Layouts- How Many Blocks? Post 2

What is a layout? 

Ok firstly a quick summary here is terminology that I regularly use when talking about 
Raconteur - The Storyteller's Collection (aka RSC)  This is the original quilt with 363 blocks joined together into 59 collections
A block is a single miniature hexagon
A collection is a set of seven miniature hexagons joined together and framed to make a larger hexagon.
A half collection is a pair of two elongated miniature hexagons joined together and then two fillers are added. This is then all framed to make a larger half hexagon that is used along the edge.
A corner collection is a single elongated miniature hexagons joined together and then two fillers are added. This is then all framed to complete the corner blocks.
A layout is a bed size quilt. Layouts are available for lap quilts, single, double, queen and king size quilt.
Raconteur 141 is the enlarged version of RSC. No one has yet finished this quilt so I can't honestly tell you how many blocks or collections there are in this quilt, but I will tell you what my computer tells me.

Now to the follow-up post...how many collections do you need?

First let's revise calculations for the original Raconteur quilt. If you look here you can see my photoshop efforts to show you the wallhanging, lap quilt, single bed quilt and double bed quilt
The individual blocks have a side length of 2 1/4in, while the large collection is 7 1/8in.
By my calculations, and Photoshop/Illustrator's help the number of collections and blocks that you would need are

• wallhanging - seven collections which is 49 blocks
• lap quilt - 17 collections which is 99 blocks
• single bed quilt - 27 collections equalling 157 blocks
• double bed quilt - 33 collections which is 199 blocks
• queen size quilt - 45 collections which is 271 blocks. There are two different layouts offered for this size
• king size quilt - 59 collections which is 363 blocks.
  Personally I would change the king size layout and make it with 61 collections, one row longer but one row narrower. To do this you could make extra blocks of those you enjoy or simply hang around long enough for me to make a few more blocks and then I will send these out to you.
  Carol has made three of her own original blocks and I have made another collection so she is only four blocks short on the better number for king size.

By the way all of the layouts include instructions for putting your quilt together along with the quilting designs which I used on the original quilt. There are line drawings showing you different layout options and allowing you to work out your own colour layout so you don't end up with the wrong size and colour arrangement (like I did). Colouring pencils are a simple to use tool which when used with a line drawing of the layouts allows you to decide the colour frames if you intend to do a design such as say Grandmother's Flower Garden.
Once I am organised the different layout options will contain all of the options up to and including the one that you are making, so it is easy to make a smaller one :)

Next we talk specifically about the Raconteur 141 Collections.
When joined the seven collections should have a theoretical height of 20in and width of 17.5in, note these figures came out of a computer drawing and through real life sewing I have found they could be out by up to 1/2in which I figure isn't enough to worry about. For some reason, when I sew things the size is never exactly what the computer tells me it should be but it has always been such a minuscule amount I haven't worried about it.

141 Single Bed Layout	141 Double/Queen Layouts
141 King Layout - option 1	141 King Layout - option 2

I haven't actually made up these quilts and you may find that when you lay out the blocks it is better to make more blocks and go either one block wider or one block longer. Nothing beats actually looking at the blocks laid out together to decide what is the best way to go.

By my calculations, and Illustrator's help... no help available this time from Photoshop:( the number of collections and blocks that you would need are

• wallhanging - seven collections which is 49 blocks
• lap quilt - I couldn't get this to look right, or to something I was happy with so it will need to be a trial and experiment affair if you are making this size.
• single bed quilt - 12 full collections and four half collections equalling 92 blocks. This gives a design area or approximately 52in x 80in and then you would need to add borders.
• double and queen size bed quilts - 18 full collections and 4 half collections which is 134 blocks. This gives a design area or approximately 70in x 80in and then you would need to add borders.
• king size quilt (option 1) -  although this one should be the best by calculations it doesn't 'look right' and so I worked out option 2
• King size quilt (option 2) - 27 full collections, four half collections and two corner collections, which is 199 blocks. This gives a design area or approximately 86in x 95in and then you would need to add borders. To balance the appearance for this size an extra row had to be added longer than the bare mattress length.

Sorry about this being such a long post but there was a lot t0 say....and I like to talk.