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| Easy Jigsaw Puzzle Quilt |
Why Janet Wickell's Easy Jigsaw Puzzle Quilt is a great choice to create!
Do you ever come across a quilt pattern that makes you say, "Sweet! I just have to have that! You're looking at the patterns, seeing the intricate shapes fitting together across the fabric and your brain is saying, "Uh, that looks pretty cool, but it's going to take a long time. When I first saw the Easy Jigsaw Puzzle Quilt by the talented Janet Wickell at The Spruce Crafts, I had the same reaction.
This quilt seems at first glance to be a masterpiece of a complicated and playful quilt with pieces fit like a puzzle. Now, here's the best-kept secret in the quilting room – it's built with very simple and easy to understand geometry. No Y-seams, no curved piecing and no headache for you!
The Visual Illusion Behind The Jigsaw Block
The genius of Janet Wickell's design is how it fools the eyes. The real jigsaw puzzles are littered with rounded cutouts and a lot of tabs. Copying them on the sewing machine might seem like a daunting task, but when someone is smart about block layout and color placement, it's easy.
This pattern incorporates straight line grid piecing with carefully placed accent pieces to form "puzzle" pieces that seem to fit together. Each block serves as a piece of a puzzle with tabs on adjacent blocks. As your blocks join at the design wall, the blocks' individual grid lines vanish and create a striking, interlocking mosaic.
Key Details & Fabric Selection
If you're dipping in your quilt library or selecting a new one from your local quilt shop, these are the critical elements that make this pattern work so well:
- Color and Value are Nearly All: The interlocking effect is heavily dependent on color and value contrast. Light backgrounds with medium to dark "puzzle" fabrics help to keep all the tabs and notches crisp and clearly defined.
- Simple Unit Construction: Do not be scared of the complicated end appearance. The pattern is subdivided into simple squares, rectangles and simple strip-pieced pieces. If you can sew 1/4” seam and can use a rotary cutter, you have all the skills you need for this project.
- Two-color high-contrast design is both sleek and modern—and it's also a stash-buster. Bright solids, cosy batiks or fun prints can be combined to create the playful energy of a true box of mixed puzzles.
- Easy to Scale: The blocks are laid out on a grid, allowing you to easily scale your project up or down. Create a quick wall hanging, a cosy throw or even a complete bed quilt by adding additional block repeats and borders.
Before you cut, here are some tips to help you be a quilter's success.
- Audition Your Fabrics First: Using your cell phone, take a quick photo of your fabric pull in grayscale mode. If there is no clear separation between the fabrics, tweak the value of the puzzle pieces so that they stand out from the fabric.
- Seam allowance will be 1/4”, with the puzzle tabs crossing the seam, Keep Seams Accurate: Seams need to be accurate with the 1/4” seam allowance as the puzzle tabs will cross seam lines.
- Press with Purpose: If you are pressing seams towards the darker colored fabrics, or nesting your seams across rows, then you will have a flat and smooth top.
Final Thought
If you're looking for a fun and quick sew project that leaves your quilters saying "How on earth did you sew these shapes?" then the answer is Janet Wickell's Easy Jigsaw Puzzle Quilt. Perfectly combines clever design and easy construction with it, it is an absolute pleasure to build it step by step. Collect your favorite fabrics, wipe down your cutting mat and have fun with the puzzle!
Full Pattern: Easy Jigsaw Puzzle Quilt Free PDF Pattern
