“Any piece of work can be made to tilt at an angle, which not only creates interest but also adds a welcome sense of movement.”
– Lin Clements
TILTED BLOCKS
Tilted blocks, sometimes called tipsy or wonky blocks, are a great way to introduce a sense of play and movement in your work. Any block can be set within a tilted background, and even the simplest blocks can be made more interesting given this treatment. My favourite blocks are those that have objects that look as though they are swaying in the breeze, such as the lantern and the kite shown in Fig 1, but simple blocks, such as the Pinwheel and Sixteen Patch also look good and create an exciting, modern look – perfect for contemporary interiors. Many of the picture blocks we have looked at in past issues also look good in a tilted format. The background of the block can be a single fabric or different ones for a scrappier look. The overall shape can be a square or rectangular, depending on the block you have chosen. The angle at which the block is tilted can be variable, and Fig 1 shows a few examples. The inner part of the block can fit neatly into the background or it can ‘float’, depending on the width of the strips you use to frame the block. Creating a tilted look to a block is also a great way to use up UFOs (unfinished objects), so no work goes to waste.
Tilted blocks can be made using different methods, but I’ve chosen to describe the simplest and easiest. For this method, strips are added to a block to frame it and the work is then re-cut to create an
