Studio Time

I read an article in the September issue of American Quilter called Double Fun by Linda Hungerford. It was about Sandi Cummings double-cut circles technique for contemporary design. I don’t do much of this kind of work so decided it would be a fun way to spend my Saturday. I do love learning new things! I grabbed my bin of batiks and set to work.

First you have to cut two rectangles the same size. I cut mine 9.5x11.5 inches. Then you cut 4 strips of various widths. You cut the rectangles horizontally then sew in a strip. Then cut again vertically and sew in a different strip. You end up with two new rectangles that look like this:

Then you appliqué on a circle. Making sure each circle is in the exact same spot of each rectangle. I decided to just fuse the circles on as I knew I would use one of these blocks as a small art quilt for my wall. Big mistake! It’s pretty hard to piece with fusible web. Oh well…I did say I love learning. This is what they look like with the circles:

Next you lay the rectangles on top of each other and make two cuts vertically with gentle curves.
Then alternate the middle pieces to form two new rectangles, like this:

Sew those. Then cut again horizontally and alternate middle pieces again. Like this:

Sew those and voila! Two blocks with a contemporary look:

It’s not something I would do regularly but I enjoyed the process. I think I’ll use the flower one for my art quilt. Wait...maybe the pink one. :)