As we take a closer look at geometric shapes in quilt design, let’s start with the square and the rectangle.  Both are four-sided shapes and both have four interior 90° angles.  The difference, of course, is that a square has four equal sides and a rectangle has opposite sides of equal length.

Squares
The humble square is such an important shape in quilts – after all, most quilt blocks are square!  One of the first quilts I ever made was a baby quilt for my neice.  Simple Four Patch blocks alternate with plain squares for a quick and easy, yet pleasing, quilt design.

Another popular quilt design based on a square is the Irish Chain and all its many variations.  This version is a Triple Irish Chain.

I made this Irish Chain quilt using fabric prints that blend gradually from one to the next to create a colorwash effect.  What a difference!  It becomes more difficult to discern the shape of each square patch when the edges are less defined.

When a square is set on point, it looks more like a diamond.  The Arbor Window quilt block features squares set on point.  Technically, this block requires triangles to finish the edges, but they are barely visible in the quilt design.

Rectangles
The first block made of rectangles that comes to mind is Rail Fence.  I’ve made a couple Rail Fence quilts because they are so quick and easy – with no matching required!  Unfortunately, these quilts were made before the era of digital photography so I don’t have any pictures readily available.  Here’s an EQ6 Rail Fence design:

Another popular rectangular quilt design is the Log Cabin.  Traditionally, this block has a square in the center, but here’s a version with a rectangle in the middle.

I searched a little further and came across a very interesting block, also made entirely from rectangles, called Rainbow Steps.  There are so many effects that can be created from this block, and here are three examples done in EQ6.

 Next week:  triangles.