What makes a wedding ring quilt pattern so hard?
A double wedding ring is made of interlocking circles. Each ring is built from arcs, which are curved strips pieced from small wedge-shaped pieces. The arcs are sewn to football-shaped pieces called melons, and the melons are sewn to the curved centers of the rings. Almost every seam in the quilt is a curve.
Curves are harder than straight seams because the two edges you sew together curve in opposite directions. One edge is concave (curving in) and one is convex (curving out), so they don’t lie flat on each other. You ease them together with lots of pins, a little at a time.
The pieces are also cut from templates, which are shapes you trace or cut around, instead of with a ruler. And a curved edge is cut partly on the bias, the stretchy diagonal direction of the fabric, so it stretches as you sew. A queen-size double wedding ring can have hundreds of wedges, and each one has to be accurate for the rings to lie flat.
| Skill needed | Where it’s used | How to practice |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting from templates | Wedges, melons and ring centers | Cut one small curved block, such as drunkard’s path |
| Sewing curved seams | Arcs to melons, melons to centers | Sew a few practice curves with lots of pins |
| Handling bias edges | Every curved edge | Make half-square triangles, which teach the same care |
| Accurate ¼" seams on small pieces | Wedges in each arc | Make a block with small squares, such as a double nine patch |
| Matching many points | Where arcs meet the corner squares | Make a star block, such as the Ohio star |
How is a double wedding ring quilt put together?
Knowing the order of the work helps you judge whether you are ready. A double wedding ring is built in four stages, and the curves start in the second.
1. Piece the arcs. Each arc is a row of small wedges, often scrappy, sewn edge to edge into a gentle curve. Most patterns add a small square, called a connector, to each end of some arcs. These connectors become the little squares where the rings cross.
2. Sew arcs to melons. A melon is the football-shaped piece between two rings. An arc goes on each long side, so each melon ends up with a curved band on both edges. This is the first curved seam, and every melon needs two.
3. Set in the centers. The center of each ring is a large piece with four curved sides. The arc-and-melon units are sewn around it, one curve at a time.
4. Join the rings. The units are sewn together so each melon is shared by two rings. The edges of the quilt are curved too, so the binding has to be cut on the bias to follow them.
Steps 2 to 4 are where beginners get stuck. A seam that is a little off on each curve adds up, and the rings won’t lie flat.
What tools do you need for a double wedding ring?
You need a set of templates for the wedges, melons and centers. Acrylic templates last longer than paper or plastic ones you cut yourself, and you can cut along them with a rotary cutter. A small rotary cutter (28mm) turns tight curves more easily than a large one.
Use plenty of fine pins for the curves, and starch or a starch alternative to stiffen the fabric so the bias edges stretch less. Many quilters also mark the center point of each curved edge before sewing, so the two pieces line up in the middle.
When can a beginner try a double wedding ring?
After two or three finished quilts, with straight seams and triangles behind you. Some tools make it easier when you get there. Pre-cut acrylic templates are sturdier than paper ones and give the same shape every time. Paper-pieced arcs, where you sew the wedges onto a printed paper foundation, keep the arcs accurate. And a small wall hanging of four rings teaches every step without the size of a bed quilt.
In short: learn straight seams and triangles first, then one curved block such as drunkard’s path. When that comes out flat, you are ready for rings. For the full order to learn blocks in, see easy quilt blocks for beginners.
What quilts look like a wedding ring but are easier?
These quilts give the look of linked shapes across the quilt with only straight seams. Each one opens in the Patchwork Quilt Builder. The builder only draws straight-sided pieces and can’t draw curves, so it can’t design a true wedding ring. These quilts are what it does well.
Irish chain. Small squares link corner to corner into diagonal chains. From across the room the crossing chains read as linked shapes, and it is all squares. See the Irish chain quilt pattern for cutting charts.
Meadow Chain and Scrappy Chain. Two chain-style quilts. Meadow Chain crisscrosses white chains over olive, with a spark of orange in each opening. Scrappy Chain links small scrappy squares between navy crosses on cream.
Denim Star Chain. Denim stars framed in scrappy squares, with sky blue stars where the white sashing meets. The stars and frames link across the quilt.
The Rings look. In step 4 of the builder, Shuffle colors has a look called Rings. It lays your palette out in square rings from the center of any quilt. It isn’t a wedding ring, but it gives the same feeling of circles inside circles. Trip Around the World does the same with diamond rings of small squares.
What else makes a good wedding quilt?
Signature blocks. Blocks with a plain center where guests sign their names in fabric pen. A simple block like a framed square or a nine patch with a light center works well. Pass the blocks around at the shower or reception, then sew them together.
White and one color. A two-color quilt, white or cream with one color the couple loves, looks classic in any pattern. Muslin & Linen keeps it soft and neutral, and Vintage Rosewater adds dusty pink.
A log cabin “home” quilt. The log cabin is built out from one center square, like a house from its first room, which suits a couple setting up a home. See the log cabin quilt pattern. For the history behind block names like this, see traditional quilt blocks, and for more layouts, see quilt pattern ideas.
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- Vintage Rosewater#DAB3AF · #C79DA2 · #A47E8A · #6B544F · #2F1D20Try it on a quilt
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does a double wedding ring quilt take?
- Much longer than a straight-seam quilt of the same size. Expect several months of steady work for a bed-size double wedding ring, because every arc is pieced from small wedges and every seam is curved.
- What’s the difference between a wedding ring and a double wedding ring?
- A double wedding ring has two rows of pieced arcs in each ring, so the rings look like two bands. “Wedding ring” is often used for the same quilt, but it can also mean simpler single-band versions or straight-seam blocks with ring in the name.
- Can I make a wedding ring quilt without curves?
- Not a true one, because the rings are curved. But an Irish chain or another chain quilt gives a similar linked look with only straight seams. See the quilt patterns guide for more.