Sunday 21 June 2015

Colour

I like colour.

A lot.

If it's random colour I love it.

I'd had this pattern by Chris Jurd for a while and was keen to finally make it. Chris makes some absolutely stunning paper pieced quilts and I don't think it will be my last quilt of hers.



Now I know my style isn't to everyone because I think I muddy the waters when it comes to playing with values. So many times I see a quilt pattern that says (and this one didn't btw) 'take a dark, medium, light' or 'avoid big prints' 'for the best effect.

I disagree.

If you do that, you reveal the quilt pattern immediately and I find it's quite harsh on the eye.
If you soften the boundaries between colour values and sometimes merge those boundaries, you get a pattern that the eye searches to find and it slowly emerges.

And the whole time I am doing this, although it looks random, I am keeping an eye open for how the colours play within the values - and sometimes I get it wrong.

In the central flying geese block below, I had the idea to edge the block in a thin strip of lime green. I did it but it looked all wrong, stopped the flow of the quilt, so unpicked it and put a strip in of the same background fabric.


And I'm also actually thinking about the fabrics themselves.
My default is mad, large prints but a quilt with all those types of fabrics would look out of control.
So I've tried to use the big prints but mixed them in with tonal, quieter prints, just to give the eye somewhere to rest.

I also try to repeat some of the fabrics so there is some semblance of continuity within the pattern.

I just want to try and create quilts that have energy, are exciting to look, that hold interest and above all, have a feeling of fun and warmth.

All fabric is good fabric, including this kiwi.



And I still think the use of brown is key to the warmth I think appears in the quilts I make.
I wish more quilters embraced their inner brown.



Not sure how I'm going to quilt this one yet but it will get done as this is my new favourite 'for me' quilt.




30 comments:

  1. You’re the master of working with all sorts of fabrics and colours. You mioght think you don’t use value, but you will see when you change your photo into black and white that you also have light, medium and dark in your quilts. The fact that it’s going so naturally, without you even noticing, makes you a PRO!

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  2. What a great quilt! Love all the colour and movement. Thanks for your explanation of how you work, so interesting.

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  3. I love it, it is so you. I especially love all the triangles in this quilt. My eye is different than your as it finds almost no where to rest in your quilt but that's ok. Also, generally the quilt is on the bed/sofa, not the wall and so experiencing all the colour is a different thing entirely anyway.

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  4. Fantastic!I love your quilt. And I love your color combinations. Your style has a something in common with some of the Australian quilters

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  5. Glorious and beautiful. I agree with you about using brown to warm the overall tone of a quilt.

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  6. I totally love your "muddying." It's GORGEOUS. The Loulouthi print looks perfect within the circle!

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  7. Ah I will try my browns more. I also love them (probably because kiwis are brown?) but don't use them much. I love your beautiful quilt and to me it has great movement:))

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  8. Beautiful work and I like your colour theory too. Tho not sure about brown - it's my least favourite colour way.

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  9. Absolutely beautiful. every print is magic.

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  10. It's really really gorgeous! Not sure about my inner brown, though - is that a euphemism? ;-)

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  11. That looks like it was heaps of fun!

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  12. Gosh it looks amazing Alison, a controlled riot! I do love that some little NZ birds have nested in that gorgeous quilt :-)

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  13. The brighter the better.I agree about value of colours and never to fail to appreciate your eye for combining fabrics in a quilt. Stunning a s always. Cheers Monique

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  14. This quilt screams "you" and is gorgeous. The nearest I have come to putting lots of different colours together is currently on My Small World QAL. But I am still keeping an eye on things, enjoying the process though, and I definitely don't mind a bit of brown. (or batiks)

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  15. I love the freedom this quilt sings with your color choices. Well done.

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  16. This is amazing- I'm a quiet whispery blender type person but I really admire those people who comfortably make big shouty quilts!

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  17. Fabulouso!! The more color the better, I say.

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  18. I appreciate you explaining your color/value choices. It's truly stunning!

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  19. Stunning work! I think that's part of the reason your quilting appeals to me so much--the play with value and the blending. Really great effort with this one!

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  20. This is a Wonderful quilt! Now this pattern is in my wish list... I like your thoughts on making the pattern less obvious by using value less harshly.

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  21. Stunning... a very appealing colourful quilt! And I feel you have introduced your personal style beautifully!

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  22. I think you have succeeded in your aims here! The quilting could take it stratospheric....

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  23. Well this is my new favorite quilt too, but I could never make it. I have issues with doing anything random, my mind doesn't grasp it, but I'm working on it,lol.
    Great quilt.

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  24. My kind of quilt. I love, love ,love it!

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  25. I love your use of colour! (It sounds so much more sophisticated than color.) It is really unique. I like how you stay true to what you love even with all of the more "conservative" quilts out there. I need to get on Instagram so I can see what you are up to (in a non-stalking way) between posts. :) I would have loved to see this come together.

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  26. I understand what you are saying about brown, but I seem to have too many memories of brown + avocado + burnt orange from the 70s to overcome. Just love this version of the quilt. It is my Chris Jurd project for 2016. Love the vibrancy of the colours, just inspiring. Thanks for sharing it.

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  27. I might have seen this 6 months ago, who knows. But that's the good part - I get to love it all over again! I may break down and buy that pattern....

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