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Techniques for a Kaleidoscope Patchwork

Kaleidoscope patchworks present intricate patterns that create the illusion of motion. Based on the children's toy, these patchworks rely on careful planning and basic patchwork quilting skills. Whether you create one large patchwork or a series of blocks to sew together, the key to its success is to select and cut the fabrics carefully. Arranging these around a central point produces the familiar floral-like patterns of a kaleidoscope.

Pattern Repeat
- Understanding design repeat is the key to choosing fabrics that enhance the kaleidoscope effects of your patchwork. Select one design element on the fabric. It could be the tip of a leaf or a top corner of a square or other geometric shape. Look further down the fabric, along the selvage edge, and identify where the design element next occurs. The distance between these two points is the pattern repeat.
Select Fabric
- Choose fabrics with an overall pattern that repeats every 8 to 24 inches. About 20 to 30 percent of the fabric for your kaleidoscope patchwork should be background. Patchwork blocks created from smaller repeat fabrics reflect the original pattern while those made from larger repeats may not resemble the original fabric. Fabrics with bold and colorful designs make bright kaleidoscope patterns; those from softer designs make more muted blocks of color.
Lining Up Fabric
- All parts of your kaleidoscope patchwork block must be of the same part of the fabric pattern. Cut strips across your fabric the length of the pattern repeat. Take as many strips as there are sections in your kaleidoscope patchwork block and layer them carefully. It's essential to line up the layers so that the same design elements on the top layer are directly above those in the lower layers. Pinning the layers together ensures that the fabric doesn't move once you've arranged them in place.
Cutting
- Use your section template to cut out the sections of one block through the layers -- all the layers will form one block. All sections of one block must be exactly the same, so keep all the layers of each section together. Repeat this for the number of blocks that you need, moving the template around the fabric to create the different blocks. If you want all your kaleidoscope blocks to be identical, then cut the blocks from exactly the same patterns on the fabric. Blocks that are from different parts of the fabric pattern are similar, yet have enough differences to add interest to your patchwork.

Sewing