Penrose Quilt Challenge!

On June 1, 2011, I tossed out an invitation to see if anyone would be interested in trying out the custom plastic templates I had made for myself. I was fascinated with Penrose tilings, and thought it would be incredibly neat if other people got the chance to make quilts based off of them, too.

I didn't think anyone would respond, and I've been shocked and delighted that other quilters are interested! I don't know how many of them will eventually go on to finish quilts, but it's telling me one thing: I'm not the only person fascinated by tilings that go beyond standard quilt patterns.

What's a Penrose tiling?

An 'aperiodic' tiling first written about by Sir Roger Penrose in the 1970s. (see 'Penrose tiling' on wikipedia) Quilting, for the most part, celebrates 'periodic' tilings — patterns with a regular repeat. Aperiodic tilings (wikipedia) start from a central point but never repeat, not completely; as they grow outward, they fracture and split and form aesthetically satisfying patterns that never fully repeat, but have radial symmetry from that central point. Penrose tilings have five-fold symmetry, meaning you can draw five lines out from the central point and each section will be the same.

Technically, there are two versions of the tiling: the 'sun' and 'star' tilings. There's also a variant with different symmetry, called the 'cartwheel,' which I'm including because it is different and also beautiful.

Can I get in on this?

Absolutely. I've tried to ensure that all of the tools you need to start are linked from this page, but I'm still learning what other quilters need, so be patient with me.

Is there a time frame?

Goodness, no. To me it is infinitely more valuable that you're making an effort to learn something new, stretch your skills, and make something beautiful. Learning is lifelong.

What's it look like?

Here are a few samples of quilts I've found that use one of the Penrose tilings:

Bloody hell, that looks hard. Why should I try it?

…because it's hard, and because it's beautiful? Could there be better reasons?

If you're not daunted by sewing hexagons, with their small individual seams, you can do a tiling quilt! The problems are similar.

The difference: you'll need to choose which version of the tiling, and which section of it, you want to do. This will be your design project from start to finish. When you're done, it's very likely there will never be another quilt just like it — ever.

If that last sentence makes your toes curl, just a little, this project is for you.

What size quilt do I make?

Here's the fun and scary part: it's up to you! The idea behind an "aperiodic tiling" (which Penrose tilings are) is that it doesn't ever repeat, not fully and cleanly, so there's no clean, obvious place to place the edges of a quilt. I've set a base piece size of 3", and tried to generate some blueprint ideas for quilts that matched standard quilt sizes but also showcased pattern sections at their best.

Some pre-cropped options

'Sun' tiling	25" square	44" square	60"x80"	90" square
'Star' tiling	25" square	44" square	60"x80"	70"x90" variation
'Cartwheel' tiling*		55" square	60"x86"

* Yes, I know it's a variant, but it's gorgeous! For those of you more technical, the "cartwheel" tiling does not have fivefold symmetry; it only has left-right symmetry. If you draw a vertical line through the center of the tiling, you'll see it.

Sotto voce to the math geeks

Yes, I've got versions of the de Bruijn tilings, thanks to Alan. If you want to tinker with those instead, talk to me privately.

Gratitude

• Jacob Hugart, who threw me down the rabbit hole by introducing me to the world of tilings
• Alan Schoen, who shared many of his renders and gave me permission to use them, making these quilts possible