NeedleCraft Plus/needlecraftplusvolume1.iso/quilt/quilt_5/quilt_~5.txt

Text File | 1997-03-20 | 8KB | 143 lines

                       --===Technique-Tesselations===--
 _

-==Beyond the Block: Tessellating Patterns==-

by Linda Hampton Schiffer

_tes.sel.late _\'tes-*-.la-t\: to form into or adorn with mosaic.

_tes.sel.la.tion_ \.tes-*-'la--sh*n\ n 1: an act of tessellating : the state
of being tessellated 2: a careful juxtaposition of elements into a coherent
pattern : MOSAIC

_mo.sa.ic_ \mo--'za--ik\ 1: a surface decoration made by inlaying small pieces
of variously colored material to form pictures or patterns; also : the process
of making it 2: a picture or design made in mosaic 3: something resembling a
mosaic.

_tile _\'ti-(*)l\ a flat or curved piece of fired clay, stone, or concrete
used esp. for roofs, floors, or walls and often for ornamental work; a thin
piece of resilient material (as an asphalt, composition,cork, linoleum, or
rubber) used esp. for covering floors or walls.

Many of our most favorite patchwork patterns were originally designed hundreds
or even thousands of years ago by artisans working in tile. (Note that the
word tile is derived from "a prehistoric word".) Many floors and walls of
stately Greek and Roman villas were tiled with the same patterns we know today
as our most-loved traditional patchwork designs. The design process involved
in covering a flat surface with regularly repeating shapes is the same whether
the artist chooses to work with colored tile or fabric bits; in either case,
the geometry of design works into similar shapes and pattern arrangments.

I had this historical repetition factor brought home to me six years ago when
I took a two day design class with Doreen Speckmann. She made a quilt several
years ago that I have loved since I first saw it, a tessellating pattern of
oak leaves (below). Doreen was kind enough to sketch the pattern out for me in
the workshop when I told her I liked it. She also laughed about how proud she
was of herself when she designed the block, thinking it original...and how
chagrined she was to later discover the exact same pattern in a book of old
Roman floor mosaics from Pompeii.



*Doreen's Block and a colored set*

Both "tiling" and "tessellation" usually imply the use of a few shapes in a
regular pattern to form what I call an overall design layout--one in which
there is no discernable block edge and the pattern covers the whole surface of
the quilt without interruption. The student of tessellation will soon discover
that tiling patterns can be "aperiodic" or nonrepeating, but these designs
tend to be less useful to the patchworker who wants to make a wearable or bed
quilt (as opposed to art for the wall--there would be plenty of inspiration in
tessellating designs for the artist attracted to irregular pattern. (If you
want to do more advanced research on tessellation/tiling, look up the work of
the mathematician Penrose and his associates.)

So, tessellations useful to the patchworker involve regular repetitions of a
few shapes to make overall designs. There are a good many examples of tiled
patterns in traditional patchwork and I'm sure even the beginner can think of
several (for example, Rob Peter to Pay Paul, Spools, Bow Ties, Grandmother's
Flower Garden.) Generally "tessellation" implies one or two shapes only and
"tile" many shapes, but that reflects contemporary common usage and not
mathematical precision.

Traditional Patterns that tesselate:



*Rob Peter to Pay Paul*

*Spools*

*Bow Ties*

For the patchworker, it is interesting to note that there are block patterns
that can produce overall tessellations. Be sure to keep in mind that the
simplest shapes offer the best opportunities for playing with color or fabric
texture in your quilt. Generally it is best when you are designing to avoid
applying too many variables at once--patchwork pattern complexity, color
complexity, fabric/texture complexity--if you vary them all in a single quilt,
the outcome is likely to be exceptionally "busy" in visual impact.

I particularly enjoy color play and have found that simple patch shapes suit
this goal best. I have given two examples of relatively simple patchwork block
designs that create overall tessellations when set together. Either of these
patterns can be very easily produced with either template free or foundation
piecing methods of patchwork. Barbed Star and Squared Star also well suited to
a setting scheme--the central square is a good spot for sampler patchwork
blocks, photo transfers, crazy patchwork blocks, machine or silk ribbon
embroidered squares, etc.

When you are researching patterns to use for a tessellation, do not overlook
the use of nonsquare block patterns. Gothic gives an example of a tessellating
patchwork pattern based on a rectangular block. Most quilters are familiar
with one patch nonsquare tessellating designs such as Grandmother's Flower
Garden, Tumbler, Bricks, Thousand Pyramids, etc. These patterns have been used
for "charm" and scrap patchwork for generations.

If you would like to design your own tessellating patchwork patterns, the
process is fairly straightforward. First choose a block pattern with shapes
that appeal to you, whether traditional or original. For example, I will
choose the traditional pattern Ohio Star. Take only the figure of the pattern
(for example, the star itself), discarding the "background" and block
outlines. Use this figure to rearrange the pattern into new combinations.
Click on Ohio Star for the possible arrangments for Ohio Star (at least, the
six I could find -- note the small black circles showing the match positions
and arrangements). This process is similar for any pattern you might choose.

The techniques for tessellating patterns that I have shown in the Ohio Star
example were first taught to me by Judy Doenias of Forest Hill, New York. Judy
is an active (and excellent) teacher of tessellation techniques. If you are
interested in arranging classes with her, her email address is [e-mail]
[mailto:[e-mail]] .

Having examined the possible arrangments, you can choose the one(s) that have
the most visual interest for you. Then you are left with the problem of how to
construct your pattern. Many of these tessellating arrangements of traditional
patchwork patterns can be successfully broken down into subunits that can be
pieced with template free (rotary cut) or foundation piecing methods. Note
that the open spaces between the figures in your pattern can be filled with
other patterns if you want (my favorite motif is the friendship star, shown in
yellow on the figures). Of course, the "background" can be pieced from many
different fabrics of your chosen background color for more textural interest,
instead of using filler motifs.

Suppose that you would like to tessellate single shape patterns instead of
these more complex patchwork blocks. These kinds of tessellations (such as the
charm patterns mentioned above) are common in Arabic tiling patterns like
those at the Alhambra in Spain and were the basis for much of the art of M. C.
Escher. There are two different patterns for this type of tessellation in
patchwork to give you simple examples, Tesselating Salmon and Tesslating
Hands. I'll discuss the process for designing this type of tessellation in a
future article. Until then, enjoy your shape play and do send us examples of
what you generate!

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