Using the X creases as a guide, center the ‘hearth’ square in the middle of the foundation fabric. First, fold the backing square on both diagonals to get an X in the fabric. The next step to prepare and “mark” the backing fabric is equally clever as it creates a simple guide for uniform strips without any other kind of measurement. If you choose to make your own, you can of course use a ruler and or cut them to any size. I think that cutting system is pretty ingenious! No ruler needed, and every maker would have different size blocks or strips, but they would all be perfectly proportioned for each maker. All fabric pieces would have been torn after an initial cut with a knife or by biting, but I was lazy and used a ruler and rotary cutter because I am a wimp. The width of the surrounding strips were measured from the length of the base of the thumb joint to the bottom of the thumbnail. The length of the center square (traditionally red, like the American style Log Cabin blocks symbolizing the hearth of the home), came from the length of the middle finger. This would keep block size consistent without the need for a ruler, but would obviously vary from quilter to quilter. Here is my effort to demonstrate the steps of making the Roof Pattern block in the traditional Manx method and goes back to the beginning of the 19th Century.Ī foundation square was cut using the span of the hand as measurement. How to Hand Piece a Roof Pattern Manx Quilt Block Heavier rag rugs (also made from fabric scraps) were made as bed covers that would provide needed warmth. There was no batting (or wadding) in these quilts, making them lightweight and mostly decorative. The strips were an ideal use for scraps (still are!) and they were pieced on a foundation backing in a quilt-as-you-go method. It’s also traditionally done with big hand-stitches, which would have been much simpler in the evening in darker homes where lighting would have also been expensive. So everything already on hand was carefully used and reused as much as possible, with as much material sourced from the Island itself – people even built their homes from peat bricks cut out of the side of hills because it was the most economical construction tool available.Īs a result, this method was developed to not require any extra supplies. Keep in mind, almost everything on an island has to be imported, which made everything more expensive, particularly in the beginning of the 19th Century. No batting, no rulers, no rotary cutters, and often no scissors! As I mentioned in Part 1, the main reasons this method evolved was that it was very inexpensive and did not require any fancy notions – only what was had on hand: scraps of fabric from worn-out clothing, a needle and thread, and literal hands. In addition to the how-to, here’s a little bit of the history of why this method was developed. (Writing tutorials always takes me about 3 times longer than I expect them to take!) Thanks for your patience while I finished preparing this tutorial. More details at the bottom of the post where you can find Gretel fabric. My blocks are made with my Gretel fabric collection. (Others have commented that they learned a similar piecing technique elsewhere – I don’t know if those techniques were developed independently or inspired by this traditional Manx version. The construction has some similarities and some differences. As you can see, it is similar to a traditional American Log Cabin quilt block in terms of appearance and layout. I’m so excited to walk you through the process that I learned for making a traditional Manx Quilt block. It was fun to find out that it wasn’t just me! There really is something about the Isle of Man and its people that pulls you in and makes you love them. I was so tickled by the reaction to that post. Hello! Welcome back to Manx Quilting part 2 – how to make a Manx quilt block! If you’re looking for the background of Manx quilting and where it comes from, you can find it in Part 1 here.
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