A RARITY—-LUSCIOUS, RICH SHADES

The Shade Scale

There are four color scales in the world of color: pure color scale, tint scale, shade scale, and tone scale. During these next two weeks we’re going to investigate the shade scale.

A shade is created when black is added to a pure color. A shade can be slightly darker than its pure color, almost black, or it can be a color that lies anywhere between these two extremes. Every color that is a shade belongs to the shade scale.

An Important caveat: A shade NEVER has gray in its makeup—even a tiny bit.  If there is any hint of grayness in a dark color’s makeup, it is not a shade. It’s a tone. Only black and a pure color can be present in a shade.  Don’t be fooled into thinking a dark color is a shade because most darkened colors have a hint of grayness in them.

The Changing Colors

When you first add a touch of black to a pure color, the pure color becomes a bit darker. Also it begins to lose its intensity. It is not quite as brilliant as its pure form.  As each bit of black is added, the color lessens its intensity and increases its darkness. Eventually the color will appear almost black—-with a hint of the pure color as a subtle  influence.

You can probably see the effect of the black added to this green.

The color is darker than its pure color, but not dark enough to call it dark green. 

No grayness is found in shades. Instead, they are a combination of the pure color and black.

Shade Names

Whenever the word dark or deep is placed in front of a color name, it indicates the color is a shade. Such examples are dark blue, dark violet, dark purple, dark green,  deep violet, deep blue, deep green, and deep purple. Loosely speaking, relatively cool pure colors have shades that are fairly predictable in their darkened forms. They simply look darker. These most predictable shades come from the colors that move around the color wheel from green through the blues, violets, and on to magenta.

Shades that move from spring green to yellow to orange and on to blue-red are less predictable in their shaded form. In fact, shades of these warmer pure colors can be quite surprising. These shades rarely use dark or deep in their names, although occasionally you’ll find it used, as in dark red or deep red, Usually these shades have unique names that do not indicate their pure color origin. Examples are rust, brown, olive, avocado, and maroon,

Other shade names that you are probably familiar with are cranberry, grape, raspberry, teal, navy blue, and ink navy.

Pure colors are shown on this color wheel. All shades are darker than their pure colors.

Shades in Your Medium

If you are a painter, it should not be a problem to paint with shades of color. Simply begin with a pure-color paint and a clear, deep black paint with no hint of gray. The amount of black added will determine the darkness of the paint. Also, you can purchase a tube of shade paint. Either way, the paint should be rich in color.

It’s more difficult to find a shade if you are a quilter, weaver, fabric artist, or fiber artist because you are at the mercy of the manufacturer that dyes your material (cloth, yarn, etc.). To create a shade, the coloring process begins with a pure white material. This means the fabric must be bleached white before applying the dye.

Most fabrics begin their dyeing process in their natural unwhitened state. When the dye is applied to a non-white fabric or yarn, the result is not the same as when a bleached white fabric is used. This is because the natural hue of the gray-good influences the way the color looks on the fabric. It results in a gray cast to it. The more grayness in the natural color of the material, the more the color grays. If the original material is only slightly off-white, its influence will not be so great and the grayness will be subtle. Because most fabrics are dyed on unbleached fabric, most fabrics are toned—with a slight gray cast to them. This is why it is difficult to find fabrics that read as shades.

Making Do

 Northern Lights  by Joen Wolfrom

Whenever I find a shade fabric in a fabric store, I purchase it, as I never know when I need it. When I can’t find a beautiful, richly colored shade that I want (or need), I use a dark, slightly toned fabric as its substitute. There just aren’t enough shaded fabrics in existence, so substitutions are needed. In the Northern Lights quilt (above),  I have used dark toned fabrics because I couldn’t find the appropriate shades. If you need to substitute a dark toned fabric for a shade fabric, select the fabric that is the darkest and richest of your possibilities. .

Below is a closeup of this quilt, giving you a better look at the darkest substitute fabrics used. Notice the darkest, least toned (grayed) fabrics provide interest. The fabric closest to being a shade is the dark blue one. Although I would have preferred using shades, I actually don’t mind the tonal variations of the darkest fabrics used. I try not to get too hung up on my inability to find a shade that I want. I have learned to buy them when I see them; then I can use them as needed—-that’s my hope anyway. I end up using more substitutes than shades, as you can well understand.

The Beauty of Shades

Using shades in your artwork provides visual strength and beautiful richness. Shades contrast well with tones and pure colors. Meredith Annett’s quilt Northern Lights (below) provides us with an example of how shades enhance  a design with their deep, dark beauty. When you use shades, be certain to include light-valued colors in the design too. This will assure that your design can be clearly seen from a distance. Meredith did this so beautifully.  I absolutely love this quilt with its rich beauty. (If you have the book Adventures in Design, you will find Meredith’s Northern Lights quilt in it, as well as other quilts of hers.)

 Northern Lights by Meredith Annett from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

If you want to explore shades:

1.  If you have a fabric stash, consider doing the following:  Purchase a half-yard piece of the blackest black cotton fabric you can find.  Next pull out your darkest fabrics from your stash. One at a time, place a dark fabric on the black fabric, so that you can see both of them clearly. Does the dark fabric look strong and luscious against the black fabric? Or does the dark fabric look slightly drab or veiled beside the black fabric.  Does it lose its strength? If the color holds its own, it’s a shade. If it appears weaker, grayer, or not as intense as the black, it’s a tone. See how many shades you have in your stash.

2.  If you work with fabric, yarn, or other fiber, go to the store and see if you can find a shade. Use your black fabric to help you determine whether a fabric is a shade or a tone. If you find a shade and you like it, consider buying it for later use. You may be surprised to find that your favorite store has no shaded fabric or yarn on its shelves.  If you are a painter, did you find any shades amongst your tubes?

Let me know what you find in your stash. See you at the next post—more about the shade scale then. …..

Happy coloring!

Joen

 Text and photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.

It’s a beautiful time of year with the anticipation of all that December has to offer. I am madly attempting to finish a project by Friday noon. I assume all of you have your own deadlines and seasonal stresses to deal with too. Recognizing that we are all maxed out on time and energy, there will be no color lessons this week or next.

In this post I am featuring another  group of quilts that caught my eye at the Houston IQA show this fall. They are each amazing in their own unique ways. Whenever possible, I have added links to the quilt artists whose works are shown. I hope you check out their pages when you have time. (Again, you’ll find black stands with white papers, ribbons, and other distracting objects in front of some of these quilts, which couldn’t be helped. Photos are informally taken with my little Nikon point ‘n shoot.)   Enjoy!

Summer Fantasy by Joanne Baeth, Susan Massini, Dona Ford, Cheryl Carbone, and Louise Page

I absolutely love this quilt.  When my eyes fell upon it, it reminded me so much of a delicate watercolor painting. Later I learned this quilt was a recreation of a watercolor painting by Bev Barmore, Joanne’s cousin.  Summer Fantasy was created by a five-member art group from Oregon. A photo of this painting was divided into five sections. Each member completed one section. Joanne pieced together the sections and then quilted the artwork.

I find this a fascinating group quilt, as it’s not an easily divisible image at first or second glance. Without a doubt, this art group is both talented and skilled. Perhaps this quilt will entice others to create a different group quilt—one that is both challenging and fun.

Now for those of you who love pieced quilts based on traditional roots, this next quilt is a real delight!

All Geared Up by Mary Bauer, Crestwood, Kentucky

What a fantastic quilt this is. Mary was inspired by one of John Flynn’s quilts. Although I am not certain which of his many quilts was this quilt’s inspiration, I assume it is John’s Snail’s Trail quilt. However, John has many amazing contemporary quilts that have historic roots.

I really like  the way Mary has stretched these trails. She has created movement and a sense of dimensionality through overlapping. I am enthralled with traditionally-based quilts that are ingeniously transformed into contemporary statements. This quilt was paper pieced.

Congratulations on the great quilt, Mary.  I can hardly wait to see what you come up with next.

Lift Your Eyes to the Hills by Pat Durbin of Eureka, California

Pat Durbin is noted for her beautiful landscape quilts. Each year she creates at least one quilt that celebrates the beauty of our world. This quilt was inspired by a Glacier National Park (Montana) scene. Her husband Gary took this photo, which Pat used as her inspiration.

Pat wanted to replicate the mood evoked from this setting. She used many techniques to create this imagery, including painting, machine applique, free-motion machine embroidery, thread painting, machine quilting, and piping. This looks like another winner, Pat.  It’s beautiful.

Sakura I: Hanaogi Views the Cherry Blossoms by Megan Farkas from  Sanbornton, New Hampshire

Megan Farkas’s Sakura I: Hanaogi Views the Cherry Blossoms is an elegant quilt that evokes a sense of subtle gracefulness in a land of yesteryear. This quilt was inspired by a Japanese woodblock from the 1790s.

Having made seventeen kimonos a few years ago for a school play (for one of my grandson’s class), I was especially interested in Megan’s beautiful kimonos. I loved seeing the variations in her kimono designs. Megan also took time to add silk cherry blossoms to the scene, which added an extra touch of springtime ambiance.

It’s such a delight to see a large hand appliquéd quilt such as this. It also includes embroidery, hand quilting, and some outlining with black marker. Megan used cottons, Hobbs Polydown batting, cotton threads, embroidery floss, “silk” flowers, and beads.

Megan received a special award at the IQA Show. Congratulations, Megan, for receiving the Future of Quilting Award. This special recognition is given to talented young quilters—–they have to be young enough not to be eligible to be a U.S. president (just in case you live in another country, that would be under the age of 35). Do check out Megan’s facebook page to see some of her other quilts.

Reflections by Carol Swinden from Cape Traverse, PEI,  Canada

This quilt is so novel and refreshing.  Carol Swindon took a picture of a neighbor’s 1959 Cadillac. The title of the quilt has two meanings. A nearby tree is reflected many times on the car’s shiny surfaces. This quilt reflects back on the 50 years since this classic car was made. Carol created this quilt with machine piecing, raw-edge appliqué, and machine quilting;  She used cottons, tulle, organza, and satin. As often said in the 50s, this is really cool!

Cape Cod Window by Sara Sharp, Austin, Texas

This lovely Cape Cod window has been photographed often over the years by Sara Sharp when on vacation. Overlooking Cod Bay from this rustic cottage, this scene feels so natural with the use of many illusions. It is a feat to create illusions through color change in fabric. The luster on the apples, the reflections on the wine bottles, and the shadows on the counter top add such richness to this window setting. Cape Cod Window is pieced,  fused, machine appliquéd, painted, decorative machine stitched, and free-motion stitched.

Be certain to check out Sara Sharp’s website (link above). You will be treated to some amazing artwork.

The Hues of Amber by Karlyn Bue Lohrenz from Billings, Montana

Karlyn Bue Lohrenz’s The Hues of Amber has a luscious vibrancy that creates beautiful visual drama throughout the design. Karlyn loves amber and used this quilt to explore the many color nuances within this gem. Having spent some time in  the Baltic region where amber is so highly regarded, this quilt really attracted my attention. Its beautiful flowing movement and undulating colors are captivating.

I have put a link to one of Karlyn’s U-Tube videos above. It gives an excellent overview of her quilt journey.

Gossip Garden  by Debbie Martinez from Hobart, Indiana

Debbie Martinez’s Gossip Garden symbolizes the many facets of gossip, but most particularly the idea that gossip starts with just a little comment and grows larger as it moves  from one mouth to another. Notice how cleverly Debra has illustrated this concept, as the mouth sizes increase as they move farther away. Debra’s quilt is filled with clever details. Gossip Garden is a quilt with an important  message brought to us in a light-hearted way. You can see a few additional quilts by Debbie in the link provided (above).

As you can see, the creative spirit is alive and well in the quilting world. Aren’t these quilts wonderful? If you want to leave a comment, feel free to do so. FYI, our blog comment space appears after the Facebook comment area.

Merry Christmas and  Happy Hanukkah!  I hope this week brings you joy and offers you the opportunity to add many more loving, happy memories to your memory bank. I can hardly wait for Saturday to arrive!

Joen

Text and photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom

The copyright of the quilts shown in this post remains with those artists who created these works of art.

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.

It’s a busy season and much of our energy and time are taken up this month with the holidays, family, special friends, and the celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah. So this is a good time to share a few more photos of quilts from the 2011 Houston Quilt Festival.  No doubt, the actual quilts are more beautiful in real life than what you see in my informal snapshots. The colors shown may not be true to the quilt, but I think the quilts still look great. Enjoy!

Autumn Splendor by Noriko Endo from Tokyo, Japan

If you have been in the quilt scene for a few years, then you will be well aware of Noriko Endo’s glorious naturescapes. They are filled with exquisite textures, subtle colorings, and enticing imagery.  Autumn Splendor fills the bill. It is amazing. Standing in front of this quilt brings you into the scene. The realism is extraordinary.  This particular quilt really speaks to me, as it’s a scene reminiscent of many years of woodland walks. This original design is created with cotton, tulle, and luminescent fibers. If you would like to create your own woodland scenes filled with textures, or if you just want to be inspired by Noriko’s beautiful creations, consider purchasing her book Confetti Naturescapes.

Crested Barber by Barbara McKie

I had written in my notes that this little guy was created by Terri Gavin, as part of her John Jay winter park series, but  then I realized Terri’s quilt looks quite different. So after a plea to viewers asking if they knew who created this delightful quilt, several people provided me with the answwer.  Barbara McKie is the artist who created this wonderful work of art. She did a fabulous job with this bird’s detailing and coloring. He is such a bright contrast compared to the toned hues of the stone he is standing on and the background. What an amazing bird he is!

Now I love this little bird, but the first things that come to my mind because I am thinking winter is this:  Why is this glorious bird sitting on a cold stone in the middle of winter when he should be lounging leisurely somewhere in the south?  Did he not get the message as to when his flock was departing? Is he a perky individualist that thinks he can persevere through any situation and doesn’t realize what New York winters are like? Was he too lackadaisical to fly south? So many questions…..and no answers. All I can say is that I am shivering for him. (Of course, now that I know he wasn’t sitting on a rock at the John Jay Park, I can hope he is lounging in a bit warmer weather.)

Notice that this bird is looking right at you, the viewer. This is a very important detail when creating an artwork that features a bird or an animal. Eye contact is necessary  for there to be a strong visual connection between bird and viewer. This little guy is such a charmer!  Barbara McKie has many other amazing works of art on her website, so if this little bird pulls at your heartstrings, check out her website..

Rare Birds by Rachel Wetzler from St. Charles, Illinois

Speaking of birds, I couldn’t help pausing to enjoy this wonderful quilt. It’s made by Rachel Wetzler who is one of my favorite quilt artists. She is so versatile and talented.  Not only does she do whimsy so well, but she creates stunning traditional and contemporary quilts too. BTW, Rachel has a blog that you will enjoy visiting:  A Bit of Yellow.

Each of these birds represents a quilt personality within Rachel’s  quilting group. Denise Havlan, a quilt artist who is inspired by Native American art, is found sitting atop the totem pole. Rachel, a lover of both yellow and sewing, is that cute little yellow bird balancing on her favorite pair of scissors. Then Annette Hendricks, a painter who loves purple, is the purple bird on top of the paint brush and palette.  Beth Gilbert, nurse extraordinaire, talented contemporary quilt artist, and hostess with the most-est is ready for company with a pot of tea in hand, her purring cat, and her house warm and welcoming (Beth’s hospitality is noteworthy—I know, as I’ve stayed with Beth and her husband and it was wonderful). Ann Fahl, a lover of flowers and cats, is the bird with her kitty close at hand on top of a beautiful flower.  The last bird represents the energetic Robbi Eklow, a talented quilter who is always ready to share  yet one more story.  What a clever quilt this is, celebrating friends. It’s a fun, beautifully executed quilt.

This original design uses fused applique, foundation piecing, painting, colored pencils, and machine quilting. Commerical and hand-dyed fabrics, WonderUnder Fusible, Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20 batting, fabric markers, pencils and paints were all used in this quilt.

Fall ‘n Star by Jan Mathews and Brandy Rice from Houston, Texas

Jan Mathews and Brandy Rice created this gorgeous quilt using Judy and Brad Niemeyer’s pattern Hawaiian Star.  It was difficult to take a full picture of this quilt, so I have included a closeup (below). I think this was one of the most beautiful traditional quilts exhibited in the show. The colors are softly muted and the workmanship is exquisite. The quilt was made with paper foundation and micro machine quilting. Batik fabrics, silk and wool batting, and silk thread were used in this quilt.  This is a beautiful interpretation of  the Hawaiian Star pattern.

Close-up view of Fall ‘n Star by Jan Mathews and Brandy Rice

Sunlit Circles by Ann Petersen from Aurora, Colorado

Since I love blue-violet, I am always attracted to quilts using the complements blue-violet and golden-yellow. Hence, I naturally gravitated toward Sunlit Circles.  The stars are beautifully done and it was fun to see the variety of mariners’ compasses displayed in this quilt. I really enjoyed Ann’s color and value play. Ann stated that this design represents sunlight peeking through starry windows. It is paper-pieced and machine pieced.

Weeping Dorothea by Ann Harwell from Wendell, North Carolina

Ann Harwell’s Weeping Dorothea is a quilt honoring a 100-year old weeping cherry tree at the Dorothea Dix Hospital, which was founded in 1856. This was the first hospital in North Carolina dedicated to the treatment of mental illness.  This tree sits on a hill overlooking downtown Raleigh.  The hospital is currently being decommissioned, but Weeping Dorothea is alive and filled with a century of a multitude of life’s secrets. Weeping Dorothea was machine pieced and quilted.

Of Cabbage and Kings by Norma Schlager from Danbury, Connecticut

I was entralled when I saw Of Cabbages and Kings in the Houston IQA. It is stunning. Also, I was very delighted to see this was an original design created by Norma Schlager, a very talented quilt artist. In fact, two of her quilts, Fiesta and Blue Ginkgoes, are featured in my design book Adventures in Design.

Here’s Norma’s cabbage story:  I went to an Emily Dickensen  exhibit at the NY Botanical Gardens and took a picture of a cabbage in her vegetable garden.  When I got home and saw it on my computer monitor, I knew it had to be a quilt.  I toyed with the idea of doing it in applique with my hand dyes, but for some reason I thought I would try painting it.  I took my photo to a copy shop and had it enlarged. Then I traced the outlines onto PFD fabric with a Sharpie and just painted away, using acrylic paints out of the tube, thinned with a little water.  After the paint dried, the traced lines were still visible and I free-motion satin-stitched over them with several different shades of Sulky rayon thread.

Norma’s first cabbage quilt was juried into the New England Quilt Museum where it sold. Because Norma was so happy with the results of that quilt, she made another. This second one is the one exhibited at the IQA show.  These  were the first whole-cloth painted quilts that Norma has done.  Great job, Norma!

Artichokes in Bloom by Andrea Brokenshire from Round Rock, Texas.

A show-stopper for me was Artichokes in Bloom by Andrea Brokenshire. This quilt is simply amazing. It was inspired by artichokes growing in a friend’s garden (Nina—beautiful artichokes!).  Andrea used hand-painted silk, raw-edge applique, a confetti-style background, thread painting, and machine quilting. Her materials include 100% cotton fabrics, silk charmeuse, batiks, cotton batting, and rayon, polyester, and cotton threads. This quilt is so realistic, you feel as if you could reach in and touch the blossoms and petals. I have heard that the quilters from Round Rock are a wonderfully talented group, and by looking at Andrea’s quilt, I must agree. I LOVE this quilt!

Give Us Your Comments

I hope you loved seeing these quilts. There are such a variety of techniques and materials. It’s amazing how far the quilting world has come in the past forty years in expanding the use and look of a quilt.

Enjoy.  If you have time, let us know which of these quilts inspire you to try a new challenges in 2012.  See you next week.

Happy coloring!

Joen

Text and photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom

The copyright of the quilts shown in this post remains with those artists who created these works of art.

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.

When Alex Anderson designed her Holiday Lights quilt many years ago, she designed a winner. It’s been extraordinarily popular with people of all ages.  This year has been no exception. The pattern keeps selling and Holiday Lights quilts continue to brighten the homes of people during the month of December.

This year The Piece Corps and Friends chose to make Holiday Lights their selection to raise funds for the Sutter Hospital Quilt Auction to benefit breast cancer research and patients.  The Sutter Cancer Center holds their auction every three years at the Sutter Hospital in Sacramento, California.

The Piece Corps and Friends named their auction quilt Trees of Hope. You can see their finished quilt (above) with several of the fourteen-member group:  Sally Scholz, Barbara Wexted, Martha Flanagan, Della Goss, Connie Seale, and Donna Bays. They enjoyed making this quilt and were extremely happy with the results.

Below are several in-progress photos that you will enjoy seeing. Also, if you are part of a quilting group that might want to make a group quilt for an auction or any other purpose, you’ll be interested in reading how this group organized themselves and how they worked on this quilt.  At the end of this post, you can see Alex’s latest version of Holiday Lights.

O.K. , is this border long enough now?

Donna Bays, one of the group’s members shares with us:  ”With a pattern such as this, it made the quilt much more interesting. By having so many people contribute tree blocks, we had a tremendous variety of fabrics for the trees, the trunks and the background fabrics, which were also used in the pieced border.

“Some of us are very good at appliqué and some are very good at piecing, so our combined talents made this quilt come out so well.

“We are lucky to have one longarm quilter in our group who was quite creative in quilting. She quilted across each tree a few times as if it were a rope of tinsel, using rainbow variegated thread.

“We all had fun and were very proud of how well our quilt did in the auction.  Not one of us could have made such a nice quilt by ourselves.”

How do you think this should  go?  (Do I see ribbon instead of bias tape? What a novel idea!)

The Piece Corps and Friends members each made tree blocks.  After they collected and counted all of the blocks, they calculated what size quilt they could make.  Also, everyone donated a few strips of background fabric for the outer border.  One of their members has a fabulous sewing room with a great design wall, so they met there to arrange the tree blocks, position the light bulbs to be appliqued, and audition fabrics for the red and green inner border.

Hmmmm, how should I begin?

Donna’s additional thoughts:  ”The group project worked well because we had lots of time to work on it.  We started discussing it in December and the auction donation deadline was September 1.  We set target dates for each phase, such as a date for turning in the tree blocks.  We spent several hours arranging the blocks on a large design wall, which was a lot of fun.  Then some people volunteered to sew the blocks into rows and we set a deadline for that.  Then I sewed the rows together.

“Also, once we calculated the size of our  quilt, based on the number of donated tree blocks, we were able to piece together the outer borders and give each section to 4 people who love to applique. We had a date for finishing that.  So it all came together timely and we had plenty of time to get it quilted and bound.  We are a small group but everyone is generous with their time and talents.”

We’re almost there…..the last string of lights are going up.

The Piece Corps and Friends meet regularly and mostly work on their own projects and enjoy each other’s company.  But for each of the last 4 years, they have made a smaller group quilt to give to a family when they receive the keys to their new Habitat for Humanity home.  For those types of quilts, they keep the patterns simple. They agree on a color scheme, everyone makes a few blocks, and then they put them together.  What a great group of women!

The Sutter Breast Cancer Quilt Auction received almost 700 donated quilts this year.  Most are hung in the hospital for a month with bid sheets for the silent auction.  Fifty “exceptional” quilts are selected for the live auction which is held on the last day of the bidding. Their group was thrilled when Trees of Hope was selected for that honor. The winning bid was $500. The money goes to breast cancer research and to support people fighting cancer.  Information about the auction and pictures of all the donated quilts can be seen at the quilt auction page of the Sutter Medical Quilt website.

The members of Piece Corps and Friends are Ann Barrow, Ellen Crozier, Bonnie Toy, Francess McCleerey, Diane Yates, Sylvia Earl, Gail Sims, Sally Scholz, Barbara Wexted, Martha Flanagan, Della Goss, Connie Seale, Donna Bays,  and Star Rudge. Thanks Piece Corps and Friends for your generosity of time and talent. Also, thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Share Your Ideas

If you are a member of a  group that has made a quilt for an auction or donated a group quilt  to a worthwhile community project, do share with us.

Alex’s newest Holiday Lights quilt can be seen here.

Both versions are shown in the  current Holiday Lights pattern.

To Purchase this Pattern:

Shop owners:  You may purchase Holiday Lights from us or from your distributor.  You can see further details about this quilt on the Holiday Lights page. To purchase, contact us  in your preferred method.

Quilters:  This pattern should be available at your local store. If you do not have a local store, you may purchase this pattern online. For further details about this quilt, check the Holiday Lights pattern page.

Happy December to you!

COLOR CASCADE—- It’s a show-stopper!

A COLOR CHALLENGE FULFILLED!

Four of these color-challenge quilts are featured in this post, as well as artists’ thoughts.

This exhibit features a wall of beautiful quilts flowing with colors. This wall of color was a group challenge for the Sewjourners, a group of quilters in Oregon. This challenge was Inspired by the  3-in-1 Color Tool (designed by Joen Wolfrom with C&T Publishing). This group of twenty began their color exploration by each randomly drawing a color card that would determine her featured color.

Today’s post features four of the quilts and the artists who created them for this challenge.  (A later post will include an additional selection of these color-challenge quilts).  Let us what you think.

Color #1:  Yellow

Yellow Fever by Wendy Hill

Wendy Hill and Yellow Fever

As people in our group randomly pulled out their color cards from the 3-in1 Color Tool, I heard shouts of “I don’t want yellow!”  When my turn came, I reached in and pulled out…yellow, card #1!   Since I’ve never met a color I didn’t like, I wondered, “what’s the big deal?”  I quickly found out the big deal: The only yellow fabrics available were solid hand-dyed pieces of cotton. Every other color can be found in tints, tones, shades, and with other colors, etc. I definitely wanted to use a variety of fabrics, so with Tim Gunn whispering “make it work”, I forged ahead.

Inspired by an imaginary rock wall standing in brilliant sunshine, my composition played with elements of grout and tiles. While I collected fabrics, I also collected “yellow stuff” in every store I visited. I found yellow paper clips, buttons, coasters, a toy car, electrical tubes, beads, plugs for air mattresses, lemon bag netting, plastic tops on dish-washing soap, artificial flowers, zipper pulls and so much more! In the end, I used commercial and self-made fabrics for my “tiles”. Blue-violet fabrics formed the “grout”. A lime green hand-dyed fabric, a color really just this side of my yellow, became the background. The mix of colors created my yellow from ten feet away and I created my abstract rock wall.

Wendy & the Nitty Gritty Details of Yellow Fever

• I made two kinds of fabrics. I collaged thread, artificial flowers and other fabric like “yellow stuff” with Sulky® Solvy and stitched through it to make new fabrics. For the other fabric, I scanned images of my yellow stuff. Then I printed the images on pretreated fabric.

• I used the “yellow stuff” because I didn’t like the look of it plastered onto the border. So I printed images instead!

• I made the tiles with freezer paper templates. I cut the shapes from an acid free product called Sulky® Fuse & Stitch. To reduce fraying, I fused the tiles onto the wrong side of the fabric on a 45-degree (bias) angle. I used a zigzag setting to appliqué the tiles to the quilted background.

• I quilted the background first before appliquéing and adding the other stuff.

• I think of zippers as a kind of fabric, so you’ll find zippers in this quilt.  I bent the half zippers along the curves and top-stitched them in place.

• I like to start my designs with a fairly clear idea. I figure out the steps I need to take to get from start to finish, but I always entertain new ideas and tangential paths along the way. For this quilt, a life-size drawing got me started with step one.

Green, Color #5 on a 24-step color wheel

New Growth by Sheila Finzer, Terrebonne, Oregon

Sheila Finzer and New Growth

New Growth is the quilt I made in response to the Color Cascade Challenge.  I drew color #5: green.  I love all colors, but #5 green was a true “challenge” for me. During the period of time we were making these quilts, it was very difficult to find fabrics to fit into the #5 color group.  The fabrics all seemed to have too much yellow or too much blue.  Even dyeing fabrics to fit was difficult, but I managed to make the quilt with a little help from my stash.  I also used a small amount of the complement, color #17 magenta.

I had fun making the quilt three-dimensional to give it the feeling of leaves or living plants. Hence, the name New Growth.  I used some of Superior Threads Texture Magic in a few of the dark areas behind the leaves.  The challenge was a great experience for me. I would suggest it to other groups.  The first time we saw all of the quilts hung together was very exciting!

Colors #7 and  #8:  Aqua Green and Aqua Blue

Asian Lanterns by Sarah Kaufman, Bend Oregon

Sarah Kaufman and Asian Lanterns

It was with JOY I drew from a bowl the aqua blue card.  Later aqua green was incorporated into my Sojourner challenge too. Why joy? I am a blue-eyed Norwegian! I require not only BLUE sky, but close-by
bodies of water. Early years growing up in Astoria, Oregon and Juneau, Alaska (and later- Portland and Seattle!) resulted in my present state – a passionate need for sunshine.  Our home in Bend, Oregon fills the bill! Grey skies and overcast streams, lakes and ocean are now part of my past life. Blue green and aqua green are without question the WARM shades of water, highlighted by sunlight.

So with joy I proceeded with my challenge – 18” x 40” (adhering to defined dimensions turned out to be the hard part)!  I chose my favorite piecing method – Folded Log Cabin. I created Asian-style blocks resembling lanterns.  Charcoal grey centers were my primary contrasting hue. Low-contrast quilts have always been my favorites!   No big surprise, my stash is heavily endowed with warm, blue -green fabrics.  And yes, these are the very same shades that I WEAR!

The following year I published my first quilt book – Folded Log Cabin Quilts, C&T Publishing.

Blue-Violet and Violet (Colors #12 and #13 on a 24-step Color Wheel

Celestial Navigation by Kathy Shaker from Bend, Oregon

Kathy Shaker,  Bend, Oregon

Kathy Shaker and Celestial Navigation

When we selected colors for this project, I picked blue-violet.  Since we didn’t have quite enough people to make a quilt for each of the 24 colors, I volunteered to take violet, thinking I could make a single quilt combining both colors.  Once I got to really know these colors, though, it was obvious I needed to make a quilt for each color.

It is a good thing I have a large stash going back almost 20 years, because neither of my colors was “in” when I made these quilts.  I made the violet quilt first because I had more of those fabrics in my stash.  I knew several of the other quilts in the Color Cascade challenge were made using free-form piecing and curves, so I thought it would be fun to toss some precise points into the mix.  The stars are foundation-pieced, while the background is pieced more randomly.

It was a challenge finding enough blue-violet fabrics to make my second quilt.  Our quilts were supposed to read primarily as the pure color from a distance, but I couldn’t find enough variety in that value to make a design work.  Since I enjoy surface design, I painted and stenciled one background fabric and surface-stitched another to add some variety to the mix.  I tweaked a pattern from Quilted Symphony by Gloria Loughman to bring in flowing curves to contrast with the precise points in my other quilt.

I love the 3-in-1 Color Tool. It was fun watching people shop for fabrics, comparing bolts to their particular color card.

The Color Cascade Challenge in full flowing color. Created by the 20 members of the Sewjourners in Oregon—-More quilts in a future post

Aren’t these amazingly creative quilts? Tell us what you think by adding a comment.

If you took this color challenge, which color would you choose to explore? Which color would you hope not to pick? Which color is the one you usualy work with? What kind of challenge would you make for yourself—and perhaps your friends.

Happy coloring!

Joen

Text and nature photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom               Quilts shown on this blog remain in the copyright of each artist.

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.

Having been away for much of the last few weeks, behind in everything, and with an exhausted mind and body, I decided my brain is not worthy of thinking clear thoughts this week. This is a perfect time to share a few photos that I took at the Houston IQA show. I wasn’t able to take pictures of all of the quilts that I thought were so impressive, but I did take sevral handfuls. Today I have selected eight to show you. They are not in any particular order. I visited the show during Quilt Market. At that time, no awards had been awarded, so I have not information on any of these quilts being award-winners. However, as far as I am concerned, these are all award-winning quilts as they are a visual feast for our eyes.

First a few photo comments:  These pictures are very informal and taken with my little point ‘n shoot Nikon camera. You will see signs, pipes, barrier ribbons, and other items in some pictures. I apologize, as there was no choice in the matter. If I wanted the picture of the quilt, sometimes extras went along with it. Also, some quilts were impossible to view straight on, so they are skewed a bit. My apologies. No doubt, the actual quilts will be more beautiful in real life than what you see here in my snapshots, but I think you’d like seeing these quilts regardless of the quality of photo. The colors shown may not be true to the quilt, but I think the quilts still look great. Enjoy!

Again, in no particular order, here are eight exquisite quilts:

Oriental Triptych

This triptych  by Karon Huggler of  Columbia, Missouri is stunning. The color use is dramatic. The curves set an elegant, sophisticated mood. Karon used both hand and machine piecing, applique, and quilting. She included three-dimensional feathering on the cranes. Karon’s original design was inspired by Louisa Smith’s work. At the time of the exhibition, this piece was available for purchase.

Peaceful Sunset at Nara

As the sun sets above Nara, the ancient capital city of Japan, the birds are silhouetted in the vibrant sky. as they return home to their night nesting spots. This beautiful scene is an original design created by Michiyo  Yamamoto from Chicago, Illinois. The analogous coloring is a strong element in this quilt’s beauty. Peaceful Sunset at Nara is hand pieced, embroidered, and hand quilted using silks dyed by Michiyo.

The Lily Bloomed

The Lily Bloomed by Takido Fusako of Japan is one of those works of art that is stunning in its understated beauty. The subtle play with value, the delicate coloring, the use of subtle tones all come together to make this breathtaking in its quietness. This is a quilt that proves that you do not need to fill your design with bold colors to make a dramatic visual statement.  Delicate toned hues provide this quilt’s elegance. This quilt was hand pieced, hand appliqued, and hand embroidered. It also includes trapunto.

Looking West

Daphne Grieg’s striking quilt  Looking West was inspired by a view from Vancouver Island looking west into the sunlit evening. This quilt is created using machine piecing, fused applique, painting, bobbin quilting, thread painting, and decorative stitching.  Daphne used Gloria Loughman’s technique for her scene. This quilt uses tones and a wide value range to create its visual impact. Daphne lives in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada.

Peony

Using a photo of a peony from her garden, Barbara Persing created an original peony design using ink on cotton fabric.  Additionally, Barbara is a masterful machine quilter, quilted this artwork with cotton thread.  This is an amazing work of art. This artwork is stunning in its fragility. The textural effect is unbelievable.  Barbara lives in Frederick, Pennsylvania.

High Rise

Thelma McGough’s High Rise was inspired by the beautiful contemporary lines in a block of high-rise buildings. Wilma took a photo image of a high-rise’s balconies. She then rotated, repeated, and recolored this imagery. This digitally-altered design was painted on satin and then quilted with invisible polyester thread. This scintillating artwork reverberates with energy, visually echoing line and color with beautiful repetition.  The wide value range of colors emphasizes the design beautifully. Thelma lives in St. Mary’s Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

Cypress Sentinels

The visual impact of Cypress Sentinels is powerful. This image takes your breath away.  Notice brilliant coloring is not present in this design. Instead, its strong visual impact is created through the elements of line, direction, and texture. Although most of the colors revolve around the middle-value range, the light and dark values really help punctuate this design’s strength. This design was created by Mary Ann Hildebrand from Comfort, Texas. She took photos of several cypress trees and made her own original design.

Galactic Daiquiri

Cherie   Gooler’s  Galactic Daiquiri is bright, energetic and filled with dynamic color. The warmth of the colors adds to its liveliness. The use of value creates beautiful visual impact. This design was inspired by circles and the traditional design Drunkard’s Path. Cherie is from Santa Rosa, California.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these beautiful quilts. Look at each one closely analyze the color choices and notice how the artist used her selected colors. There should be at least one quilt that you will really be drawn to and perhaps one that is not your cup of tea. Try to figure out why each of these is so. Jot down anything of significance you learn about yourself from looking at this quilts.  See you next week.

Happy coloring!

Joen

Text and photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom

The copyright of the quilts shown in this post remains with those artists who created these works of art.

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.

This week the colors of the leaves are getting so beautiful, so I decided we needed to take a breather and celebrate fall with quilts. Some of these quilts are my all-time favorites in autumnal colorings or in theme. They are a wide variation in technique. Some of these quilts were made in the 80s and 90s while others are more recent. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Autumn Praise by Carol Webb

This is one of my all-time fall favorites!  When Carol made this quilt, she lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, she now lives in the Bend, Oregon area. She is a most talented quilter, as you can see. I love the way Carol used value in this quilt, allowing some leaves to evaporate into the leaf background while others catch our attention. If you look carefully at this quilt, Carol has used fillers between each leaf block. These fillers allow her extra space to play in the background. It also gives the design breathing room.  Because of the fillers and her value play, this quilt has a very organic feel to it. It’s still one of my favorites after all of these years!

Pieceful Garden by Mary Sorensen and Jan Wildman

These elegant applique motifs were designed by Mary while Jan designed the pieced blocks.  The flowers and leaves are very rich and remind me of the colors that are beginning to turn at this time of year. I love the  gracefulness of the flowers and leaves. If you’re interested, Mary has made a commercial pattern for this quilt. Her website  is http://www.maryappliques.com/.  By the way, Mary has other beautiful applique designs available in pattern too.  You may be surprised to know that this quilt is all hand appliqued. That’s Mary’s forte.

(Here’s an additional miscellaneous non-color note for some of you who are hand appliquers or who would like to learn hand applique:  Mary is one of the best hand applique teachers around. Since she’s not “on the road” a lot, when you see her name listed, I’d jump on it if  if it works with your schedule. Since I never seem to have time to take a class, if I ever decide to get back to hand applique again, the first thing I would do is purchase Mary’s new applique video, as I have heard it’s superb. )

Coriolis  by Judy Dales

Judy Dales is one of my all-time favorite quilt artists. It’s probably because we both love curved designs—and we love to play with color and value. However, our styles are quite different. Judy’s designs are absolutely amazing and filled with intricacy. Mine are so simple in comparison.  I have always loved Coriolis. It is so rich in color and texture. Notice how Judy has moved the values throughout this quilt. If you would like to see more of Judy’s stunning quilts, visit her website at http://www.judydales.com/index.php.

Autumn Perspective by Caryl Bryer Fallert

Autumn Perspective (1984) is one of my all-time favorite fall quilts too. Caryl’s “attic window” variation goes beyond what most people even think to do with this design. Notice how the light hits differently within each row of panes, as well as in each individual frame. Caryl chose to engage our imagination by not making her background realistic. She wanted to present us with the suggestion of the beautiful autumnal glory in the woodlands beyond the window through curved lines and color.  Caryl, one of the most talented quilting artists I know—and a friend, creates quilts in many different styles. Her images are usually filled with color and motion. If you would like to feast your eyes on some very beautiful quilts, go to her website at http://www.bryerpatch.com/. Caryl also has patterns, sells fabric, and other items. In addition, many of her works of art are available for purchase. She also teaches workshops—and has a great studio in Paducah.

September Mountain by Carol Ann Wadley

I love this wall quilt of Carol Ann’s. She used the traditional pattern Maple Leaf to create her landscape quilt. What’s so clever about this quilt is the entire design is made with squares and half-square triangles. This quilt was created in 1986 when Carol lived in the Portland, Oregon area. It  celebrates the beauty of fall with Mount Hood as its backdrop—Portland’s favorite mountain. Carol was one of the Pacific Northwest’s most talented quiltmakers in the 1980s—–before she moved back to her home stomping grounds in Temple, Texas. We SO miss her here!

Autumn Log Cabin

I love autumn and I had accumulated several leaf sun-prints from a South African fabric artist. Also, I love good old-fashioned, traditional barn-raising log cabin quilts. So it was easy to put these two elements together to make one quilt. This quilt is unusual for me in that I only used a handful of different fabrics instead of my usual dozens and dozens. I do love this quilt, but unfortunately it does not fit the color palette of our home, let alone our bedroom. I’d love to  give it to one of my children, but I don’t think there are any takers as yet. Maybe some day.

Forest at First Light

Chris Porter asked me to do a quilt for her tile book, Viva Venezia. The design was based on a selected Venetian floor tile and I was rather excited to do it. I loved the basic design motif. However, once I began, I found I couldn’t follow the directions—not through any fault of Chris’s. My creative spirit couldn’t abide by the basic repetition, although I loved the design—-I just couldn’t make myself do it. I needed to vary it more. I asked Chris if I could make my own variation on the design and poor Chris, what was she  to say?  Here was her truly errant friend who couldn’t follow directions. So, she said yes—thank goodness.  I pulled out all kinds of fabrics that seemed to want to be invited into the quilt. I had a great time playing. What I am most happy about is that Chris gave me a starting point that was different from what I would usually take. It forced me to work in a different mindset. And, I so enjoyed working on this quilt. (By  the way, this quilt was beautifully quilted by Karen Dovala from Superior, Colorado. She also quilted the log cabin quilt.)

Well, these quilts should get you in the mood to think fall. I still have a few more to show you, but it will have to be another time.  It’s truly a beautiful time of year. There are so many ways you can celebrate fall through your quilts. You can do them in theme, coloring, or both. Perhaps one or two of these quilts will give you an idea for your own fall inspiration. Have fun dreaming about a fall project.

Happy coloring until next week!

Joen

Text and photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom

The copyright of all quilt images shown remain with the individual quilt artists.

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.

The Grape Escape by Alex Anderson

When Alex showed us this quilt and asked if we would be interested in patterning it, we immediately said, YES! It’s not only beautiful, but after taking a close look at it,  we realized even those of us who are not skillful appliquers could actually make this quilt because the pieces are fused (or glued for those of you who prefer that route) and then everything is machine appliqued. Alex used a small buttonhole stitch to finish off her edges. Now those who prefer hand applique can prepare by adding seam allowances to their pieces.

Here’s a close-up view of the grape wreath:

We are happy to tell you that both the grape wreath and the border grape vine are placed in our pattern at full size, so all you have to do is trace the pieces. There’s no enlarging or trying to tape multiple pieces of paper together.  Below you can see one section of the border vine design. The pattern is very straight forward and filled with lots of information and hints.  The quilt is 50″ x 50″.

Shop Owners: We think The Grape Escape will make an excellent class.  Look forward to an online lesson plan for this quilt very soon. If you want the lesson plan before it is placed online, contact Joen at jwolfrom@jwdpublishing.com.  This quilt is not yet listed in our main pattern page.

Please note: We are heading for Quilt Market in midweek. Our office will be closed until we return. You may order via email, telephone message, or fax. Our expected beginning shipping day is Monday, November 7.

Quilters: For those of you who do not live near a quilt/fabric  store, The Grape Escape is not yet available online. It’s estimated online date is November 12.

We’ve spent the last few months concentrating on  24 of the most popular pure colors—–all of them very beautiful.  As you have probably noticed, these colors are very much like people: they have their own unique personalities. Many of them are emotive; several cause physical reactions in our bodies when in close quarters or surrounded by them. It’s now time to think about the roles they can play in our designs. To be sure, these brilliant, clear, intense colors are the ones most responsible for creating the WOW factor in a design.

In this post,  I would like to present some ideas about the use of pure colors in our designs. In the next week or  two, we’ll expand the discussion twofold: First, we’ll see how  pure colors can play an important role as an accent rather than a focus. Then we’ll move the discussion to interior design—using pure colors in our  homes and businesses—–and perhaps our clothing.

A Quick Review of  Pure Colors

In the world of painting, dyes, pigments, etc., the pure colors include the primary colors of yellow, turquoise blue/cyan, and magenta—– and all colors created by mixing these primary colors with each other. Literally hundreds of pure colors can be created through the mixing of yellow and turquoise blue/cyan, yellow and magenta, and magenta and turquoise blue/cyan. However, the 24 pure colors shown in the color wheel (below) are the most familiar to us. The hundreds of others not shown are the multitude of subtle variations of these 24 pure colors.

Pure colors are the most intense of all colors because they haven’t been diluted in any way. They are pure. It’s understandable, then, that they receive the most immediate attention of any colors in a design. Being the brightest and strongest of all of colors, they are the hey, look at me colors.  If you want to create a dramatic work of art or a design that catches the eye, pure hues will be the colors that you will call on to do your attention-getting work. Again, pure colors almost always provide the WOW in color.

The ease of finding pure colors can depend on your medium. A painter can either mix primaries to create pure hues or he/she can purchase tubes of pure colors. Realistically, it’s difficult to find many pure-colors in fabric. Golden-yellow, yellow-green, chartreuse, orange, red, and yellow-orange are fairly common. The rest of the colors may require a bit of a hunt or pure luck. Fiber artists will have the same constraints as those working in fabric.

The Key to Pure-Color Success

If you love pure colors, high-color drama, and the visual excitement they bring, find interesting ways to incorporate them in your design.To begin, select the pure colors that seem most in keeping with the style or mood you want to convey.in your design. Then select the non-pure colors. Your non-pure color choices can include colors that are lighter than pure, darker than pure, and/or toned (grayed).

Use pure colors judiciously.  The visual success in making a stunning work of art featuring pure colors is very much related to the art of practicing the old adage—a little bit goes a long way. Do not over-saturate your design with pure colors, as it is too much for people to handle physically. A succesful pure-color design is really a  delicate artistic endeavor. Frugality is the key to its success.  Hence, the space devoted to pure colors will be far less than the space given to non-pure colors.

Notice the ratio of pure color to non-pure colors in this sunset image below. It is very small.Look at how much of this scene is taken up with non-pure colors. Yet, our eyes are riveted to the reflection—-the pure colors. Without a doubt, they dominants the image.  If the ratio had been reversed, this image would be difficult to look at—it would overwhelm us.

Here’s another example of nature’s use of pure colors:

At first glance, this beautiful dahlia looks like it’s completely in pure-color mode. However, when we look at it closely, we see some variations on the theme. First, we see brilliant pure reds and yellows. Then our eyes notice a subtle darkening of parts of the red petals. Also, we see lightening of some of the petals—sometimes almost to white. The color movement in the red-violet center area moves from a whitened blush to bits of pure red-violet with a value range between the two. The contrast of value and intensity do not weaken the brilliance of this flower; Instead, it strengthens this flower’s beauty. It makes it more glorious than it would have been if every petal would have been intensely pure red.

Designs featuring pure colors

A good example of a small quilt with lots of visual impact is Sunshine Maze by Christine Porter. This wall quilt includes some strong, vibrant colors, but as you can see, very few are pure. The pure golden-yellow and yellow-green hues are the most dynamic and set the stage for a high-impact design.  Chris included some colors that were a bit lighter than pure (e.g. aqua blue, blue-violet), some a bit darker than pure (e.g. blue, red-violet, red), and some a bit grayer than pure (e.g. yellow-orange, aqua green). These subtle variations enhance the design. If all of the colors would have been pure, this quilt would have been too bright for our eyes to handle.  Chris has created a nice mixture of pure with non-pure to create a happy, spirited wall quilt. This quilt is also an excellent example of using black as a neutral with strong, vibrant colors. Black makes pure colors zing.

By the way, we at JWD Publishing liked this colorful quilt so much that we decided to publish it as a pattern. If this quilt interests you, see its pattern page; it can be purchased online.

Sunshine Maze by Christine Porter

Like Sunshine Maze,  Pizzazz is another example of the old adage a little bit (of pure color) goes a long way. When you take a quick look at this quilt, there is visual drama with high-impact pure colors. However, if you really analyze this quilt’s color use, there are only a few fabrics that are truly pure. They are the ones that pop out at you in full strength. Most of the colors are lighter, darker, and/or grayer than the pure colors. Even so, this is considered a pure-color quilt because the pure colors play a dominant role in this quilt.  (Again, if you are a quilter and you like this quilt, it has been made into a commercial pattern. It can be purchased  at your local quilt shop or online.)

Pizzazz by Joen Wolfrom

Northern Lights is considered a high-impact quilt due to the strong colors incorporated in the design. Although there is visual drama, the non-pure color fabrics far outweigh the pure-color fabrics. Because the pure colors are such attention-getters, this appears to be a pure-color scale quilt—–one where the visual dominance goes to the pure colors.  Again, notice the ratio of pure colors to non-pure colors is very small. The non-pure colors far outweigh the pures, but visually, the pures win the visual contest. (JWD Publishing as made a pattern for Northern Lights.)

Northern Lights by Joen Wolfrom

If you love pure colors, think about a design you would like to create that uses these spirited hues. Be frugal with your pure colors, as far as percentage of space given to them. It doesn’t take much to create visual impact. The beauty of pure-color use is not in seeing how wild we can be with our pure colors. Instead it’s in the way we create visual impact without overwhelming the viewers’ eyes. It’s truly a balancing act.  Have fun dreaming up a wonderful design that features your favorite pure colors.

Next week we will continue our pure-color discussion, as noted at the beginning of this post. Let me know if you have any questions. Naturally, I’d love to have comments too. Enjoy. While you are roaming around this week, see how many examples of pure colors you find in nature and in your wanderings throughout homes, buildings, and your other surroundings.

Happy coloring!

Joen

Text and photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.

Welcome Home by Alex Anderson

This charming quilt can decorate your entry hall, your family room, or some wall that needs a quilt to bring it warmth and cheerfulness this fall season. If you have a twin bed that is need of a fall quilt, perhaps this is the quilt for you. It is entirely pieced. Here you can see  the wall quilt. It is made from three different blocks: a leaf block, a house block, and a star block. Two detail views of this quilt can be seen below.

The bottom right corner of this quilt is shown in this detail. There are so many wonderful fall fabrics that can be used in this quilt.

The house block has been cleverly designed to make life easy for you when piecing. As you can see in this detailed view, it is made from very simple geometric shapes.

If you are a shop owner, you may purchase this pattern from your distributor or from us. This quilt makes a good class project. For more details, see Welcome Home. If not for this fall, then put this quilt on next year’s fall class schedule, as this is a classic traditional fall quilt that quilters love. Also, you can borrow  the Welcome Home quilt for up to a month to advertise a class, to be part of an event, or just to decorate your walls. Contact Dane for trunk-show details and reserving a date for this quilt in your shop.

If you are a quilter who would like to purchase this pattern, please purchase from your local quilt shop. If you do not have a store near you, you can purchase this pattern online. For further details about this pattern, go to Welcome Home.