In traditional patchwork designs, fabric is cut to fit within the various shapes of the block pieces. As a result, we often cut into a beautiful portion of the fabric, “forcing” it to fit within that shape, and possibly spoiling the design of the fabric. Jinny began to wonder what would happen if we let the design of the fabric dictate the boundaries of the shape.
Jinny’s quilt, Renaissance Garden, uses this technique. (The pattern includes an instruction sheet on soft-edge piecing.) Watch the video to learn how to create the soft-edge pieces and get some great ideas for using the technique in your quilts.
Download the free Renaissance Garden pattern.