As I flung this Dreamcatcher at Dusk on my bed today morning, the sun streamed in from the windows, creating its own patterns and textures on the quilt…and I fell in love with it again!
Wouldn’t you agree it is lovely in the morning sun too?
FPP Patterns for the Salinda Rupp 1860s Sampler, popularly known as the Nearly Insane available for purchase soon
My Nearly Insane Quilt block patterns are based on Salinda Rupp’s 1860s quilt and Liz Lois’s book with the drafts of the blocks. This is not a replacement of the book; I give you the patterns if you wish to take the journey using the foundation paper-piecing technique. I would highly recommend you buy the book for a great introduction to the quilt and to refer to the quilt layout, block settings, borders and some fabric estimates.
Size: 83″ x 83″ (including 3″ pieced border)
Description: 98 pieced blocks of 6″ square placed on point with sashing, cornerstones and pieced border.
Level: Intermediate to Expert
Familiarity with Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) is essential.
Fabric: It is difficult to give any estimate of the fabric yardage. To start with, 35-40 fat quarters in the colours of your choice for the blocks? Liz Lois has given an estimate of the sashing/ corner-stones and borders fabric in her book. Just remember that you need almost twice if not more of the fabric you would require for a similar sized quilt, as the pieces are so small and consequently so many more seams. Small prints, Civil War fabrics and 1930s tiny florals would look good with some solids to set them off.
There are several quilters who have made it in just two colours–red with white and blue with white being a popular choice. Others have gone with scraps. My FPP patterns were designed for a quilt in blues, yellows and greens.
However, my patterns come with colour numbering to enable you to construct the blocks in your own choice of colours.
No tracing required, nor any measurements! All is done for you! The numbered templates provided with each block pattern make it possible for one to piece the blocks by machine, without the bother of accurately measuring and cutting each piece.
(Nevertheless, there are 3 blocks with y-seams that can be only partially foundation-pieced and have to be put together by hand or regular machine-piecing. English paper piecing templates are provided for these blocks.)
The `Nearly Insane’ Quilt is what Salinda Rupp’s quilt from the 1860s from Pennysylvania is better known as! Made in bright autumn colours, it has enchanted and inspired many quilters to embark on a journey as satisfying as it is maddening.
I discovered this quilt in a quilt history book and fell in love with it immediately, preparing for it and honing my quilting skills before i could attempt it. I later discovered Liz Lois had named it the Nearly Insane quilt and published a book with the designs for the blocks (but no templates) and their placement. The book kept lying with me for quite some time, before I realised I could draft FPP patterns to make everything so much simpler and I spent the next several months drafting and redrafting the patterns!
The quilt has an undescribable rustic charm; not for Salinda your perfect points or absolutely symmetrical patterns! I think she often made up block patterns as she went along, depending on whatever scraps were at hand!
There are 98 blocks to construct, each 6 inches square, placed on point. 12 of these are cut diagonally and fitted into the edge of the on-point quilt, while one is cut into 4 to make up the corners. (This includes a basket halves placed on opposite edges of the quilt) The craziest block has 229 pieces and the easiest has 10; the average number of pieces per block is between 35-40! We quilters are used to HSTs (Half-Square Triangles) but this quilt has Half-Rectangle Triangles, not to forget flying geese which are not flying geese of the 1:2 ratio at all! Salinda used up all the scraps she had at hand, coming up with blocks which are whimsical and charming! The sashing and cornerstones give the eyes a rest between the busy piecing of the blocks and the icing on the cake is the unique ‘ zig-zag’ or `lightning’ border which sets off the quilt to perfection.
Here are a few of my favourite blocks from my quilt!
So if you are planning to devote the next few months or years of your life to creating a true heirloom, nothing better than Salinda Rupp’s quilt to start with. And if you decide to go the FPP way, well…
An original quilt block inspired by the lovely Aster flower…
I have always loved the Aster-such a pretty flower, which is also the Birth Flower for September! Did you know it gets its name from Greek, meaning ‘star’, because the flowers resemble stars? In Greek mythology, it became a symbol of love when it was placed on the altars for the Gods. I included it as the eleventh block in the Dreamcatcher Round the Year quilt…to coincide with Valentine’s Day in my Block of the Month Quilt. Asters also symbolize wisdom, faith, colour, besides patience, daintiness and charm.
My Aster comes in blue-the blue blooms are not only rare but also extremely lovely-the colour ranging from a light through deep blue to purples. The block is really easy to piece and comes up very quickly. To make it more challenging, I added y-seams to the centre. Of course, you could applique a simple circle as the centre, or try out any of these options!
The printable PDF files instructions and templates for the block are now available on my MadsPatch store on Ecwid.
Four shades of the main colour (blue) totalling about 1/3 yard and small scraps of yellow, gold, light and deep orange – are used here. My Aster is blue to go with Dreamcatcher Quilt, but you could make yours in any of these colours -pink, purple, red or yellow.
Please note that this in a digital pattern, you will receive only a link to download the .PDF files on your computer/device. A paper pattern WILL NOT be snail-mailed to you. The links expire in 72 hours, so you would be well-advised to download the files on a permanent location on your PC/ Mac / Notepad asap.
You need Adobe Acrobat Reader Software, downloadable for free at the Adobe site, to read the files. Print from the saved files; do not print directly from the mail/ link. The patterns are designed for printing on A4 size paper, but letter size 8.5″ x 11.5″ will be fine. Set your printer to ‘Actual Size’ or 100% setting before printing.
All patterns are for your personal use only. Please do not share with others or use for teaching/ workshops etc without my prior permission! The 4 files will include:
Instructions File – contains these instructions including the fabric requirement, piecing order and Master Template to be used as a guide for assembling the block.
FPP Templates File containing foundation paper piecing templates.
Master Template that will help you in assembling the block – remember this is is a mirror image. You can also try out your own colours on the outline block.
Bonus: I also include a bonus file with the pattern, these are tips for paper-piecing you can print and keep with you always!
So what do you plan to make your Aster Block into? A round Christmas table runner?
This gorgeous 58″ x 20″ runner?
Or a Lap Quilt 60″ x 60″?
Acknowledgement: The quilt block was drafted on Quilt Assistant free software and I used Primo PDF to make the pdf templates.
A Skewed Perspective on the Mariner’s Compass.
So, when I was designing the Dreamcatcher Round the Year , I included it as the seventh block in the quilt, albeit a little different.
This off-centre Mariner’s Compass is a variation of the block, which is traditionally hand pieced or English paper pieced. However, this pattern employs a number of techniques, including foundation paper piecing, machine piecing and appliqué. It finishes at 18″ square, with a 15″ pieced circle.
The printable PDF files instructions and templates for the block are now available on my MadsPatch store on Ecwid.
The learning and inspiration for this block cane from this workshop…
The blocks were drafted on Quilt Assistant free software and I used Primo PDF to make the pdf templates.
This is the Dusk colourway, the rays of the setting sun lighting up the needles on the right, as the darkness gathers from the East on the left. The name of the block came about as the pattern originally had a circle of geese , receding in size, flying upwards from both sides – I dropped them to simplify the design.
Four shades of the main colour (blue) and four in a contrast colour way – yellow, gold, light and deep orange – are used here.
The fabric requirements given in my pattern are quite generous (according to me!), but you may want to cut fabric as you go along.
Please note that this in a digital purchase of a pattern, you will receive only a link to download the .PDF files on your computer/device. A paper pattern WILL NOT be mailed to you.
2. On purchase, you will immediately receive a mail confirming receipt of the order, followed by a second mail with download links. If you do not see the mails in your inbox, please check your Spam folder. Please do not click the links repeatedly as each click is treated as a download and number of downloads is limited.
3. It is advisable to access the files on your laptop or notepad where you can save them, rather than on your smartphone.
The links expire in 72 hours, so you would be well-advised to download the files on a permanent location on your PC/ Mac / Notepad asap.
4. You will need to download the software Adobe Acrobat Reader (free)at Adobe site to be able read the files.
5. Download the files on your device/ computer; do not print directly from the mail/ link. The patterns are designed for printing on A4 size paper, but letter size 8.5″ x 11.5″ will be fine. Set your printer to ‘Actual Size’ or 100 % setting before printing.
All patterns are for your, the buyer’s personal use only. Please do not share with others or use for teaching/ workshops etc without my prior permission! The files will include:
Instructions File – contains these instructions including the fabric requirement, piecing order and Master Template to be used as a guide for assembling the block.
Template File.1 containing paper piecing templates A to P . Print at actual size or 100% in portrait mode
Template File.2 containing templates Q to X and Z . I suggest you print these on freezer paper, if available, at 100% or actual size. These are odd shaped pieces with circular edges, and I personally like to use freezer paper for accuracy for cutting these.
Master Template
This diagram is the Master Template that will help you in assembling the block – remember this is is a mirror image. It is also included with the files. You can also try out your own colours on it.
I printed the templates on Freezer Paper.
If you don’t have freezer paper printer sheets, what do you do? Cut the freezer paper to your regular printer paper size (A4 or letter – approximately 8.5″ x 11″). Iron just the edges of the freezer paper (about ¼”) to a regular printer sheet, so that they are joined evenly, without any creases. Print as usual, taking care to insert the joined sheets in the printer so that the printing is on the freezer paper.
Place freezer paper, sticky side down on regular printer sheet. Iron about a 1/4″ on all edges.
Print the double sheet as usual.The block is partly foundation paper pieced. I have blogged about the paper piecing patterns for this quilt earlier, and also given a few paper piecing tips here. In case you are too lazy to go through those ( I would be, I know!) here is a quick checklist before you begin! I also include a bonus with the pattern, these tips in a file you can print and keep with you always!
Paper Piecing Checklist
Once done with the piecing, and before you start assembly, you may like to refer to this checklist!
Template Assembly Checklist
Refer to the Master template at all times during assembly to ensure all is in order! Reminder: If you take off the paper before assembly, remember to stick a post-it note or pin a piece of paper with the template name on the pieced template.
Before I sign off, here is a look at the Rainbow version of the block. The templates and instructions are available my Ecwid online store, Madspatch.
More Insanity recorded!
How I have enjoyed piecing this quilt, originally made by Salinda Rupp in the 1860s! Salinda’s quilt is not all perfect and symmetrical like other quilts of that era! Whimsical blocks and use of whatever scraps she had in hand make this such a lovable creation.
So, here comes Row 9 in my series of posts on my version of Salinda’s quilt, which became popularly known as the Nearly Insane Quilt. The blocks are all set on point, with 7 and 6 blocks in the alternating rows.
The blocks are 6″ square and, except for a few, foundation paper pieced by me. I drafted all the patterns for FPP on the free Quilt Assistant software, based on patterns in Liz Lois’s book, which contains only line drawings of the finished blocks.
Most of the fabric used is Summer Breeze 3, with a fat quarter bundle of matching solids by Moda Fabrics, and the Dutch Garden 2 Collection by Boundless Fabric. I also used a couple FQs in blues and greens plus a jelly roll of yellows I had in my stash.
Number of pieces: 29
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Technique: Foundation paper pieced (FPP)
Number of pieces: 41
Level of Difficulty: Another easy one. Looking at it now, I wish I had used fussy cut flowers for the other two cornerstones in the centre too!
Technique: Foundation paper pieced
Number of pieces: 72
Difficulty Level: Easy! Squares in squares and flying geese become really pretty, with sharp points and also simple to piece when you use foundation paper to piece them! The centre pinwheel is made with regular piecing.
Technique: Foundation paper-piecing and machine -piecing
Number of pieces: 49
Level of Difficulty: I think Salinda used up all her scraps to piece this one! Probably one of the last ones she pieced.
Technique: Foundation paper-pieced.
Number of pieces: 49
Level of Difficulty: Easy, but so pretty! This was one of the first blocks I pieced!
Technique: Foundation paper pieced.
Number of pieces: 48
Level of Difficulty: intermediate, with lots of points to match, unless you do FPP, like I did. This is one of the blocks that makes Salines’s quilt so special! What went on in her mind? Did she decide to just use up all the extra HSTs she had at hand to sew the centre?
Technique: Foundation paper pieced
Nearly Insane Quilt Block 59
Number of pieces: 36
Difficulty Level: Easy. I made the centre 4-patch first and then built the block around it. The corner triangles were foundation paper pieced.
Technique: Machine-piecing and foundation paper-piecing.
Here are the links to the previous seven rows!
Row 1 ( Blocks 1 to 7)
Row 2 (Blocks 8 to 13)
Row 3 (Blocks 14 to 20, with a couple missing)
Row 4 (Blocks 21 to 26)
Row 5 (Blocks 27 to 33)
Row 6 (Blocks 34 to 39)
Row 7 (Blocks 40 to 46)
Row 8 (Blocks 47 to 52)
The Foundation Paper-Piecing Patterns for the blocks of the Salinda Rupp Nearly Insane Quilt are now available on my store!
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