![]() ![]() All of the squares, triangles, hexagons or combinations of shapes to make the irregular shaped tessellating patterns must be the same size or they cannot join to fill all the space. You can resize the tessellating shapes to whatever size you want, and as long as you make all the other parts the same size, you will continue to achieve your pattern, only larger or smaller.You will need identically sized shapes - whether those are the squares, triangles or hexagons of a regular tessellation or the group of shapes in an irregular tessellation.When you want to decipher a quilt pattern which utilizes a tessellation, you will know that: Of course, you can leave open spaces in your tessellating pattern if you want to as well. They all have a pattern which is recognized and repeats in the same size to fill all the space without gaps. One can have may other kinds of tessellations, ones with two shapes, ones with different rules. These disadvantages are overcome the easiest by using English Paper Piecing techniques. The edges are again cut on the bias and Y-seams are needed to sew them together. Quilters love hexagons, but this shape has two disadvantages. These are so often seen in nature, just think of the honeycomb. The last regular tessellation is formed by using hexagons. I have just realized that I have never made a quilt or any item using equilateral triangles - I need to remedy that soon. When you cut an equilateral (60 degree) triangle, the fabric is now cut on the bias on at least two sides and easily stretches out of shape, making it much harder to work with and less likely to be a lovely flat quilt top. I think the reason that quilters use equilateral triangles less often as the foundation for their quilts is not because they are less beautiful as a tessellation, but rather because of the nature of fabric. Quilters use triangles in many ways, but the ones we see very often are either HSTs - half square triangles - which allow us to put the triangles together to get the square that easily tessellates in pattern or equilateral triangles - which are the second shape that tessellates naturally. Although you did not realize it, this process allows you to utilize the mathematical concept of tessellation. Then the quilter needs only to join the squares into rows and the rows into a quilt top. ![]() In fact, in quilting, many design elements are sashed to become squares, placed inside of a square frame or applied on top of squares. It is no surprise to any quilter that you can place squares beside squares and make a quilt - a two dimensional plane without spaces. Although as a quilter, I immediately want to try to prove that wrong with other shapes, geometry, and wikipedia, says that only these three shapes will work. A regular tessellation using only one shape must be constructed of equilateral triangles, squares or hexagons. A tessellation is a pattern created by using a repeating shape to fills the space without gaps. Today we are going to discuss Tessellations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |