Designing a Double Wedding Ring Quilt
The double wedding ring quilt pattern was popularized during the Great Depression in the United States during the 1930s, and was generally made for special occasions. This quilt has since come to symbolize romance, and the intertwining of lives of a marriage. The pattern of this quilt is composed of intersecting circles, each of which is formed from four arcs, a four-point star in the center of each circle and football-shaped space between the arcs of adjacent circles.
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Instructions
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Pick your color scheme. You may choose any colors you wish. Pick the wedding colors of a newly married or soon-to-be-married couple to make a personalized and thoughtful gift. Shades of gold make a beautiful 50th anniversary quilt. Choose shades of white for a simple and elegant quilt, or pick deep jewel tones for a double wedding ring quilt with an unexpectedly rich mood.
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Decide how you want the colors arranged on the arcs. Some ideas include placing the darkest shade on one end of each arc and gradually lightening toward the other end, placing a dark shade in the middle with either end of the arch lighter (or vice versa), or alternating colors on each section of the arc. You could choose to make half of the circles in one color, with the other half in a second color.
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Design the center star-shaped piece. In many double wedding ring quilts, the center piece is a single piece of un-patterned fabric, but one variation exhibits a nine-patch pattern in the center. Making the center piece of two or even four colors, with the colors meeting along the diagonals of the star shape can provide an interesting visual effect. You could also appliqué a design onto the center piece, or use patterned fabric.
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Decide how you want the football shapes. Again, these are often plain, but you could add interest to your quilt by splitting the football shape into two colors along the long center line, or by adding an appliqué.
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Determine if you want the edge of the quilt to be scalloped or straight. Scalloped edges follow the curves of the rings; you will need to add triangular pieces to achieve a straight edge. Also choose a color for the binding and for the back of the quilt.
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Choose a template for the quilting stitching. You may choose to do a large motif repeated in each center piece, or quilt repeated arcs following the seam lines, or other designs. Choose a quilting design that complements and adds beauty to your quilt.
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References
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