E-Book on Sale!!

As you've read in earlier posts, my Chicagoland tour was a great success . . . I debuted my book, "Beyond Symmetry: A New Perspective," and sold over half of the books I had printed.

Well, I've got good news, bad news, and more good news . . .

Because of the ideas and suggestions from the participants in the design workshops, I'm working on a second edition of my book . . . my original book is now outdated . . . because so many of you have been patiently waiting for this book, I'm offering an electronic version at half price (only $10).

Here's how it works:
If you're interested in buying a copy of the e-book, please email me at raymondkhouston@gmail.com, with "E-Book on Sale!!" in the Subject line . . . I will email you a PayPal invoice . . . once I've received confirmation that you've paid for the book, I will email you the .pdf file.

I'm currently waiting for PayPal to confirm that I am indeed the owner of my bank account. Once they're satisfied, I'll begin sending out invoices (hopefully by Wednesday).

Thank you for your patience . . .

Thank you for reading my blog . . . please leave a comment and follow me!!

The Rockford/Hinsdale '09 Tour is over!! . . . (was it all a dream??)

My feelings of euphoria faded fast when I woke up this morning in front of the computer terminal in the office--a pile of files beside me, and a line of people with requests in front of me (ok, maybe that's an exaggeration . . . the people in front of me at least asked, "how was the vacation??" before they asked, "could you do this for me??" and handed me another file).

Did I dream it all??

Last Thursday, I repacked my rental and drove north to Willowbrook, IL, a southwestern suburb of Chicago. I had time to check into my hotel, shower and change before leaving for the Hinsdale Community House for my lecture. I got a little turned around, but managed to arrive five minutes before the guild meeting started. A woman pointed me toward the stage at the front of the crowded room (there were about 200 women there), and pointed to the digital projector. "You can just plug your laptop into here," she said.

Um, er, I don't own a laptop, and I have a carousel of slides. "Don't you have a slide projector??" I asked. "I'll go ask," she said and bustled off.

I set up my display stand with my "Mardi Gras Men" quilt on it . . . I set up my framed magazine articles . . . I laid out my business cards . . . I unpacked my "trunk show" quilts . . . all in plain view of my expectant audience.

My contact, Terri, came up to me and said, "they don't have a slide projector . . . can you punt??" I said, "I guess I'll have to, won't I??" I sat at the foot of the stage while the guild conducted their business meeting . . . my mind was working a mile a minute. When Terri introduced me, she said that through no fault of my own I'd be unable to show my slides (there were audible moans).

I took the stage, opened my slide carousel, and held up the first slide. "This is my first quilt," I said, "and here is my third," holding up another slide. There were chuckles in the audience. I replace the slides in my carousel. Slides?? Slides?? We don't need no stinkin' slides!! I talked off-the-cuff and off-the-top-of-my-head for 45 minutes about how I started sewing; how I taught my father to sew; how I started quilting; and, I told stories about some of the quilts I've made (punctuated with, "I wish you could've seen THIS quilt!!"). I answered questions as I went along (instead of saving 'em for the end). I had volunteers hold up and parade the quilts I'd brought with me. Then, I dropped the bombshell--all the quilts had been made from the same set of templates, which segued into a talk about my design system and construction techniques. Several volunteers passed out my free design tiles, but ran out (I'm gonna have to send 'em some more before their next meeting). At some point, I asked if they'd heard enough of me, and the audience burst into an emphatic NO!! LOL!!

After my talk, I sold plenty of books, templates, and muslin foundations; many also took my business card, eager to get online and see what all the fuss was about!! Many agreed it was the best slide show they'd never seen!! I was in my element!! It was a great night!!


I had a small class on Friday morning for the design workshop. We had a fun day of coming up with new patterns. I had my copier with me, so the students could make copies and color 'em in. They were eager for Saturday's construction workshop. I asked Terri if she knew how many had signed up for Saturday and she told me 14. FOURTEEN?? I didn't have near enough muslin foundations for 'em all. Friday night found me in my hotel room, stamping muslin foundations to beat the band!!


I had a pattern in mind for the students who hadn't taken the design workshop. Students bought templates and muslin foundations and cleaned out my inventory. I walked 'em through my sandpaper-back templates: how to cut 'em apart and how to use 'em to cut their fabric. Everyone fell to cutting out fabric, some quicker than others. I walked 'em through the muslin foundations: where to start and how to sew 'em. Several students who hadn't taken the design class HAD taken the free design tiles at the lecture and came prepared with their own designs. For the rest of the students, I had to bite my tongue--once they sewed enough of the squares, they started designing patterns that were not the pattern I had in mind. I gave them free reign.


I couldn't have been happier as I drove back to St. Louis . . . not because I was leaving Hinsdale behind, but because of the great people I had the pleasure to work with, and the great input, feedback, suggestions, and ideas we all shared. My only regret was not having another guild lined up for NEXT weekend, LOL!! As usual, my partner, Ed, was glad to have me back home (Rambo and Sambo could have cared less) . . .


Thank you for reading . . . please leave a comment and follow this blog (there's more to come) . . .

I'm almost ready for Rockford, IL (but, are they ready for me??)

In case you're wondering, all that's left to do on my "to do" list is write and copy the handouts for the two workshops and glue card stock templates to sandpaper for the construction workshop. Yeah, I got it all done, YAYY!!

This morning, I scanned all my printing to make PDF files of everything, and emailed it to FedEx/Kinko's for copying (including the book). I got design tiles (for "freebies"), templates (for the construction workshop), and enlarged tiles (for demonstration purposes) printed on card stock.

As for the book, I got a glossy card stock for the cover (the front cover IS color, after all), and a heavier paper for the interior pages (so you can't see through it). It cost a bit more, but I'm very pleased with the finished product. Yes, it's worth every bit of $20 . . . you'll be able to get YOUR copy middle of October, once I get these next two weeks outta the way.

I'm setting up a staging area in a corner of the apartment so I have everything I'm gonna take with me. They'll think I'm moving in to stay at the hotel . . . sewing machine, cutting mat, rotary cutter, acrylic rulers, fabric (I'll assume there's an iron and ironing board in the room), quilts, books, muslin foundations, etc. Well, it IS an Extended Stay America hotel, after all), LOL!!

I don't know about internet access (I have no laptop) . . . maybe there's a "business" area where I may be able to post about the trip. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until my return next week.

Thank you for reading this post. Please leave a comment and follow this blog!!

From design tile to block to pattern . . .

I trust you've been playing with your set of design tiles . . . If you don't have a set of design tiles, I suggest you leave your name and email addy here, and I'll send you a set.

Have you been keeping a block log?? With thousands of 4-patch blocks and millions of 9-patch blocks, just how good is your memory anyway?? . . . Merely use the numbers in the upper left (or right) corners, separated by hyphens.

You're gonna have to have your tiles handy, because I'm gonna describe some things in this post, and I want you to SEE for yourself, rather than me just showing you . . .

4-Patch Blocks and Patterns

Lay out four tiles of your choosing . . . as an example, I'm using 1-1-1-2:

Now, lay out three more identical 4-patch blocks:

Do you see the emerging pattern?? Now, move the left column to the right side of the pattern:

Now, instead of four 4-patch blocks of 1-1-1-2, I have four 4-patch blocks of 1-1-2-1. The pattern remains the same, only "shifted" to the left. Now, move the top row to the bottom of the pattern:

Now, instead of four 4-patch blocks of 1-1-2-1, I have four 4-patch blocks of 2-1-1-1. Again, the pattern remains the same, only "shifted" upwards. I could continue moving columns and rows of tiles, "shifting" the pattern as I do.

So, although 1-1-1-2, 1-1-2-1, 1-2-1-1, and 2-1-1-1 describe four distinct 4-patch blocks, the pattern remains the same for all of them. This should be the same for the four 4-patch blocks you're working with.

9-Patch Blocks and Patterns

When I was studying the symmetries I found in other books, I could easily reduce them to a 4-patch block. Repeating the 4-patch block generated the pattern. The same does not hold true for 9-patch blocks.

Using the four 2-1-1-1 blocks above, I can form four different 9-patch blocks. These blocks generate four different patterns. Group your tiles as shown below . . . if you have enough copies of tiles, lay out three identical 9-patch blocks:

By their very nature, 9-patch blocks are "odd." Though they connect with each other, they do not "shift" the pattern repeat as they do with 4-patch blocks. There are a few arrangements that are more or less symmetrical. One arrangement alternates two tiles, checkerboard fashion; one arrangement uses one tile to form a cross in the center of the block, with a different tile in the four corners; and, one arrangement uses diagonal groupings of three tiles.

As always, thank you for reading this post. Please feel free to leave a question or comment, and follow this blog.

The roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd . . .

Last evening was the opening reception for my quilt show in Ste. Genevieve . . . WOW!! What an experience!!

I'd had a terrible morning (my rental car got a flat before I even left town, and I had to have AAA change the flat before I could return the car and get another; one of my cats required an emergency trip to the vet because he got his collar caught in his teeth; and, I had to buy new business card holders and hardware for the curtain rods I hang my quilts on because I couldn't find what's here in the apartment (somewhere)).

I got to the gallery only four hours before the reception was to open, and went right to work, hanging framed magazine articles and quilts. I was gonna check into a cheap motel for the night, but Sam, one of the co-owners, shuddered and suggested the B&B a block away. It was a great B&B: I had a shower and changed clothes (I didn't dare have a nap for fear of sleeping away the evening). I stopped into a storefront restaurant for dinner . . . the two women at the next table said, "hey, aren't you the guy in the picture across the street??" (The gallery owners had a poster of me in several shop windows.) Imagine that . . . me, the celebrity!!

It was a great reception!! The owners had set up a live feed of the reception on their Twitter cam, LOL!! (had I known THAT, I woulda given you fair warning . . .) During the evening, over 100 people came through the gallery; I handed out nearly an entire box of business cards (250 of 'em); I shmoozed a lot of folks (quilters and non-quilters alike); I did a lot of talking, LOL!! I told a lot of people about the design tiles and my take on symmetry (I just happened to have a set on hand for people to play with). I could get used to this!!

After the reception, I went to small party at some friends of the gallery owners . . . I got in after midnight. I was up by 7:30 a.m., showered, and ready for a new day (and, a great breakfast at 9:00 a.m.)!! I entertained my table with the design squares after we'd eaten . . .

The Shape(s) of things to come . . .

Think of the individual shapes in the tile . . . the tile is comprised of five distinct shapes (the two corner shapes are identical).

When these shapes touch the shapes in other tiles, they form a new shape. These new shapes occur where corners meet and where sides touch.

These shapes may be open or closed. The shapes in the example above are open because they do not end at the sides of the block; they leave "openings" at every side. It may take more tiles to close the shapes.


This shape crosses six tiles before it closes.

Some shapes never close. I call them "stripes."


There are unique shapes for each unique arrangement of tiles . . . what shapes are in YOUR blocks??



Thank you for reading . . . please leave a comment and follow this blog. Or, join the Yahoo! group.

To a new symmetry . . .

I've said it before, but it bears repeating . . .

I've read three books about symmetry and two-dimensional patterns: one written by a mathemetician; the other two written by quilters.

All three books described the four operations of symmetry: translation, rotation, reflection, and glide reflection. All three books generated patterns using a method developed by crystallographers (even though crystallographers are not necessarily quilters, and vice versa). All three books overlooked two simple observations: all the patterns generated could be simplified to two pairs of squares beside each other, on top of each other, or diagonally from each other; and, in all but one instance, the squares were right side up or upside down, but never sideways.

I have previously described the operations of symmetry, but I will not generate any patterns with a method I now view as flawed. I propose a new symmetry which does not rely on any operations other than "pick a pair." I have presented the two tiles below to nearly 300 people. You've had a week or so to play with them.

Will you join me on a guided journey with these tiles??


Thank you for reading . . . please leave a comment and follow this blog. Or, join my Yahoo! group.

Mardi Gras Men, continued . . .

Below is the 1M-4-1M-3-4M-3M-2-2M-1M block. It contains portions of four different men.
Below are colored blocks . . . for the sake of balance, the top row shown is actually the bottom third of a block (2-2M-1M) . . . then, there's a row of complete blocks . . . and, the bottom two rows show are actually the top two-thirds of a block (1M-4-1M-3-4M-3M).

In this drawing, you can see where two or more shapes are the same color. During construction, I taped my templates together and cut these shapes in one piece. This eliminated extra sewing (and fabric). Then again, I was only using one fabric per color. If I were using say, five or six different fabrics of each color, I would have cut the shapes as individual pieces and mixed them up, so I wouldn't get the same fabrics touching each other.

Here's a question for you: What is the minimum number of colors you can use for this pattern (for the men)?? What is the maximum number of colors you can use??

Thank you for reading . . . please leave a comment and follow this blog.

Mardi Gras Men, a work-in-progress (after the fact)

Yesterday, Paula was surprised to learn that my "Mardi Gras Men" quilt was made from the set of design squares I gave away last weekend.

This brief post (the first in a series), will let you in on which arrangement of tiles I used.

Ready??

1M-4-1M-3-4M-3M-2-2M-1M . . .

I came upon this arrangement quite by accident. I shuffle my own set of tiles, much like playing cards, giving one half (or the other) a quarter turn before interleaving them together. Then, I deal 'em out, face up, one at a time.

I use Electric Quilt to make a block of the tiles, lay out a pattern of repeated blocks, and to play with coloring in the shapes.

More to come . . .


Thank you for reading, and please leave a comment.

Now that I've got 'em, what do I do with 'em??

Design tiles, right??

The original idea was to devise a low-tech method for generating infinite patchwork blocks from a single tile. I had a tile with lines drawn through it, and a mirror-image of the same tile. I numbered the rotations, 1 through 4, and 1M through 4M, for the mirror-image tiles.

I started arranging groups of four tiles.

All four tiles can be identical . . .

Three tiles can be identical, and one tile can be different (easily accomplished by rotating one of the tiles) . . .

The four tiles can be two pairs of identical tiles (the two tiles in the pair can be identical to each other, the two pairs can be different from each other) . . . These two pairs can be beside each other, on top of each other, or diagonally from each other.

The four tiles can be one pair of identical tiles and one pair of different tiles. Again, these two pairs can be beside each other, on top of each other, or diagonally from each other.

The four tiles can be four randomly-selected tiles (my favorite) . . .

There are 4096 possible 4-patch combinations.

The same concepts work for 9-patch, 16-patch, 25-patch (and beyond) blocks . . . yes, an infinite number of patchwork blocks.

My First Giveaway!!

I am very excited about this!!

I am giving away a free set of my design tiles/cards to everyone who goes to my website and joins the mailing list (ok, so it's not completely free, but you'd have to give me your email addy anyway for me to send you anything, right??).

I recommend printing the tiles/cards on card stock, then printing 'em out . . . you are gonna have so much fun, believe me!! If you don't believe me, would you believe my beta testers?? Greg and his wife were very helpful yesterday. I dunno if they got any sleep (they were having so much fun).

The tiles/cards are at the heart of my book (if/when I get it self-published) . . . I figured why should YOU have to wait that long?? If you take me up on my offer, I invite you to come on back to participate in a series of posts I'll write about symmetry and how it applies. And, of course I'd love to hear your comments, questions, and suggestions, too.

Tell all your friends . . . hell, for this you should tell all your enemies, too!!

A Working Bibliography . . .

Me, an expert?? Yes, I am an expert because I SAY I am . . . I'm also an expert because YOU say I am . . .

Over the years, I've read a LOT of books on different subjects. They helped me develop my "artistic sense" as it were.

I read three books on symmetry, starting with Handbook of Regular Patterns: An Introduction to Symmetry in Two Dimensions, by Peter S. Stevens. It was a thick math textbook; I remember grasping the implications (and possibilities) of block design as I read it. I imagined writing a book for quilters on the subject until I heard about Symmetry: A Design System for Quiltmakers, by Ruth B. McDowell. My language was not suitable for publication, LOL!! Years later, I also read Designing Tessellations, by Jinny Beyer.

All three books explained the operations of symmetry, and all three books used the symmetry groups devised by crystallographers. As I've said before, crystallographers are not necessarily quilters, though . . . I've devised my own system that's a lot simpler (and provides for even more possible patterns).

Two books come to mind on designing patchwork blocks: Pattern Play: Creating Your Own Quilts, by Doreen Speckmann, and The Patchwork Planner: 350 Original Designs for Traditional Patchwork, by Birte Hilberg.

Both books presented block "components," squares with lines drawn through them. The first book gave a vague instruction to "arrange the components in a pleasing manner," without explaining how; the second book arranged the components in a pleasing manner, without explaining how. I came back to these two books (and their components) after I read about the operations of symmetry. Things started to fall into place.

I read four books about color theory: Color for Quilters, by Susan Richardson McKelvey; Color Harmony: A Guide to Creative Color Combinations, by Hideaki Chijiiwa; The Magical Effects of Color, and Color Play: Easy Steps to Imaginative Color in Quilts, by Joen Wolfrom.

I'm sure there are other books I'm forgetting . . . Johannes Itten on color theory goes in there, and another book on design by Scandanavian authors (it'll come to me as I sleep and wake me up).

I'll save the books on piecing and fabric dyeing for another time . . .

What books have YOU read that influenced you?? Please leave a comment or email me: I'd love to discuss them with you . . .

Channeling Rooney and Garland . . .

". . . Let's put on a show!!"

Three weekends ago, I ran into Scott and Sam, a couple who run an antique shop/art gallery in Ste. Genevieve, MO . . . they asked if I'd be interested in mounting a quilt show in their gallery for an upcoming Art Walk (which happens the fourth Friday of every month).

Two weekends ago, Ed and I spent the weekend in Perryville, MO, not far from Ste. Genevieve, and I had the opportunity to scope out the place.

This weekend, I decided to mount a quilt show the end of August. I need to quilt the following four quilts in five weeks:

The first three quilt tops are 36" square; the last quilt top is 72" square.

What has me psyched is that all four quilt tops were made using the same set of templates, though no two patterns are alike (and there are infinite possible patterns).

More to follow . . .

New News (not to be confused with Old Olds)

The first thing you may notice is a different look for the blog . . . that's to reflect the launching of my new and improved website (sometime in the next 24 hours)!! Tonight, I pointed my name servers at my old host to my new host. Patrick Baxter at Big Name Brain (www.BigNameBrain.com) did a fantastic job!!

Next, an update on what's happening:

I've cut about 300 slightly-starched muslin squares (more to come).

The experiment with the pigment dye and the sheet of felt-as-stamp-pad was a bust (and a mess). I ordered several sheets of stamp-pad foam from Dharma Trading (www.DharmaTrading.com), which should arrive Tuesday. For the moment, I'm using black indelible marking ink and a sheet of felt . . . I'm getting a feel for the stamping. Slightly starching the muslin squares keeps the ink from wicking outwards, making the lines much thicker than desired. The ink DOES bleed through the muslin, though, making the squares reversible (previously, I had to stencil left- and right-handed muslin squares). I promise to post pics when my results are more uniform.

I came up with a pattern and started cutting fabric and sewing squares Saturday night. I'm sewing them a little differently than in the past. Again, I'll post pics at a later date.

Operations of Symmetry

There are four operations of symmetry: translation, rotation, reflection, and glide reflection. I present a brief explanation and example of each.

Translation: The motif moves horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, without changing orientation. In the examples below, the motif is a square with lines drawn through it; "T" indicates the top of the motif. The arrows indicate movement of the motif.

Rotation: The motif moves around a center of rotation, or rotocenter, along its sides or at its corners. In the examples below, the motif rotates 180 degrees at rotocenters (indicated by circles) along its sides, then rotates 90 degrees at a rotocenter (indicated by a circle) at its corners.

Reflection: The motif reflects horizontally or vertically along a mirror line. In the examples below, the dotted lines indicate a mirror; "M" indicates a mirror-image motif.

Glide Reflection: The motif is both translated and reflected. In the example below, the mirror lines run through the center of the motifs, horizontally and vertically. The motifs are translated vertically, while mirrored horizontally; they are translated horizontally, while mirrored vertically.

Taking my show on the road . . .

First, it's hard to believe I haven't posted in over a month . . . somebody should spank me!!

But, there's no time for fun, there's work to be done!!

Today, I worked on the details of three appearances for later this year:

First up is Flint, MI. I've been chosen as the guest speaker for the 19th anniversary of the African-American quilters guild. There's a quilt show as well, held September 9-12, 2009, at the Flint Public Library. I top off the weekend.

The first two weekends in October will find me in the Chicago area.

October 1-3, 2009, I will be in Rockford, IL (an hour or so west of Chicago) with the Sinnissippi Quilters (www.SinnissippiQuilters.org). I will give two lectures on October 1, 2009 (at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.). Then, on October 2 and 3, 2009, I will give two different half-day workshops.

October 8-10, 2009, I will be in Hinsdale, IL (a western suburb of Chicago) with the Salt Creek Quilt Guild (www.SaltCreekQG.org). I will give one lecture on October 8, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Then, on October 9 and 10, 2009, I will give two different full-day workshops.

The lectures for both guilds are open to the public. I will present "One Quilter's Journey," outlining my development from sewing to quilting and beyond. I'll talk (just try shutting me up), and show slides of many of my quilts, with anecdotes to match.

The first workshop will be "Beyond Symmetry" (and, I hope to have books on hand for that). I call the second workshop "Paper Piecing (Without the Paper)." I primarily use starch-stiffened muslin as a foundation instead of paper . . . ok, I'm too lazy to tear out all the paper otherwise, so spank me (if you dare)!! I had a rubber stamp made of the square used in "Beyond Symmetry." I intend to stamp the design onto muslin with thickened pigment. We'll see how it goes.

Writing and being written about . . .

I am writing a book . . .

No, I have written a book . . .

No, I have written THE book . . .

Yes, I've written the book about my design system . . .

Years ago, I read Peter S. Stevens' "Handbook of Regular Patterns: An Introduction to Symmetry in Two Dimensions." That's where I learned about the four operations of symmetry: translation, rotation, reflection, and glide reflection. That's where I learned about the 17 wallpaper groups, a mathematical classification of two-dimensional patterns developed by crystallographers. But, crystallographers are not necessarily quilters . . .

Then, I read Ruth B. McDowell's "Symmetry: A Design System for Quiltmakers," and Jinny Beyer's "Designing Tessellations: the Secrets of Interlocking Patterns." Both books used the same crystallographers' classification. But, quilters are not necessarily crystallographers . . .

I used the same classification system in designing patterns. As an aid, I drew a chart of the symmetries, using groups of four squares. Looking at the chart, I discovered two things: the 4-patch blocks were basically two pairs of squares placed beside each other, on top of each other, or diagonally from each other; and, in all but one instance, the squares were right side up or upside down, but never sideways. Granted, the crystallographers' system was based on what they observed in nature.

I propose a new method of designing 2-dimensional patterns, ignoring the operations of symmetry, and using more "sideways" squares. Considering the crystallographers' system is based on what they observed in nature, my system would have to be considered "outside" of nature and "beyond" symmetry. "Beyond Symmetry" is the working title of my book.

The book chronicles how I saw what everyone else missed . . . it presents a square, and a set of "design cards" to play/experiment with . . . it methodically works its way through 4-patch and 9-patch blocks to patterns . . . it shows how to design other original squares (there are literally millions of 'em to be made), and presents a set of multi-use templates for the patterns in the book. Finally, it presents a section outlining my oft-requested "ribbon" quilt (which just so happens to be among the infinite patterns the templates can make). I'm currently writing the last section.

The book will be about 40 pages, at best. For now, I intend to have a dozen or so booklets made up at the local copy shop to have on hand for a local lecture in a week and a half. After that, I'll delve into the realm of "print-on-demand" and offer the book on my redesigned website.


So much for writing . . .

Earlier today, I was interviewed via telephone by Joe Cunningham (www.JoetheQuilter.com/). Joe is writing a book about male quilters, and wants to include me. I must have talked for an hour and a half (it WAS his dime, after all)!! It was a great interview (when I let him get a word in edgewise to ask a question, that is). He learned about me, and I learned about him . . . we both learned what we have in common.

Joe promised to pick out the juiciest, most salacious, sexy, and gossipy parts of the interview to include in my 3-4 page chapter (the real challenge will be to find the parts that AREN'T)!! I'm willing to bet that statement alone drives up book sales!! LOL!!

I eagerly await my "15 minutes of fame" . . . WooHoo!!