Who Else Wants to Unlock the Mysteries of Color in Fabric and Create a Radiant, Easy-to-Make Traditional Patchwork Quilt?This resource will show you exactly how to choose colors with confidence for this quilt and every other quilt in your future.
From: Penny Halgren
Date:
Dear Friend, Amish quilts hold a fascination for many people, not just quilters. Many years ago, I decided to make an Amish- style quilt. I bought a bunch of books and scoured through them looking for an interesting pattern. Since I am an ocean kind of gal, I decided to make an Ocean Waves quilt. Next was color selection. That was a problem. Because my junior high school art teacher told me that I was not creative at all - and I believed him - I got stuck on choosing colors for the quilt, since I thought it took some creativity to pick colors. So, I found a picture of a quilt I liked and decided I would copy the colors. With my book in hand, I trekked to the fabric shop and bought some special Pima cotton in beautiful solid colors to make this quilt. These were the days before rotary cutters and quilting shortcuts. So, I spent hours cutting little triangles and hanging them up on a flannel wall. One day, as I was merrily cutting hundreds of triangles, Cruiser, the beagle, brushed up against the flannel, creating a pile of triangles on the floor. I spent hours pinning each triangle piece back in its place. What a pain! There were a few other challenges with that quilt. Even though I copied the colors from the quilt in the book, I'm not sure that I got the same effect using those colors.
I ran out of fabric of some colors, so I had to make the inside border using narrow pieces of different color fabric. And the outside border with the big blue strips in the center was created because I didn't have enough black. (Have you ever tried to match black fabric? It's amazing how different each bolt of black fabric is.) If you look closely, you will discover a mistake sewing one of the triangle sections together. It is in one of the red and blue sections, and makes that section look more like a star than ocean waves. I didn't discover it until after the quilt was finished. Maybe there is something to the notion of making a mistake in every quilt. And, the quilting was another matter. I found some great looking quilting patterns in a book, but after I got them quilted, I decided the quilted boats looked like blobs instead of boats. Maybe it was the black thread? Who knows. In any case, engineer son Bubba loved the quilt, and because I rotate the quilts on my walls frequently, it has hung on our wall many times.
Still, the colors and designs of Amish quilts fascinate me. Most Amish quilts have a simple design, and are easy to piece. Because of their frugality, the Amish women use small pieces of fabric left over from making clothes. In addition, they use the good pieces cut from clothes that are otherwise worn out. And most of the pieces are squares or triangles. Easy piecing. It is the placement of colors, with contrasting light and dark that creates the unique design that makes you look at a quilt and immediately recognize it as an Amish quilt. But choosing the perfect colors to create that Amish look is a challenge that I have been reluctant to take on again.
A Little Help from Some Experts Joen Wolfrom visited with us and talked about choosing colors for quilts. Joen has spent years studying color in fabric and how to select the right color fabric to create the effect you want in your quilt. With that knowledge and those resources, I became a little more confident about choosing colors in my quilts in general. But, much as I wanted to, I still wasn't ready to take on another Amish quilt. Until I discovered a fabulous resource from C&T - Radiant Sunshine & Shadow.
This resource holds some great possibilities for beautiful and easy quilts. Combining the wisdom Joen imparted in our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation plus some of her color resources with this new resource, I tackled a new Amish-style quilt. In Radiant Sunshine & Shadow, you will see 23 different quilt possibilities using just one simple block. This block is a really simple 9 patch that you can make using strip piecing and other quick sewing techniques explained inside. You don't have to cut a billion little squares and sew them together, if you don't want to. One of the things I love about this pattern is that it looks really complicated. Your family and friends will think you are a true quilting wizard when they see your completed quilt. Yet, it is really easy to make this quilt. Really, nothing complicated. You could make this quilt in your sleep. Without coffee. Plus, you'll get 13 complete projects - including detailed materials lists, cutting charts and sewing charts. And tons of photos of quilts for inspiration. And, the sizes include lap quilts and bed size quilts - from crib to king size. You get it all. Using this new resource, you'll learn to create shimmering effects with subtle blends of light and dark fabrics. And, it even shows how to accent your beautiful creations with applique and fabulous borders. This book is co-authored by Helen Frost and Catherine Skow. Helen Frost began teaching quiltmaking in 1974 and has taught at guilds and conferences across the country and in Europe. She is best known for her innovative strip-piecing methods. She is a hand quilter, and next on her list to quilt is a top that has been basted since 1981! (Who else is familiar with that?) Catherine Skow spends most of her time quilting, but also enjoys entertaining, gardening, baking, and riding on the back of her husband's Harley Davidson. Using the expertise of these two quilters and Joen Wolfrom, I was ready to go. Are you coming along? This resource will be a great addition to your quilting library, whether you make an Amish-style quilt or a quilt with printed fabrics that would be considered more like a Trip Around the World quilt. You will see exactly how to:
Happy Quilting!
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