This week I have been playing with a paper piece block that I have designed for a friend’s quilt. She is a big fox fan and seeing she is getting married in August I thought a quilt was in order.
There are some great fox patterns out there…I love Elizabeth Hartman’s “Fancy Fox“….but I wanted to make Miss Katie something very special. Inspired by a print I saw at a local Market Stall, I came up with this block…
I initially sketched the idea in a my gridded notebook, then transferred the idea into the quilting program EQ. I tweaked a little and then did a test run.
I never print out numbers on the blocks in this initial phase, because part of the pattern testing process is to work out which pieces should be numbered in which order. In particular the decision of the first piece glued down is important (I select the most awkward shaped piece to start with if possible).
When all the pieces are made I then look at how to make sure that the proportions are right and that all the pieces are okay. With this pattern I went in and tweaked a few bits … I made the nose bigger and got rid of some extra lines that were not needed.
I will now go back into EQ and make the changes and finally add the numbers and do another test run. Then when I am happy I will launch into full-blown fox production mode…. an August deadline is looming and I have a lot of foxes to make!
So before I sign off the winner of the fabric bundle is….
Kirsten who wrote…”I am following along with your progress on this beautiful quilt as green is my favourite colour – all of your stars are just gorgeous and I love the LV backgroundl!”.
So the fabric will be winging its way to Kirsten. Thanks to everyone who entered. There was such a great response that I will definitely be doing this again…and soon.
WOMBAT QUILTS 
Love your fox Cath! And thank you so much for the fabric bundle – love the greens and LV prints!
I am visiting Scotland at the moment, and I saw a REAL FOX today running across a path!
Aren’t they cute. There were no foxes in Australia but when I lived in the UK I saw quite a few.
Cute Fox!
Very clever!
This comes at a perfect time for me, since I’ve determined to learn to love and become good at paper piecing. I have lots of ideas, but am not very good at working out what piece to start with and the order in which to add pieces. Any suggestions on the best way to break a design down for someone who doesn’t have EQ?
Cute ears and nose, but those things on the sides are….what are they? They sort of look like fly eyes. I hope you are looking for feedback. Otherwise I should have kept my opinion to myself. Oops.
Lindsey my husband made the same comment. I have enlarged the eyes.
Such a cute little fox.
A lovely foxy fox. If I quail at the idea of making paper pieced blocks, how much more difficult it would be to design one! Chapeau.
BRAVO à la gagnante et….dommage pour moi…:-(…Mais ce sera pour la prochaine fois, je l’espère….Le renard est tout joli….Et je retiens ce tuto…Il me tente beaucoup….
Douce journée…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts & your awesome designs!
What a cute fox!