centuries old. It is truly magical! In our country it has been taught to industrial arts students for decades. Unfortunately, few quilters have been aware of its existence. The doors of opportunity will be open to you when you learn this age-old, seemingly magical technique Each patch-pattern chapter goes through step by step instructions. The instructions are presented sequentially. The easiest patterns are first in each chapter; the most complex ones are last. Lastly I wrote this book because I am eager to have you witness the fascinating design potential of block blends--- the marriage of two blocks. When two blocks are placed together so their interaction creates a new, enhanced design, a successful blend has taken place. Often blended designs are more dynamic and beautiful than solo block patterns. Almost five dozen block blends are presented in colorful illustrations, showing you the fantastic design possibilities created when patterns from the same family are joined together. With the ability to draw your own block patterns, you can combine any two patch-pattern family blends into a dynamic, beautiful quilt. Have a great time experimenting with block blends. I hope Make Any Block Any Size will be a guide and reference for your pattern drawing skills. If you would like to work further with the concepts presented, the book's last chapter provides Activities and Extended Learning for this purpose. Naturally, I hope this book will bring you many hours of stimulating pleasure. I will be most pleased, if you find many more pattern ideas herein than you have time to do in the ever-so-near future. Enjoy! Joen A SELECTION OF BOOK REVIEW for MAKE ANY BLOCK ANY SIZE 1. Review by Susan Druding, Quilting Guide at About.com "A category of quilt books I find most useful to keep in my book collection are those that expand the possibilities of “what you can do with quilt design”, both for traditional quilts and for contemporary art quilts. This new book by Joen Wolfrom does just that. Whether you are a very traditional quiltmaker who wants to make a block that will fit perfectly into a specific size space or if you are an art quilter who wants to vary the size and placement of related blocks this book is an excellent help. In the introduction, Joen says she wants to accomplish three things with Make Any Block Any Size: 1. To give a personal view of patch families and patterns 2. To teach the “easiest method in the world for drawing your own patterns” 3. To show the potential for “marrying two blocks” and the interactions possible She achieves all this and more – the technique for drawing blocks to any size without intricate measuring (which she explains is taught to industrial arts students, but is little known to quilters) is very useful. Even if you use a computer design program for your quilts, there will be times when you want to haul out paper and pencil and this is a wonderful technique. Her clear explanations and the very well done block illustrations (all in color) of various blocks, block families and arrangements will get your creative juices flowing. This is all suitable to any level of quilter, from beginner to advanced. Joen includes many blocks of her own design which appear in no other collections of block pattern books. The suggestions for combining blocks to form intriguing “secondary patterning” and design flow over the visual surface of a quilt are excellent. This is a book I’ll keep in my quilt book collection for reference for inspiration and ideas." 2. MAKE ANY BLOCK ANY SIZE Review by Nancy Roberts, Quilting Today, Issue 77 “Unleash your quilt designing potential with simple drawing techniques and inexpensive tools. Using a pencil, ruler and drafting triangle, you can learn the easy method Joen calls “flexible gridding” to do just what the book title says---make any block in any size. Illustrated instructions tell how to draft Four-,Five-, Seven-, and Nine-Patch patterns. Explore modifying the grid system to create special blocks for theme quilts. One section shows the wide range of possibilities that occur when two blocks are combined in a quilt design. The principles outlined in this how-to manual make design quilts a new adventure. 3. As reviewed in G Street Fabrics Newsletter, Summer 1999 This book is actually three books in one: a spectacular collection of traditional patch patterns (including four-, nine-, five-, and seven-patch patterns; a very informative guide to using traditional industrial arts techniques to draw your own patterns (and even change the size of the blocks); and, finally, a fascinating collection of full-color illustrations of dozens of ways to combine traditional patch patterns to create brand new designs. 4. As reviewed by Sandy Jandik in Wearable Art Connection, April,1999 “The greatest value of this book is the clear explanation of how to draw a block grid the size you want it wth only a right triangle and a ruler—no math! It is perfect for clothing, since the design areas never seem to work with normal block sizes. Ms. Wolfrom covers 4, 9, 5, and 7 patch styles and special patterns as well as doing block blends." 5. As reviewed in Talking Point, winter, 1999 "Simply draw sensational quilt patterns… The book is BURSTING with blocks and how nice to see them all presented in colour and not just black and white diagrams! There has, of course, to be math involved despite the comment on the jacket “no complicated math – no calculator!” Nevertheless, you will find simplistic directions for using the ruler and a drafting triangle with just plain sheet of paper to discover unlimited pattern possibilities. Using 4/ 5/ 7/ 9-patch blocs in traditional and new designs Joen provides clear instructions to get your fingers itching to have a go. Available from good book shops or direct from Windsor Books International by Mail Order." 6. As reviewed in VCQ On-Line, International Quilting Times, and New Zealand Quilter “Joen makes it possible for you to take any block and make it in the size you want. She shows you a simple way to create your own graph paper. You don’t even have to be very good at math. The book has much to offer.” ---VCQ On-line “Helps readers progressively to develop their skills and gain the confidence to design their own blocks.” ---International Quilting Times The technique is simple and foolproof and useful. The extensive gallery of quilts provides inspiration and evidence that traditional blocks can produce exciting quilts.” ---New Zealand Quilter Go back to books |