You will love this unusual method of designing and creating quilts. Instead of starting with a particular pattern or design and then trying to find fabric that will fit that pattern, this approach begins with the fabric: the fabric is the key element. Kaleidoscope blocks - each one unique - are produced by aligning the printed design on several layers of fabric and then cutting and sewing triangles together. Just as the mirrors in a kaleidoscope reflect and repeat an image, each triangle repeats color and pattern to create a new design for each block. Once all the blocks are made, you begin to design your quilt.

This is a serendipitous and adventurous approach to design. One piece of fabric does all the work, because the fabric contains all the colors and all the design elements.

You cut and sew one shape - with triangles forming hexagons or octagons - and then design with these kaleidoscopic blocks. Because the quilts feature one repeated block, design merely involves playing with colors and shapes within the kaleidoscopes. The quilt you produce has more energy and movement than the original fabric.

This is a very forgiving process - there is so much motion and pattern in the quilt that mistakes are rarely seen. The idea is to relax and enjoy each kaleidoscope block as it comes to life and the quilt design unfolds.

There are not very many rules. It is hard to say exactly what size the quilt will turn out to be. The size depends on the size of the borders; the number of hexagons or octagons in the quilt; and whether the quilt is long and thin, almost square, or divided into two or more panels with borders around each.

I have made many baby quilts using this process. In my imagination, I can see a child recovering from the flu, sitting in bed, bored and weary. The quilt captures her attention. She searches for the exact place in the fabric that produced each kaleidoscope. Boredom has been changed to a game that whiles away the afternoon.

- Maxine Rosenthal, from One-Block Wonders

Maxine Rosenthal started quilting about fifteen years ago. She used to make clothing, but never anything as large or as time-consuming as a quilt. Maxine did many things before quilting. She had a career writing computer software, and even took a break from that to learn furniture refinishing, which she considered a walk through history. She was commissioned to make a quilt for the movie Grumpier Old Men, and still has a copy of the check from Warner Bros. But, like many, her appearance ended up on the cutting-room floor. Maxine started making kaleidoscope blocks with hexagons and octagons almost as soon as she began quilting. Maxine resides in Minnesota.

One-Block Wonders
One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts
by Maxine Rosenthal

1 Great Fabric + 1 Block = 1 Stunning Quilt!

• Brand new technique is all about texture, movement, sparkle, and swirl!
• Choose hexagons or octagons - you're the designer
• Easy random cutting! No planning, no fussy cuts, no mess-ups
• Simple piecing with NO Y-SEAMS!

Product Code: ct10428, 72 pages, color, softcover, ISBN: 1-57120-322-2