When you begin making scrappy quilts using the power of their light and dark value differences, you will unlock a whole new side of your stash. Meaning, suddenly, its not about the fabric you love. Its more about the fabric that works. When you start thinking this way, you look at the fabrics on your shelves differently.
Color value is a good thing to understand when you are designing your quilts. It can help you create and define shapes in the layout, and is an important thing to be aware of when choosing fabrics and deciding color placement. I just posted a little mini lesson on value in my Instagram Stories and thought I’d post it here too!
On its surface, determining color value differences between two fabrics is not a difficult. One is light and one is dark, right? In my lectures and workshops, I focus more on the concept of relative lightness or darkness of fabrics. This can be a bit harder to understand, especially in the context of a full quilt layout.
Have you been to Sew Expo? It takes place so close to me and I have never been! But that’s all going to change this year!READ MORE
About a year and a half ago, I had a spec of an idea. To design a functional quilting and design tool that could be used to creatively utilize the many fabric scraps I had in my stash, accumulated over years of sewing patchwork. My thinking was, if I have this many scraps and fabric cuts that need to be used in quilts, there must be others out there with the same problem.READ MORE
As I was stuck on the computer last week, getting the new site ready, I decided to make a new quilt collage for the Tufted quilt project that is in the current issue of Simply Moderne Magazine (Issue #14). READ MORE
Back in February, right when I got back home from Quiltcon, I hosted Carol Veillon, editor of Simply Moderne Magazine at my studio. It was such a treat to have her to my studio. Truth be told, I usually am forced to do a deep clean of my space when visitors are due to arrive, the studio got a very nice, much needed tidy up two days prior to her visit (always a good thing!).
Every quilt I make right now is scrappy. I just love scrappy. It can work through a large fabric stash really effectively. Quilts made with simple color palettes with just a few colors, or all solids, for example, can completely transform when made using a scrappy sort of “recipe”.READ MORE
I’m excited to be launching new workshops this year that focus on making unique, modern scrap quilts. So many of us have scraps of fabrics, fat quarters here, charm packs there, remnants of favorite fabrics we’ve been holding on to, waiting for just the right project. (I know this isn’t JUST me!)READ MORE
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful response we’ve had to the Ruby Ruler™! We are close to selling out of our first run! I am beyond excited to see it being used as the design aid it is.READ MORE
If you are on Facebook and enjoy watching FB Live videos like I do, I wanted to let you know about two recent videos from folks who reviewed the new Ruby Ruler™. It may give you even more insight into how to use this nifty tool!
Alyssa Thomas of Penguin and Fish (above) recently did an entire FB Live to her Penguin and Fish FB subscribers just on using Value in your quilt designs, and demonstrates how the Ruby Ruler™ can help determine value. The best takeaway from it is now my new favorite line-