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Hidden Block Quilts
An Interview with Author, Lerlene Nevaril

Hidden Block Quilts by Lerlene Nevaril

Lerlene Nevaril's new book, Hidden Blocks, teaches you to see new design possibilities in classic pieced blocks.

Lerlene Nevaril

Lerlene used EQ to create her "hidden block" technique, and C & T published the results of her design work in November, 2002. When she's not writing books, Lerlene is a partner in the Heart & Hand Dry Goods Co., in Sioux City, Iowa. We asked her to give us the scoop on her new book.

Q: Hi Lerlene. What's your "Hidden Block" technique all about?

A: Quilters are always looking for new blocks and quilt designs. Sometimes all you need to do is look inside traditional blocks -- many of them contain hidden designs.

Many times it is just a matter of changing some colored shapes in a block to background. You create new blocks that are simpler than the original, but still have some of the same design elements, so you can still see the relationship.

Combining the Hidden Blocks with the original block allows you to design multi-block quilts that are coordinated by line as well as by color or fabric.

Q: Do you remember exactly when and how you came up with your design idea?


Arizona	Arizona Hidden Block

A: I remember very well the first quilt I designed with Hidden Blocks. I went overboard collecting the Smithsonian reproduction fabric lines. After the second line made its way to my stash, I decided I either had to make a quilt with these fabrics or stop buying them. I knew the second option was no option at all, so I set about to make a quilt.

I had so much fabric that it needed to be a bed size quilt - 25 blocks at least. I do not like to work in quantities like that, so I began to think how I could simplify the project.

Arizona Block

I chose the Arizona block from BlockBase and started cutting and sewing. As I was putting the first blocks together, I noticed that the center square, and the next round of patches made a good looking design on its own. By changing the third (outer) row to four sashing strips for the center, I eliminated eight half-square triangle units and four flying geese units per block. By using this as an alternate block I could eliminate about the half the work.

And Just a Little Less

This made an interesting quilt and used up a lot of the fabrics (which was the original goal for the quilt). After the success of this quilt, I began to look at other blocks for their Hidden Blocks, and ended up with the book.

Q: Do you see a resurgence of interest in pieced quilts?

A: I think the answer to that question will always be "yes." In my quilt shop, most customers buy fabric for pieced quilts. They buy kits for fusible appliqué for small projects, but big quilts are pieced. Quilters go to Houston or Paducah and "ooh" and "ahh" over the wonderful art quilts, but come home to the security of the pieced quilt.

Hidden Block quilts are the first step to bridging the gap between the two extremes. By using multiple Hidden Blocks in one quilt you can design quilts that are contemporary, new, and exciting. They are the first step in exercising the creative side of the brain.

Q: How did the book come about?

A: I started quilting in the early eighties. In those days there weren't many quilt books, and I bought them all. As I read each one I wished I could come up with an idea for a book. But I always came up empty. As I played with the Hidden Blocks concept, and took it from two-block to multi-block quilts I began to think this might turn into a book.

In the beginning I just wanted to see something in print with my name on it. But as the technique developed, I realized this could be a whole new world of quilt design.

Q: How did you use EQ4 as you were working on your book?

A: I used EQ4 to design all the blocks and the quilts for the book. I first began with a trial and error approach. How many ways could I manipulate a block? I came up with as many Hidden Blocks for each original block as possible.

Then I began to play with them in quilt settings. Did they look better in straight or in on-point settings? Did quilts look better with all heavy blocks, or did they look better just with lighter ones, or a combination of both? What combinations looked best? What kind of borders looked best? Did they look better with sashings or without?

I printed out 10 to 40 quilt designs for each of 30+ blocks. I studied what these designs showed me, and wrote the book from them. Because of book size limitations, there are 10 blocks in the book, with two to nine Hidden Blocks and nine quilt designs each. But the research on the other blocks helped define the techniques and ideas in the book.

By using EQ4 I could quickly put a lot of ideas on paper, without prejudging what I thought was good or bad. Often I was surprised by how good or how bad some of the ideas were. Bottom line: I would have thrown up my hands and given up without the instant results EQ4 provided.

Q: What's next for you, other than running your quilt shop, of course?

A: I feel I have only scratched the surface of the Hidden Block concept. I want to develop some of the ideas I have stumbled upon, and look for new ideas. I have in mind another volume or two in the series. I have developed a class to teach students to design Hidden Blocks, and quilts with Hidden Blocks. I am encouraged by the ideas students have developed in this class.