Quilting

Step 7 Medium difficulty technique: arbitrary straight edges

If you've got a concept that isn't well represented by pixels or geometric tiles, then the next technique you can try is what I call "angular piecing." The idea is to slowly build out shapes by attaching scraps together along straight edges. Swatches of concave color will be built by bisecting the area until you have convex shapes and straight edges to sew along. The key to this technique is to constantly trim the edges square; messy uneven scrap edges are hard to deal with. Once you've pieced scraps together into a larger block, working with a section made of multiple fabrics should feel almost no different than working with the initial scraps.

To begin using this technique first look at your design and decide where you can draw straight lines across it. Once you've identified your cutting lines, you can determine the best way to set colors inside each other by cutting and sewing scraps repeatedly. You'll end up with a lot of crazy angles and a bit of a cubist look, but this is a great way to piece together any spikey design. This works especially well if you've got a lot of fabric scraps around, because irregular pieces are a benefit.