Russian Rubix

The other night, I had the pleasure of a trip to the quilt shop and a meal with Susan from the History Quilter podcast. We had enough time, so I gave her the nickel tour the western part of the City, which is nearest the ocean before we went to dinner. I totally scored, because she had never seen the part of Golden Gate Park we drove around.

Russian Rubix
Russian Rubix

Before the tour, though, we visited the quilt store. It is really the only one near enough for me to actually visit without making a day trip. I thought Susan might enjoy a new quilt store and I want to encourage her to get going full force on her quiltmaking. I am dangerous to know in that way. ;-)We had fun walking around the store and looking at the books and fabric. I gave her a mini-lesson on how to select colors, because of a chance comment about how it wasn’t easy to pick out colors.

One of the things I skimmed over at the quilt store, but Susan keyed right into was a pattern called Russian Rubix. The pattern is by April Rosenthal and she has a shop called Prairie Grass Patterns. The quilt shop we visited had made up a sample and it was great.

What is different about the quilt is that the pieces (shown in color in the photo above) are octagons. Big deal, you say? Octagons not hexagons. I love hexagons, especially the Flower Sugar Hexagon on which I have been working. However, everyone creates with hexagons, but you don’t see octagons that often. The parts of the blocks have the octagons arranged in such a way that they look like wreaths. I was intrigued.

Susan, as I said, saw the uniqueness in the pattern originally. She decided to the buy the pattern and we looked at it during dinner. The more I saw of it, the more intrigued I became.

I think that the way the directions are described are not the only way to make the octagons. One can cut squares that will end up as octagons, sew smaller squares to the corners, eh voila! You have an octagon. The only problem is that the pattern doesn’t need squares. If I made squares, I wouldn’t be able to make the wreath shape.

One of the things I love about quiltmaking is the puzzle part of the process. I know I will make some test blocks and figure out the size and the construction method for this piece. I do that as a general practice. I will buy the pattern, but I don’t really need the pattern, because I can figure it out myself. However, I do think that the pattern designer deserves something for her efforts. I’ll get a copy when I go to the quilt shop next time.

Ms. Rosenthal has Rubix Too, a follow-up, quilt pattern in her shop.

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

4 thoughts on “Russian Rubix”

  1. Nickel tour? No way…you need to add a few zeros. I spent a little time yesterday researching Golden Gate Park to learn more about what we saw as you drove me around – fascinating! You’ve hooked me.
    I’ve been a bookkeeper for almost 20 years and unraveling puzzles is part of what I enjoy so much about being one (my boss is very good at creating accounting challenges). Quiltmaking gives me that same sense of accomplishment – one that I am sure to obtain with this project. I’ll get out my fabric today!

    1. I haven’t had a chance to do any testing, but will try for this weekend. I have had the t-shirt quilt on my plate and would like to get it OFF!

      I am glad you enjoyed the tour.

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