Making Visual Choices

Use Shadows 
To Suggest Shape

Making Visual Choices

Use Color Contrast 
to Focus Attention

Question: Which butterfly grabs your attention? Why?

Answer: The one that is different; because it is different.

Making Visual Choices

Use Value Contrast 
To Define Shapes

There is an ancient saying handed down through the ages from quilter to quilter; you've probably already heard it a dozen times; But that's not going to stop me from repeating it one more time:
Value does all the work; color gets all the glory.

Too often quilters only pay attention to the  color hue of the fabrics they choose and forget to consider the color value. They don't realize that choosing darks, or lights, or mediums  is often more important than choosing colors.

 

What's wrong with this block?

Four Friends 7

Some Quilts From Russian Friends

A little while ago Hope (I hope Google translated her name correctly) emailed me a picture of a quilt top she made using my Four Friends design.

I got more pictures  from her today and another message.

Wayne Good day! As I promised I send you a photo of my students, who made the blocks in your master class. That's what happened and their own unit, I redid the same. Nina tried to make the extended block. I decided to slightly change his side, made ​​a dark center.

Here are the pictures:

Simple Block # 5

Start with two simple units - a split square and a half-square triangle. 


 

Combine them to make a simple block.


Now comes the fun. Play with the block. Color it different ways. Combine it in a variety of settings

Four Friends 6

Look What Надежда Did

Смотрите, что Hope ли 

(I hope Google translated this correctly. You never know)

This is her version of my Four Friends quilt. She has replaced the two yellows in the original with a yellow and a white. I think it works well.

Simple Block #4

A four patch and a split square are both very simple units.

Using 2 of each I designed this simple block.



The question is: what can I do with it?

Simple Block #3

I think you'll agree that a half square triangle and a 4 patch unit are both very simple to sew.

I'll use these 2 simple units to make this simple block.


Then I'll use this simple block to explore some quilt designs.

Simple Block #2

In my last post I used these 2 simple units to make a simple block.

I'm using them again to make another simple block.


Here's what happens when I play with this new block:

Simple Block

I am using these two simple units (a half square triangle and a split square)....

... to make this simple block that looks like an 'S'.



When I play with this block here's what I get:

Four Friends 5

Look What They Did

More Four Friends quilts by members of the Fabric Stashers guild.

Offset Balkan Puzzle Blocks

Look What Trista Did

Some time ago I experimented with offsetting Balkan Puzzle blocks. Trista liked the idea and made this quilt top.

Wonky Block # 59

Calico Puzzle  

It' s been a while since I took a Traditional block and changed it's grid to make a wonky block.

When I change Calico puzzle from a 4 4 4 grid to a 3 3 6 grid I get the new block on the right.

Since it is a new block, my new block, I no longer have to color it to look like a Calico Puzzle block, I can color it any way I please. So that's what I'm going to do.

You might have noticed that some of the blocks were offset. That's because you can do whatever you like with a block. So I did.

Quarter of Nine #19

Calico Puzzle





A disappearing block is a traditional block that has been cut into four quarters and then reassembled.

I enjoy designing with disappearing blocks. I thought I'd take another stab at Calico Puzzle.

Quilter's Connection

 Imagine

This is a quilt I designed and made using a Northcott panel.

The panel was given to three different designers, Susan Jensen, Jean Boyd an me. Our designs and the patterns for them can be found in the Fall (September) issue of Quilter's Connection Magazine.


I've never worked with a panel before. It was a new experience. Rather than simply add a border around the panel, I decided to cut the panel into three pieces and insert the word "Imagine".

Why "Imagine"? Well, because it was a picture of a reindeer made of snowflakes that had come together  like a super-dense constellation of stars in the night sky. I'm asking you to imagine that and then imagine even more.

Quarter of Nine #18

 Calico Puzzle

Waterwheel

 Twin Star

Jacob's Ladder

Card Trick

Four Friends Quilt 4

Look What Susan Did

A while ago I taught a class on sewing my Four Friends pattern to the members of the Fabric Stashers Guild here in Calgary.

Each one turned out  a little different. This is the one Susan did.

I'm not sure but I think those are Susan's fingers. If they are, then that's Susan hiding behind her quilt.

Festival of Quilts Quilt

Linda

My wife Linda and I were the guest speaker at the Festival of Quilts Saturday night dinner here in Calgary.

This is the quilt Linda made for the occasion. I think she did a wonderful job of quilting it.

I designed the quilt and block and named them after her.

Festival of Quilts Quilt

Every May there is a Festival of Quilts in Heritage Park, which is in Calgary where I live.

This year my wife Linda and I were asked to be the guest speaker at the Saturday night dinner.

I made this quilt for the occasion.

Mix & Match #4

Disappearing 
Kansas Star

In my last post I made new blocks from each of these color versions of Kansas Star by cutting each block into quarters and then reassembling the quarters differently. I then used the new blocks in quilt designs.

What if I take two quarters from one block and two quarters from another block and use those to make a new block?