Stack-n-Slash Or Stack-n-Whack

First, Stack-n-Whack is a copyrighted pattern idea by Bethany Reynolds that uses identical repeats in a fabric. The repeats are cut in such a way as to have identical pieces of fabric that can be stacked and cut. The cutting results in identical triangles which are arranged in a kaleidoscope. We will delve more into Stack-n-Whack half way through this article.

The basics of a Stack-n-Slash quilt is to stack a set of similar size squares. This can be a layer cake or even scraps from your fabric "bank". It helps to make a paper plan for your cuts and here's why. Generally, you want to make the same number of cuts as the number of fabric layers you have. Five layers of fabrics result in five cuts. The number of pieces of fabric you get in the results is greater than five, but you will soon see why. Five cuts can give a star in the center of your piece.

The fabric you choose can be specific to a theme or improvisational for a scrappier look. Iron as you stack your pieces of fabric. This will make them truer to size and help them stick together for the cuts. There will be a small amount of waste as you square the fabrics.

Place your plan on the top of your stack and then place your ruler along the first cut line. Slip your plan out from under the ruler. Next, make a cut across the fabrics - this cut results in two halves which are the same throughout your stack. Take the top fabric piece from one of the piles and move it to the bottom. Next, sew all the pieces to its new partner.

Repeat the steps in the previous paragraph for the remaining four cuts, sewing the pairs together each time. You will need to increase the number of fabric pieces that you move to the bottom to two, then three, etc. Eventually, you will no longer find a fabric that hasn't appeared in that block, and you will need to stop and look for a good match. This doesn't usually happen until the last cut, however. Your finished blocks will look like this.

There are variations on Stack-n-Slash such as "stained glass", where black strips are sewn in between the pieces to represent a stained-glass window. Similarly, you can use "magic inch" for another effect. You can make your stars deliberately wonky to make a wonkier appearance.

You can alternate these blocks with a plain block in your quilt to reduce the visual confusion. Sashing is also optional and can change the look of your blocks. You can also make your cuts almost parallel for a totally different appearance.

There are several sources of rulers available now for cutting Stack-n-Slash. They may make the process more orderly, so you can choose to invest or not.

For those who aren't fans of the football team highlighted in these blocks, my apologies. You may want to create blocks for your own region's favorite team. They sell well at your quilt show boutique!

Stack-n-Slash versus Stack-n-Whack

As we discussed above, Stack-n-Whack is a copyrighted pattern idea by Bethany Reynolds that uses identical repeats in a fabric. The repeats are cut in such a way as to have identical pieces of fabric that can be stacked and cut. I cut pieces from a princess fabric to show you what an identical repeat looks like.

This princess fabric is not a fabric to choose for a Stack-n-Whack. Searching for fabrics that are fantastic for this process is a sport unto itself. Quilters look for medium to large prints with large repeats (8-24 inches is good.) The larger the repeat, the less the results will look like the original fabric. The quilt shop staff will help you make sure that you are getting the correct number of repeats for the quilt you are making. Be sure to purchase enough to have a block of the original fabric either in the border or on the back. You want to be able to show what you did!

One of the factors that quilters look for in a good fabric is enough background without having too much. Too much background can either darken or wash out the designs. My first attempt had too much background and was darker than a bedroom at midnight. I had to sash the blocks to rescue the quilt.

If the fabric is cut into identical triangles, the result is a kaleidoscope hexagon. That, however, is not the limit of the Stack-n-Whack cutting. Stars, pinwheels, fans, and rings are also possible. Reynolds says that the beauty of this process is that quilters can produce pieced blocks without hours of planned cutting. Each block will be unique. Like the one-block-wonder that evolved from Stack-n-Whack, the pieces give a new experience each time.

Let's take an in-depth look at Four Patch Posies quilt pattern, a type of Stack-n-Whack. You will need four repeats of at least 12 inches. Once cut, you can have lots of fun deciding how to arrange the four squares to create unique patterns. The photos included here are not the prettiest in my quilt, but they are the easiest to see how the repeats are arranged.

The size of the blocks is determined by the size of the repeat. In this quilt, my repeat was 11 ¾ and my small blocks were 2 ¾ inches. Because there are four small squares in each large one, there are four possible arrangements. If you look carefully at the two blocks, you can see the elements: blue rectangles, yellow line, and dotted background. Hunt carefully in block 1 and you will find the petals that were combined in the center of block 2. What a difference!

Detailed patterns are available online. You can sash your quilt or not, but I do like borders, so I always use them. Here is the photo of my finished quilt. Navy and coral are my favorite colors, so I kept this one.