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Gallery |
Color Wheel
Creating this fabric color wheel was like going on a scavenger hunt. I shopped and shopped to find the perfect fabrics: a blue-green that was equal parts blue and green, a just-right version of red-violet, a complement tint (the innermost circle) of green. It hangs, framed in black metal, in my studio and travels with me to workshops and lectures. See Books & Patterns. 23" x 23"
Transparent Circles
Overlay transparency, the illusion that a lighter or darker shape of see-through color floats over a layer of color below, creates an ethereal effect in this simple quilt. I used two kinds of fabrics: Kaffe Fassett shot cottons in light and medium-dark values, with 11 different Marcia Derse patterned and mottled-color fabrics for variety. Click image for larger view. 44” x 44”
Black Opals & Ribbon Candy
Think “opalescence,” and most of us visualize the soft, milky colors of white opals. But when I discovered Australian black opals, with their flashes of brilliant color among much darker colors, I wanted to capture their natural beauty with fabric. This design is based on the Churn Dash block. By shifting the units in the nine-patch construction over and up by one unit, the secondary pattern (where four traditional Churn Dash blocks would meet) becomes primary, and the primary pattern takes on a supporting role. Machine quilted by Cathy Stone. Click image for larger view. See Books & Patterns. 53 ¾" x 53 ¾"
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And as you can see here, fabrics in different colors and values create very different designs. Can you find the Churn Dash block in these images? (The center square of one Churn Dash block is at the center of each image.)
Squares and Stripes
In designing this modular quilt, I gave equal consideration to the concepts of value, temperature, and intensity. Wider logs of lighter-value color surround narrower, darker ones. Warm and cool colors mingle, as well as bright and dull ones. Intense center squares, a staple of traditional Log Cabin quilts, add a dash of red-hot color. Using a striped fabric for the border and centering the stripes suggests that the design flows vertically and horizontally, beneath the blocks. Machine quilted by Sharon Cook. Click image for larger view. 38" x 38"
Elegant Circles
Three very different fabrics make magic in this little shadowed circle quilt, inspired by the work of Reynola Pakusich and begun in a Judy Mathieson workshop. Light appears to bounce off the borders; triangles of the same fabrics, in other colors, glow behind the intense patterned circles. Elin Noble fabrics in the remaining triangles and the quilt corners imply horizontal movement. Machine quilted by Carol Walsh. Click image for larger view. See Books & Patterns. 32" x 32"
Luminaria
When it comes to the special effect of luminosity, color choices are everything: warm, intense colors surrounded by cooler, duller colors just seem to glow. Certain fabrics with dappled color—in particular batiks—help to create a luminous look. In this modular quilt you’ll find lots of batiks, but I also used a few prints and stripes for variety and an element of surprise. Machine quilted by Carol Walsh. Click image for larger view. 61 1/2" x 61 1/2"
Galaxy
Transparency is easy to achieve using a Nine Patch pattern; the pieces just naturally read as “parents” and “child.” In this asymmetrical take on the traditional block, color, value, and pattern create not only the illusion of transparency, but also a visual flow within each block. This quilt is one of two patterns offered in my Transparency workshop. Fabric is everything when working with transparency, and you must make mock-blocks to achieve the most convincing illusions. Machine quilted by Cathy Stone. Click image for larger view. 37" x 37"
Parfait Dreams
In this redesign of the traditional Connecticut block, the nine main blocks advance because the large triangles are dark and intense, while the alternate blocks and setting pieces recede, thanks to their mostly lighter and less-intense fabrics. The lighter-value striped border recedes even more, putting the focus on the center portion of the quilt. Machine quilted by Carol Walsh (quiltthis@sbcglobal.net). Click image for larger view. 42" x 42"
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Earthscape
Value, temperature, and intensity are all at work in this small collage quilt. Light-value background fabrics by Elin Noble (www.elinnoble.com) suggest a sulfurous sky; dark-value foreground fabrics depict the volcanic landscape of Kilauea. Where the lava meets the ocean, light-value fabrics imply rising steam. The raw-edge pieces are adhered to the foundation with Misty Fuse. Machine quilted by Carol Walsh (quiltthis@sbcglobal.net). Click image for larger view. 28" x 36"
Lotus Leaves Squared
It’s all about value (lightness and darkness) in this design. Half of the blocks began with a red center square surrounded by a light, medium, and dark strip. For the other blocks, I reversed the order—a red center square surrounded by a dark, medium, and light strip. I then “whacked” each block horizontally and vertically to make quarter-units, which I assembled into the final blocks. I didn’t plan to border this quilt, but the Kaffe Fassett lotus-leaf print, which had languished on my shelf for some time, changed my mind. Machine quilted by Carol Walsh (quiltthis@sbcglobal.net). Click image for larger view. 59" x 59"
Puss in the Corner on the Courthouse Steps
Kaffe Fassett (www.gloriouscolor.com) and Michael James fabrics make up this design, which was inspired by Terry Atkinsonn’s “Tile Tango” pattern (http://www.atkinsondesigns.com/patterns/patternDetail.asp?productID=131). Ikat-wash fabrics in light green, peach, and lavender mix with darker prints and stripes in the Puss-in-the-Corner units; strips of darker, brighter ikat-wash fabrics “corral” the units and form the blocks. The striped border has an opalescent quality, a special effect that occurs when various colors in similar values are juxtaposed. Machine quilted by Teresa Leavitt. Click image for larger view. 68" x 68"
Tile Dance
This quilt is a replica of the glass tile backsplash I designed for my kitchen, down to the colors and dimensions of the pieces. Value plays a major role: medium-light 8’’ plain squares serve as the backdrop for darker 4” plain squares and multi-value 1” squares. Temperature is an important element, too: the mix of warm and cool colors “makes the quilt dance,” said a friend, hence the name. I used solids from Cherrywood and tossed in a few batiks and checks to give it sparkle. Machine quilted by Carol Walsh. Click image for larger view. 50 1/2'' x 66 1/2''
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Tropical Hole in the Barn Door Students often ask, “How do you choose fabrics for a quilt that repeats a single block?” I follow a color-and-value recipe to create variety and cohesion in repeat-block quilts. For a contemporary take on the traditional Hole in the Barn Door block, I followed this recipe: a red center square; batik surrounding squares; cool, dark inner triangles; light outer triangles; and warm strips that form the lattice. Machine quilted by Carol Walsh (quiltthis@sbcglobal.net). Click image for larger view. 52" x 56" |
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Siesta This little leftovers quilt illustrates how easy it is to turn a secondary pattern into a primary pattern. Each olive green polka-dot square would be the center of a traditional Churn Dash block, with the striped triangles in the outer corners of the block. By shifting the block units, four striped triangles congregate to make a primary pattern. The light-value Kaffe Fassett stripe, pale batik, and polka dot fabrics form the backdrop and become the secondary pattern. Machine quilted by Teresa Leavitt. Click image for larger view. 44" x 56" |
Double Four
Patch
This block is the first exercise
we do in my Color Camp workshop. To make the design work, you need just enough contrast for the pieces to separate visually, but not so much that one fabric "pops." Once again, I had a color-and-value recipe: the vertical small squares are warm and light, and the remaining small squares are warm and dark. The larger squares are cool and dark, while the surrounding triangles are cool and light. The fabrics are all from Cherrywood. Machine quilted by Beverly Bixler. 42" x 49"
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Garments |
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  Kimono Collage VestAn exquisite Gingko-leaf fabric was the catalyst for this collage-and-surface-stitched vest. The "postcards" were fussy cut from a Japanese fabric. Shots of red-violet and "salmon" accent the yellow-green and black color scheme. This vest is now available as a pattern, which I also used to make the vests "Striped Strips Redux," "Woven Strips," and "Sail Away," above. (See Books and Patterns.) Click image for larger view. |
  Happy JacketThe name I've given this colorful jacket is frivolous, but that's just how I felt when making it. And that's how I feel when I wear it--happy! Working on a sweatshirt is very forgiving, and the raw-edge, surface-stitched aspect softens any irregularities. (Translation: precision is not required.) Chenille circles and rick-rack trim (rainbow@mcn.org) make it special. This jacket is a class; see Happy Jacket Workshop. Click image for larger view. |
  Woven ColorRaw-edge strips weave in and out to make the “fabric” for this blended-color vest. I wove the strips over a foundation of Osnaburg (a loose-weave, natural-colored needlework fabric). Narrow stitching along the edges of the warp (lengthwise) and weft (crosswise) strips, followed by vertical channel stitching, secures the strips and prevents raveling. Flat chenille yarn, which resembles narrow ribbon, finishes the lengthwise raw edges. I used my Kimono Collage Vest pattern [link to the pattern on books and patterns page] and lined the vest. |
  Colorful CollageAfter making my Crossover Collage vest, I decided to collage just the right front and do something simpler (and faster) on the left front and back. For this subdued vest, I used Marcia Derse, Elin Noble, and Kaffe Fassett fabrics on the right front. The left front, back, and lining are all Marica Derse fabrics. As with other vests, I used Osnaburg (a loose-weave, natural-colored needlework fabric) between the face fabrics and the lining to give the vest body. I made this vest using my Kimono Collage Vest pattern, except that I bound the edges instead of lining the vest. |
  Felted CirclesA similar intensity unites hand-dyed fabrics in lots of different colors; a more intense yellow-green foundation sets off the muted hues. The soft circles were created by teasing apart lengths of novelty wool yarn into roving, then needle felting them with a machine attachment. I used my Kimono Collage Vest pattern, but left off the collar and bound the edges. |
  Blue StripesTwin-needle stitching along the stripe pattern creates tiny “peaks and valleys,” giving this asymmetrical vest actual texture. For the collar, strips of indigo Japanese cotton link sections of colorful hand-dyed and patterned fabrics. Paper-pieced blocks decorate the back of the vest and the sides, below the square-cut armholes. A cotton lamé stripe connects the blocks and makes a smooth visual transition to the body of the vest. I made my vest using Vogue 8000. |
 Concentric SquaresFraming a block composed of squares accentuates the modular design. Watery batiks for the “rounds” and a woven plaid for the center square have a dreamy effect. The pieces are stitched to a muslin foundation, but the block is not quilted. I matted and framed the block using nonglare glass and a brushed-metal frame. 16" x 16" |
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 Off-Beat Nine-Patch Designing and making these paper-pieced 6-inch blocks was so much fun that I went on to make “Squares and Stripes.” 25" x 26" |
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