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March 22, 2022

The Ultimate Guide to Using Color Value in Quilt Design

 

For years I made quilts not really giving much conscious thought to color value. I was more focused on the color and the prints (my favorite part of quilting- choosing the fabrics and the colors). I had worked with color for years as an apparel designer and merchandiser. Color is my zone of comfort. And I felt like I must be incorporating some color value into all my color decisions, but I wasn’t entirely sure.

 

Maybe color value is something you don’t really want to think about. After all, you are already thinking about colors…AND the pattern…AND cutting…AND piecing the blocks…

 

Is color value really all that important in quilting? My answer- A BIG YES! Color value can transform a quilt design if used with intention. Understanding the color value work within my quilt designs has completely changed how I make quilts. And now I want to help all quilt makers understand how to use color value for their own work.

 

Let me introduce you to my world of color value!

 

Keep reading to get my best tips on using color value in your quilts!

 

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January 20, 2020

Ruby Ambassador Video Interview with Jenny Haynes of Papper Sax Sten

Ruby Ruler Ambassador Papper Sax Sten

 

Happy Monday to you all! Our heating is currently broken and its bit cold in the house. Fingers crossed the repairman coming in an hour can fix it quickly. (Send warm thoughts!)

In the meantime, I wanted to share a link to my video interview with Britain-Based quiltmaker Jenny Haynes of Papper Sax Sten. She is one of my Ruby Ruler™ Ambassadors and I love seeing how she is using the Ruby Ruler™ to check color values on her curvy-pieced quilt designs. She manages to create very interesting tunnel and tubular effects using curved piecing and color value.

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October 28, 2019

How I define “Quilt Sparkle” ✨

Tufted

I talk alot about the idea of “quilt sparkle” in my workshops and classes. An idea that is illustrated so well when playing with color value. Color, layout, and the “sparkle” are all things that I feel very intuitively in my work, and its taken me a long time to create a verbal or written explanation as to exactly what I mean, or how I achieve it.READ MORE

July 27, 2019

How to make a Snowball Quilt Block- new Youtube video

Snowball Block

 

I recently traveled to some very warm areas recently to visit family (North Carolina I’m looking at you!). That is likely the very reason why I started thinking about making a snowball block quilt. This is one of those blocks that’s super easy to make, and endlessly customizable. The corner block colors can be all the same, or all different. Its fun to see how the quilt changes. Its also a great project to keep set up by the sewing machine, at the ready for any time I have an extra half an hour (like while I’m waiting for computer problems to be resolved…).READ MORE

July 1, 2019

Ruby Ambassador Timna Tarr

 

Today I am excited to launch a brand new series that I have been working on for a couple of months. I have partnered up with a group of amazingly talented artisans, quilters, embroiderers, and sewists to launch the Ruby Ambassador series. I’m kicking off this series with one of my favorite quilting artists- Timna Tarr!

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June 10, 2019

Not all “light” colored fabrics are light values

 

I am currently making a basic thousand pyramid quilt design for our bed, and cutting lots of ” equilateral triangles. I plan to pull all of the lighter fabrics from my stash to build this design. A king sized bed takes up lots of visual room in any bedroom and I don’t want this to be an overwhelming presence. So nothing crazy. Plus, if I use all my light colored fabrics in my stash, I will have the perfect excuse to buy more, right?

 

When building a scrappy quilt design using the power of color value, as I plan to do, understanding that not all light colored fabrics are light in value can take your quilt to new levels. (This also applies to dark fabrics too.) Let me explain what I mean.

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May 3, 2019

2 Easy Tips for Choosing Fabric Prints for Scrappy, Value-based Quilts

Tufted Quilt

 

The challenge a scrappy quilt poses fascinates me constantly. They are bit like a puzzle, with all the pieces fitting together to create a scrappy story that is most successful when it creates a visual story. Creating a good visual story with scraps is a great challenge for me. I start every one of these quilts from my fabric stash. I love the idea that I am constantly dipping into and using up all those fabrics. That’s why I bought them, right? But did you know that some fabrics are better to use than others? I have two tips for you!

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