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Tile Tango is from the book The Quilter’s Practical Guide To Color by Becky Goldsmith. We just love this quilt. It almost didn't make it back to Becky after we taped her show...someone else wanted to take it home...

Watch Becky Goldsmith in Show 2401: BOM 2019 - Sizzle.

TileTangobyBeckyGoldsmith - 36 Pieces Non-Rotating

TileTangobyBeckyGoldsmith - 100 Pieces Non-Rotating

TileTangobyBeckyGoldsmith - 289 Pieces Non-Rotating

TileTangobyBeckyGoldsmith - 36 Pieces Rotating

TileTangobyBeckyGoldsmith - 100 Pieces Rotating

TileTangobyBeckyGoldsmith - 289 Pieces Rotating

Original Photo: Mary Kay Davis

  4

Sometimes mishaps, happen...The Modern Quilt Guild Victoria can attest to this with their quilt, Change of Direction, which might also be known as Oops!.

Change of Direction by MQG Victoria was featured in the Charity Quilts category, sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild, at QuiltCon 2020.

Photos by Mary Kay Davis

  4

Barbara Black has some great tips, including very helpful cutting instructions, to help you with Month 6 of Afternoon Delight.

Click here for details on Barbara's blog on Month 6 Tips.

Barbara has more for you on Month 6, including how different fabrics look in various versions of the quilt.

Take a look at the different versions.

 

  1

Director of technical education and support at BERNINA, Hans Herzog, answers frequently asked questions about machine cleaning and oiling.

Click here for answers.

  16

We now leave our study of color (Lesson 13) and direct our attention to one of the most often forgotten players in design, that of VALUE! It is said that while color receives all of the attention, it is value that actually does all of the work. Value's close relationship with color means that you need both working together to make for a successful quilt.

In the most basic terms, value is the lightness or darkness of a color. There are generally three categories of value: high, low, and mid.

High value means colors that have a great deal of light in them, with white being the highest of high value colors. Low value colors are darker, with black being the lowest of low value colors. Mid value colors are those that do not lean to the very light or very dark, and as such are very appealing to quilters.

Fabric manufacturer's know this about quilters, and that is why when you go shopping for fabrics it is difficult to find a large assortment of very light of very dark fabrics in a single color family.


Let's say you want to make a lone star quilt using only magenta fabrics. If you select all mid-value fabrics (Collection 1), the beautiful star design will get lost or muddy. No longer are you able to determine the uniqueness of the star elements.

 
                                                                                            Collection 1

If you remove the pink/orange dot and add more high value-light fabrics (Collection 2), you will achieve a more pleasing value change with each round. This makes the star have maximum impact visually. Bottom line...when shopping (or pulling from your stash) swing to both the far dark and far light side when it comes to building a collection of fabrics for a project.


  Collection 2                      

 

There are times when your desired effect is to have a less defined and 'blendy' result, as in the case of the fur of the dog in Sun Worship by Barbara Yates Beasley. Other subjects where a more 'blendy' effect could be used are landscapes, sunrises/sunsets, trees with many leaves, etc. The key to achieving success is to remember that when selecting fabric, try to incorporate a very wide range of tints, tones, shades and pure color. That way your design will have contrast, depth, and volume.

  
Sun Worship by Barbara Yates Beasely (Show 1905) [Images courtesy of Barbara Yates Beasley]

Easy terms to remember:

High - Light, Airy, Delicate
Low - Dark, Earthy, Heavy
Mid - Middle of the road

 

 

 

Not sure about your instincts? Use the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool to help solve the mystery. Each of the twenty-four pages illustrates the pure color, tints, shades, and tones of a family, allowing you the opportunity to select from a wide array of fabrics to make a quilt more interesting.

 

 

 

 

Let's look at some examples of quilts featuring high, mid, and low values:

Vintage Log Cabin 1994 by Jean Wells (Show 107, Show 1301, Show 2513) [Image by TheQuiltShow.com]. Spyrogyra by Esterita Austin (Show 506). [Image courtesy of Esterita Austin].


Cloudy Day by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. (Show 1404, Show 2002) [Image by TheQuiltShow.com]. Boundaries by Linda Beach (Show 1409). [Image courtesy of Linda Beach]


Chop Sticks by Alex Anderson. (Image courtesy of Alex Anderson). Sisters/Best Friends by Sandra Mollon (Show 2609). [Image courtesy of Sandra Mollon].

 

Fiber artist, designer, quilter, and author, Grace J. Errea, began quilting in 2000. Her art focuses on the depiction of inspiring scenes in a value based contemporary-realistic manner. Grace's spectacular quilt work seems effortless, but she shares the secret for what makes a successful quilt. It comes down to training your eye, evaluating your stash, and paying close attention to the type of impact you as the quilter want to evoke.

 

What is “VALUE”

(All image by Grace Errea unless otherwise noted)

by Grace Errea (Show 1303)

So you made what you thought was your masterpiece, only to realize that it is…quite frankly, boring. You think the problem is the colors but, you will find your problem if you inspect the values. It’s time to take your work to another level! This article will demonstrate how to train your eye and brain to see color differently through the use of value.

Let’s start by discovering where does “Value” come from and what is it. When we say “color”, we are using the word as a substitute for the word “hue." Hue is one of the three components of Color. It refers to the name such as red, blue, green. The second component is Saturation, i.e. how pure is that hue. A pure hue can be de-saturated by the addition of gray. Thereby we are creating what is called toned hues.

A hue can also be de-saturated by adding white or black. Black darkens the hue creating shades. Conversely, white lightens the hue and creates tints. This generates degrees of light and dark, and that is how values are created. A good design is produced when there is a good distribution of tints, shades, and mid-range values. Middle values provide the framework with, light and dark value contrast giving the design its visual impact.

 

Grenadine Picotee” has strong highlights at the edges of the petals that add impact to the shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I use 8 values, from very light (Value 1) to very dark (Value 8). Each increment creates a smooth transition, as shown in this Gray Scale.  Also, in the Value in Color Chart, showing equivalency in the primary and secondary hues. Each column represents a hue showing values from 1 to 8. Each row is one value across as a continuum. As you go down the column you will see discernable changes in value, as it gets darker.

 

By using the Value Matching Tool, areas are isolated and easily “value-lized” when compared to the values that surround the opening.

 

 

 

 

                        

 

Where and how to use Value:

- Highlighting a focal point

                       

Moondance” is an example of at least 3 or more values between the focal point and the background to accentuate the main character in your piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

-  Create atmospheric perspective

                    

In landscapes, as you move further away, layers of atmosphere lighten the background. By using tints as you move away from the darker valued foreground, atmospheric perspective is created using value alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Set the mood of a piece.

  

Creamsicle Dawn” (left) was created using tints, yielding this calming, early morning feeling.

 

Conversely, “Popsicle Sunset” (right) has mostly shades which creates a dramatic, hot sunset that stirs the soul.

 

 

- Create 3-dimensionality

 

Three-dimensionality is created by lighting the subject as in “Hen and Chicks”. Light creates the highlights and shadows. It is all about the Value!

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
              

- Create the object in multiple hues or your favorite hue

 

In “Blue Tigger”, “Red Tigger”, “Rudolph Tigger” the same pattern was used with different hue combination. The key is to maintain the value regardless of hue.

 

 


 

- Create High-Value and Low-Value Effects

 

In order for a focal to be highlighted there must be at least 3-values between the background and the outer edges of the focal point.  More is better. If the focal point is lost in the design, it is not the color but the value that is causing the problem. Darken or lighten the background and voila! “Bateleur Eagle” is a good example of the High Value effect. Background is value 1 and the Eagle is value 7-8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “Hibiscus” is a high-value, but something is lurking within the petals. The value of Mr. Frog is similar to his neighborhood so he needs to be “found” upon closer inspection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It all comes down to Value being relative to its neighborhood. Whether something is working beyond your expectations, or there is a problem to solve, give Value the credit or look for a Value solution first. All else can come second. To learn more about Grace Errea watch Show 1303, or visit her website www.amazingquiltsbygrace.com

 

Practice Exercise:

Select one of the quilts in this newsletter as inspiration, and using your personal stash, set up the range of fabrics from high, mid, to low value. See where you have holes. Take note, so the next time you visit the fabric store, you can be sure to seek out those values that you need. Repeat with as many quilts as you like. You will be surprised how many low and high value fabrics you have on your shopping list!

 Click here for more topics related to The Art of Quilt Design program.

 

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A Garden For All Seasons is a 9' X 30' quilt by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. This quilt is a public art piece that Victoria made to hang in a building in NYC.

Click here to learn more about the quilt on Victoria's website.

Learn piecing from Victoria in our Piecing Masterclass Part 1, and learn more from her in Show 2002: Look Out! Double Rings and Curves Ahead.

AGardenforAllSeasonsbyVictoriaFindlayWolfe - 36 Pieces Non-Rotating

AGardenforAllSeasonsbyVictoriaFindlayWolfe - 98 Pieces Non-Rotating

AGardenforAllSeasonsbyVictoriaFindlayWolfe - 300 Pieces Non-Rotating

AGardenforAllSeasonsbyVictoriaFindlayWolfe - 36 Pieces Rotating

AGardenforAllSeasonsbyVictoriaFindlayWolfe - 98 Pieces Rotating

AGardenforAllSeasonsbyVictoriaFindlayWolfe - 300 Pieces Rotating

(Original Photo: Shelly Pagliai - Prairie Moon Quilts)

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A Garden For All Seasons is a 9' X 30' quilt by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. This quilt is a public art piece that Victoria made to hang in a building in NYC.

(Yes, that is Victoria standing in front of the quilt.)

Click here to learn more about the quilt on Victoria's website.

Learn piecing from Victoria in our Piecing Masterclass Part 1, and learn more from her in Show 2002: Look Out! Double Rings and Curves Ahead.

(Original photo: Shelly Pagliai - Prairie Moon Quilts

  5

We continue our feature on quilts from the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) exhibit, Layered & Stitched: Fifty Years of Innovation, as featured at the Texas Quilt Museum. The exhibit is described as:

Studio Art Quilt Associates presents Layered & Stitched: Fifty Years of Innovation at the Texas Quilt Museum in Galleries I and III. These studio art quilts, dating from 1968 to 2016, represent the extraordinary range of talented artists working in contemporary quilt art. Featuring a balance of abstract and representational styles, Layered & Stitched includes several foreign artists, with a wide geographic distribution of makers in general. The curatorial vision of this exhibition embraces diversity and excellence, including three-dimensional works. Juried by Nancy Bavor, Director of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles; Martha Sielman, Executive Director of SAQA; and Dr. Sandra Sider, Curator of the Texas Quilt Museum, who says, "Jurying this spectacular exhibition was one of the highlights of my career! It is an amazing show of historic significance."

The exhibit has also been collected in a companion book as well, titled Art Quilts Unfolding: 50 Years of Innovation by Nancy Bavor, Lisa Ellis, Martha Sielman, and edited by Sandra Sider. The book is described as:

Published by Schiffer Books, Art Quilts Unfolding offers full-color images of 400 masterpieces along with engaging interviews and profiles of 58 influential artists, key leaders, important events, and significant collections. Organized by decade, an additional 182 international artists' works are featured.
 
An introduction by Janet Koplos, former senior editor of Art in America, and a conclusion by Ulysses Grant Dietz, emeritus chief curator of the Newark Museum, help us to understand the impact and the future of the art.
 
 
The exhibit will be on display at:
(Due to the current situation around the country, dates for the exhibit have changed.)
Ross Art Museum, Delaware, Ohio: May 14, 2021 - July 2, 2021
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles: October 10, 2021 - January 9, 2022
 

Please enjoy the eleventh quilt from the exhibition by Ulva Ugerup.

Title of Quilt: Angels of Wrath

Quilter's Name: Ulva Ugerup

Photos by Mary Kay Davis

  8

Jane L. Osborne was inspired by Philippa Naylor to push the boundaries of her quilting capabilities. She wanted to try out new techniques and new colors in her quilt, Round the World We Go, and loved the whole process from the first mark to the final stitch.

Round the World We Go by Jane L. Osborne of St. John, Jersey, United Kingdom was featured in the Piecing category, sponsored by Aurifil, at QuiltCon 2020.

Photos by Mary Kay Davis

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Ricky has just a few spaces left in his Smart Phone Photography class.

CLASS STARTS SUNDAY, JUNE 7th, 2020.

NO SPECIAL SOFTWARE REQUIRED

Optional fun editing apps will be covered, but won’t be required.

This is an interactive, group participation class.

This is 9 lessons in 9 Weeks, plus, a bonus lesson on "Photographing Your Quilt" will be added - for Week 10.

REGISTER NOW

Early Bird $84 through June 1st, 2020.

After June 1st, $99.

Deadline for enrolling is June 6th, or when the class fills, whichever is first.

Click here for more details.