Quilt block easel

Abstract

An easel for use in the quilting art is provided. The easel has a design board has a front, working surface upon which a person who is creating a quilt may compose a quilt block from individual pieces of fabric. Either extending from, or attached to a back surface of the design board, the easel has a selectively collapsible, support assembly. Two selectively pivotable legs and a rib of the support assembly allow the easel to be stored or transported in a substantially flat condition and/or erected into a substantially standing position when in use. A woven, preferably, microfiber fabric sized to fit around and cover the front, working surface of the design board, is also provided. The fabric being selectively removable and able to be laundered. A storage case is included.

Claims

1. An easel for use in the quilting art, comprising: a design board, comprising a front, working surface upon which a person who is creating a quilt may compose a quilt block from individual pieces of fabric, and a substantially opposite facing back surface; a selectively collapsible, support assembly, comprising first and second panels extending from the back surface of the design board, a selectively collapsible rib element located substantially between the first and second panels and pivotably connected to the second panel along a common edge thereof, said rib element comprising spaced apart notches along an edge thereof opposite the common edge, and selectively collapsible left and right leg elements located substantially along left and right edges, respectively, of the first and second panels, wherein the support assembly is in a first, nonsupport configuration when the rib and left and right legs are in collapsed, substantially flat orientations against the back surface of the design board, and the support assembly is in a second, support configuration when the rib is pivoted about the common edge to extend away from the back surface of the design board and in such position the notches of the rib element engage the left and right legs to hold them in pivoted positions also extending away from the back surface of the design board; and a woven fabric sized to fit around and cover the front, working surface of the design board, comprising a woven fabric sheet larger in area than an area of the front, working surface of the design board, the fabric sheet having a periphery, and one continuous elastic band attached along the entire periphery of the fabric sheet, wherein the fabric sheet is selectively, removably secured over the front, working surface of the design board by the elastic band.

2. The easel of claim 1, further comprising a storage case for storing the easel in or transporting the easel when the easel is not in use.

3. The easel of claim 1, wherein the fabric sheet is further selectively, removably secured over the front, working surface of the design board by a plurality of hook fasteners that attach to fabric loops of the woven fabric when the periphery of the fabric sheet is secured over the front, working surface.

4. The easel of claim 1, wherein the support assembly is attached to the back surface of the design board.

5. The easel of claim 4, wherein the support assembly is adhered along surfaces of the first and second panels to the back surface of the design board.

6. The easel of claim 4, wherein the support assembly is attached to the back surface of the design board by metal fasteners.

7. The easel of claim 6, wherein the metal fasteners are grommets.

8. The easel of claim 1, the support assembly being unitarily formed of a single piece of material, the edge of the rib comprising a score-line allowing it to pivot and each edge of the first and second legs comprising a score-line allowing each leg to pivot.

9. The easel of claim 1, the design board and support assembly formed of the same material.

10. The easel of claim 1, the design board being of a larger size and comprising a score-line allowing for the design board to be folded.

11. The easel of claim 10, the design board being foldable along a score-line.

12. The easel of claim 10, having at least one hinge-type mechanism to allow the design board to be foldable and to assist it in maintaining its front, working surface in a substantially uniform flat condition when the larger size design board is in an unfolded state for use.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For the purposes of illustrating the various aspects of the invention, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there are shown in the drawings simplified forms that may be employed, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited by or to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. To assist those of ordinary skill in the relevant art in making and using the subject matter hereof, reference is made to the appended drawings and figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a back perspective view of a quilt block easel made in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the structure of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a back elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the structure of FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the structure of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) Referring to the figures, an easel used in preparing and organizing quilt blocks is generally designated at 10. Easel 10 is preferably comprised of a design board 20, having a back surface 22 and a front, working surface 24 (see FIG. 4). Extending from back surface 22 is a selectively collapsible, support assembly 30. Support assembly 30 has a first panel 32 and a second panel 34, a selectively collapsible rib element 36 located substantially between first and second panels 32 and 34, and selectively collapsible left 40 and right 42 leg elements. Rib 36 is selectively pivotable along a scored edge 38, connecting it with second panel 34. Left leg 40 is selectively pivotable along scored edges 44 and 46. Scored edge 44 connects a portion of left leg 40 to first panel 32 and scored edge 46 connects another portion of left leg 40 to second panel 34. Right leg 42 is selectively pivotable along scored edges 54 and 56. Scored edge 54 connects a portion of right leg 42 to first panel 32 and scored edge 56 connects another portion of right leg 42 to second panel 34.

(10) Support assembly 30 is in a first, nonsupport configuration when rib 36 and left and right legs 40 and 42, respectively, are collapsed in substantially flat orientations against back surface 22 of design board 20. Support assembly 30 is in a second, support configuration when rib 36 is pivoted about edge 38 to extend away from back surface 22 of design board 20. In such a pivoted and extending away position, portions 62 and 64 of rib 36 engage with portions of left leg 40 and right leg 42 in such a way as to hold both legs in pivoted positions also extending away from back surface 22. In this pivoted position, support assembly 30 is in the second, support configuration shown best in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7.

(11) Easel 10 also has a fabric 70 sized to fit around and cover front, working surface 24 of design board 20. Fabric 70 is preferably a woven fabric, and in an even further preferred embodiment fabric 70 is a microfiber fabric. In a preferred embodiment, in order to fit around and cover front, working surface 24, fabric 70 comprises a woven fabric sheet 72 that has a larger area than an area of front, working surface 24. In order to hold fabric 70 onto design board 20, fabric sheet 72 has a peripheral edge 74, and, in a preferred embodiment, along the entire periphery edge 74 is found one continuous elastic band 76, wherein the fabric sheet is selectively, removably secured over the front, working surface of the design board by the elastic band attached along the periphery. It is noted, however, that instead of on continuous elastic band 76, smaller lengths along periphery edge 74 can have a plurality of elastic bands. Such alternate construction, not shown, could be at the corners of fabric sheet 72.

(12) As best seen on FIG. 5, fabric sheet 72 is further selectively, removably secured over front, working surface 24 of design board 20 by a plurality of hook fasteners 80 that attach to fabric loops of fabric 70 (not shown) when edge 74 is secured over front, working surface 24.

(13) In various other preferred embodiments, design board 20 and support assembly 30 may be unitarily formed, or support assembly 30 may be adhered to back surface 22 of design board 20, or metal fasteners, such as, but not limited to, grommets (not shown), may be used to attached support assembly 30 to back surface 22 of design board 20. In any of these embodiments, it is also allowed that the material of which design board 20 and support assembly 30 are made are the same material or different materials, and the material(s) are of any of those known in the art; as, for example, plastic, wood, cardboard, pressboard, or any other.

(14) The subject assembly also anticipates a carry case able to fit the assembly therein when it is in its collapsed orientation. Such a case being useful in transporting or storing the assembly.

(15) In another embodiment, not shown, design board 20 is larger and made with a score line to allow it to be folded-back against itself and then placed in the carrying case. In such an embodiment, either the board folds along a score-line and/or there are hinge-type structures located in such positions as to allow for collapsibility and erection of the board for storage/transport and for use of the fully extended board.

(16) It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall only be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

(17) It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.