Tula Pink Fox Field reprise: A baby quilt from the left-over fabric from the "Fox Tails" quilt kit

Baby Quilt from Tula Pink Fox Field fabric

The kit I got from Craftsy for the Tula Pink Mystery Quilt, "Fox Tails",  came with 3 sets of 2.5 inch strips, 1.26 yards of cream print, and about 1/4 yard of 3 additional fabrics.  They were very generous with the strip sets.   I had enough to make setting triangle in place of the cream print triangles in the pattern and I still had some full strips and a big collection of short pieces left over.

This fabric is so unique that I just couldn't put the left-over fabric in my scrap bag.  I started making blocks and ended up with 26…one more than I needed for this 40 x 41 inch baby quilt.   Here is the completed top. I have enough of the backing from my Fox Tails quilt to back this piece too! Sweet.  I'm looking forward doing the quilting on this.  It's small enough to move around easily so it's a good chance to try out some new designs.

But this isn't the end of my adventures with the Fox Field fabric collection.   I still have almost a yard of the cream print fabric, a block made from twenty-five 2.5 inch squares, a four patch, thirty 2.5 inch squares, and parts of four 2.5 inch strips!   I can see one more, very modern quilt with lots of negative space, yet to come!

3 quilts from one kit. Now that's incredible!

Hexagons! WIP

If you had ever asked me about quilt patterns I thought I'd never use, one would be hexagons and the other would be crazy quilting.  My mom always told me to never say "never."

I'm still holding out on crazy quilting but this week I started making hexagons.  I have a friend who quilts who hasn't been feeling well.   I thought that hexagons might be just the thing for her to work on if she was feeling she needed to do something handy.  It's easy to make one, some… or none.  All good.

So I fussy cut some dogs from Riley Blakes Design "Puppy Park" fabric.

  and some 2.5 inch squares from the SeaBreeze inspired Fat quarter bundle from JAQs Fabrics.

(Their bundles are 10% off until May 26, 2014, if you want one too)!

I'd never made a hexagon block so I thought I should do a couple to put in the bag as examples which I did.  But then I was hooked...

I have stash of left over 2.5 inch squares from an assortment of projects.  I pulled out a selection of yellow greens, yellows and greys. One hexagon has lead to another.

I had jettisoned some solid dark teal Kona from a project so that was sitting on my table. It looks like the perfect background for my hexagons.  After trolling the internet for ideas, I decided to make 12 inch finished squares with a varied configuration of hexagons in each block.  I'm going to appliqué them on by machine.

Here are a couple of blocks I have laid out to think about.

The hexagons remind of organic chemistry class.  I keep thinking I ought to be making molecule diagrams with them!!

I'm using card stock 1 inch hexagon templates which which are free for the printing from
Incompetech.   The 1 inch hexagons were just the right size for my 2.5 inch squares of fabric.

Here is the back side of several hexagons.

I have to say, they are a lot of fun to sew.  This project is probably going to be a WIP (work in progress) for a while. But then, that's the beauty of hexagons.

EQ 7 Jump Start Quilt Along: Block 2

This week we are making the second block in the EQ 7 Jump Start Quilt Along.  This block is called  Eccentric Star.

The lesson this week is about using fabrics and colors available in the program, on-line and by scanning in designing a block.  It's great if you can get the fabric on-line but if not, it's fun to be able to scan the fabric you have in-hand that you think you might want to use.  Or maybe it turns out that a particular fabric isn't you want--Scan once, Cut never!!

Jenny provides information about Resolution, pixel size,  and using Descreen (or Magazine) so the weave of the fabric doesn't interfere with the scan.  Files are saved as JPG files.
Full details on how to do this are on the post for EQ7 Jump Start Quilt Along: Block 2.

Each month EQ offers a free download of a set of current fabrics which you can find on Electric Quilt's (EQ) website in the Fabrics of the Month feature.

I had fun moving the colors and a fabric, a lot like my dark teal, which I found in the EQ Fabric Library, around on the worktable.  I finally decided to add another Kona solid in a slightly different blue.  I wanted the star to shine in the block rather than the rays.

Here is my finished block.  I am using the 9 inch block which is a good size for my fussy cut center block.

And Block 1 and 2 together.

Pyramid String quilt

I just finished my Pyramid String quilt.  This quilt was getting something amazing from (almost) nothing.

I keep a bag of strings (strips of left over fabric) between 3/4 inches and 2 inches wide.  From time to time I will piece them on 2 side-by-side pages of an old book.  (Sometimes it takes a bit of tape to keep the 2 pages together.  That's OK because the paper is torn away after the pages are covered with fabric strips).

I had save up a stack of pages which were primarily yellows and blues with some orange accents.  I had a pyramid ruler (two, actually as it turned out!) and this seemed like a great way to try it out.

2 brands of 60 degree triangle (pyramid) rulers.  Re. the purple smiley face: I put stickers on my rulers when I take them to sew in a group setting so that I know which is mine!

I cut the sheet of string into two 4 inch strips.  (If the sheet had more than 8 inches, I saved the remaining strips and they went into a border strip).  I cut the pyramids out of the 4 inch strips.

2 pyramids: I didn't take the photos while I was cutting the  pieces so these are not consecutive cuts.

Then I cut out pyramids from white cotton for the alternating pyramids.
When the quilt was assembled, I cut sides straight, leaving half pyramids down each side.

I used my walking foot and quilted just out of the ditch in a diamond pattern.  I also marked out some larger pyramids, made of multiple blocks, of varying sizes and did some half inch wide diagonal quilting in those pyramids.  Sometimes I filled the whole space with quilting.  Other times I just put in 3-4 lines of quilting.

There is a free motion chain of daisies around 3 sides of the inner border and a wavy double line of quilting in the outer border.   The free motion quilting is a foil to the sharp edges of the pyramids.

The binding is a collection of left over binding from other projects with a couple strips added to make it long enough.  This really is a quilt of left over bits!!

Here is the back.  You'll see there is a tiny strip of the left over bits on this side too.

I've used up my stack of sewn strings.  But the string bag keeps collecting more pieces so I'll need to make some more soon!

EQ 7 Jump Start Sew Along, Block 1: Greek Cross

Electric Quilt (EQ) is hosting a Sew Along on its blog, "Behind the Mouse" called EQ7 Jump Start Sew Along.  This Quilt Along provides basic instruction on the use their quilt designing program EQ7.  The Quilt Along is free, no registration is required, but you do need the EQ 7 program to participate.

Jenny, the instructor for the course, has chosen 4 quilt blocks for the participants to work with.
The first block is the Greek Cross.

The other blocks are Eccentric Star, Rolling Stone and Twin Star.  All the blocks share a central square,    4 corner blocks and 4 middle blocks.

The course has an accompanying YouTube video and printed instructions. You can use just one or both.  I had an easier time following the instructions with the video. Well, actually I was watching the video on my iPad and working out the steps on my computer, so I didn't need to toggle back and forth.
I found the written information helpful for reference when thinking about the blocks.

This course assumes you are starting from scratch with the EQ7 program, so it's great for a novice user.
I expect the designing will become more complex as the Quilt Along progresses.

Today is link up day.  I was so excited when I saw Jenny's post from today.  She showed 6 different ways the components of this block can be put together. I wasn't sure I was going to make the block, but when I saw all the options I made a dive for the stash and started cutting!

Here are some of the options.  I picked a variant for my block because it looked more nocturnal for the Rabbit who is sprinkling Sleeping Dust from the Crescent Moon!

Here are some of the other variations I laid out before I sewed the block together.  You'll see this becomes the Churn Dash block and another one that looks like saltwater taffy in its wax paper wrapper.

There is a link up to post the block every other week and a prize for one lucky person.

I'm looking forward to the next lesson which will be posted Monday, May 19, 2014.

Another Completed New Year's Day Wonky Star Quilt

Another of my friends  New Year's Day Wonky Star Quilt Along quilt is done.   Kace W.  brought her completed quilt to Show at Tell at our Proper Bostonian Quilt Guild meeting last night.

Kace said she was really challenged by the varied intensity of the colors in the charm pack she was given . But she worked it out.  The finish quilt is a beauty!!

Quilt Front

Quilt back--note the 2 strips of left over fabric on each side of the central panel . Nice!!

I particularly like what Kace did with the quilting  The stars are treated as flowers and each as a stem and leaves going to it.  What a great idea!

Kace recently discovered Leah Day's Free motion Quilting patterns.  Continuing her flower motif, she used several of Leah's flower patterns for fill in the negative spaces.  Kace's quilted flowers are beautiful!!
Here's a link to some of Leah's center fill designs.

The wonky triangles in her pieced border are so much fun, and they echo the wonky star points.  

She also put in a tiny green phlange separating her border from the binding. 

Kace…Congratulations on this beautiful quilt!!  Well done!

Tula Pink's Fox Field Craftsy Mystery Quilt Completed!

I finished up the binding, completing my Craftsy Tula Pink Fox Field Mystery Quilt today.  I'm delighted with how it turned out. 

I had a lot of fun doing the quilting.  I followed the diamonds with some straight out-of-the-ditch quilting using my walking foot.  The seams on some of the inner diamonds didn't follow from block to block.  So in those places, I just quilted each side of the diamond, starting and stopping at the seam lines. 

I used free motion quilting in the centers of each block.  Some fabric designs have hidden rabbits, fox, horses and birds.  I couldn't resist having the mammals leave their footprints in some of the center diamonds.  Sorry birds, not your quilt this time!

Horse shoe imprint

Rabbit tracks

Fox footprint

A rabbit was centered in one of the blocks so I highlighted it with a special flower.   The remaining blocks all have a double daisy in the center diamond with meandering in the first strip around each diamond.

Flower showcasing rabbit in center diamond

Double diasy in center block

I had put aside a set of pink and grey strips but in the end I felt they were too much a mix of light and dark to be a good binding.  So I used a grey on grey zig-zag from my stash--a quiet margin on a bright quilt.

This was great fun!  

Happy Nurses' Week and Congrats to the New Nurse Graduates!

Happy Nurses' Week to all you quilting nurses out there!  I know there are a lot of us!  Keep up the great work!

During the years I was a nurse practitioner in pediatrics, I had the great pleasure to work along side a number of excellent medical assistants who were making their way through nursing school part-time.
They had long hours on the job, long hours in class and clinical, and families to care for too. It takes amazing dedication to earn your nursing degree by that route!

So, a special congratulations goes to Stephanie, who has just earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing!  Well done, and well deserved!!

I thought about giving Stephanie a quilt to mark this milestone, but I know she'll hang it on the wall.  So I decided to make her something especially for the wall!

I considered running over the my local quilt shop which has some fabric with a nursing motif.  But as I thought about it, using my bag of strings left over from other projects to make a block seemed like a great idea.

Over of course of our careers, we care for patients of all kinds of stripes--different colors, ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, live-styles and ages.  Only by seeing the whole person, not just the diagnosis or problem list, can a nurse really truly care for his or her patient.   I hope this small piece will remind  Stephanie to think about all these factors with each of patients she cares for.

I drew the letters for the BSN, Bachelor of Science in Nursing,  (all that doodling in junior high finally paid off!) and appliquéd them to the block. It's not quilted…just a block in a frame.

Photo Album of Today's Quilters and their Quilts on the MFAs Facebook Page

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has posted a photo album of today's quilters, including their quilts, on their Facebook page this morning.  This "Happy Huesday" post is part of their current "Spring into Color" theme.  The  photos of quilts being made today relates to their "Quilts and Color: the Pilgrim/Roy Collection" exhibit of quilts.  The quilts on exhibit were mostly made during the 1800s and early 1900s.

Here is a link to my photo the the MFA's Facebook page.

And here's the link to the complete MFA's FB "Happy Huesday" quilter's photo album.    Three of my friends, Janet, Ginny and Amy are in the photo album.  Check it out!

You can add a photo of your own too!  Join the fun.  We want to see what YOU are doing!

Dog training apron

Necessity in the mother of invention, or so they say.  With the warm weather finally here, I find that my lighter weight pants don't always have enough pockets for all the things I need to carry while training my 3 dogs.  I could add a bait bag for treats, but that only partially solves my problem. So I decided to make myself a dog training apron today.  I wanted to be able to slide my hands into the pockets sideways for quick access.  I decided it might be great to add a compartment for my mobile phone too.

Dog training apron (mobile phone centrally, peaking out of its pocket)

Selfie with Dog Training apron on!

I checked around my stash and found a remnant of ticking fabric which was just the right weight.  The green fabric is quilting weight cotton and has a tiny white polka dot. It was a remnant too.  The Labrador retriever fabric was also in my stash--that extra pocket was a last minute addition.

I started by making a tube of fabric from  a piece of ticking and an piece of the green cotton of the same size.  I left the two ends of the tube open so I could add the apron ties at the end.

Tube with both ends still open.

Then I cut another piece of ticking the same size as the first one.  I used the 60 degree marking on my quilting ruler to cut both ends of the rectangle at an angle.  Then I cut a piece of green cotton the same size.  I sewed them, right sides together, leaving a couple inches at the bottom so I could turn it inside out.  Then I sewed the open edge closed.

Large central pocket

The mobile phone pocket is in the center of the large pocket.   I sewed hook and loop strips to the back of the large pocket and front of the apron panel to keep the phone from falling out if I lean over too far.

Hook and loop closure tape on the back side of the large pocket

I added a small pocket to the center of the large pocket so I can carry more than one type of dog treat or poop bags (responsible dog people always have a few on board}.

I  next sewed the large pocket to the back of the apron and added two lines of stitching just lateral to the small pocket with the dog fabric to create the pocket for my phone. 

Finally I made two ties from the ticking fabric and sewed them into place.

Success!  The slanted pocket keeps a small bag of treats open and upright, the little pocket works well, and the mobile phone pocket is perfect.  

Now, off to train the dogs!

Color Study 4: Complimentary Colors

I was going to stop my color study series at 3 because once again I have a stack of UFOs to finish and some other projects in the works.   But at lunch today, while flipping through the book,  Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters (see the side bar for more information about this book), I saw there was a pattern for an appliqué  orange peel block.  There is an orange peel quilt in the "Optical Illusions" section of the "Quilts and Color" exhibit at the MFA, Boston.  A 12 inch square?  I could do that!

Orange peel block, with grape hyacinths and lattice fencing  12 inches square

The quilt at the MFA is periwinkle blue and red orange, complimentary colors.  I chose another pair of complimentary colors:  yellow green and magenta. I also modified the block from the book which had the peels running from corner to corner with half peels in the outer edges of the corners.

This block pops, but I don't think I see an optical illusion here.  (Not sure about it in the museum quilt either)!

I used my walking foot to echo quilt the orange peel design.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed doing that circular quilting and am very pleased at how this little piece turned out.

Color Study 3: Gradations

Here is my third color study inspired by the ""Quilts and Color" currently at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Study of Color Gradation:  14 inch square, hand quilted

This is a study in color gradation, which creates depth.  All the strips came out of my scrap bag…now that's a good project!  It's 14 inch square.

There are 3 sets of strips in each layer of the gradation, light, medium and dark in the same color.  (The Sunshine and Shadows quilt in the MFA exhibit placed the gradations the opposite way--dark to light).

I think that if I had gone from yellow to orange to green the block would have had more depth but it would have been less interesting.  The Sunshine and Shadows quilt at the MFA mixed it up like this and I wanted to see what happened when I tried it.

While I use dark and lights for contrast in my quilts, but I've never used them in a series like this. I do like what the gradation does and I know I'll be using it again in my quilts.

Color Study 2: Purple to Blue

Color Study: Purple to Blue with Compliments.  A  table runner, 17.5 x 40.5 inches

This color study was a real challenge.  Purple isn't my favorite color and I really struggled even defining my purples.  I went to a local store with a large collection of Kona cottons and found what I thought was the perfect spectrum of blue to purples fabrics.  Until I got home and laid them out…

What is purple?  What is violet blue?   What is real blue?   The only one I was confident about was red-violet/magenta.

I'm not sure the color in the photo is all that clear either.  But here are my red-violet, purple, blue violet selections and blue selections.

For this project I used 2 sets of analogous colors:
     Purple, blue-violet and blue
     Yellow-green, yellow and yellow-orange
Two of the colors are transitional colors.  (They are called transitional because they are made by mixing 2  primary colors).
     Purple--a combination of red and blue
     Green--a combination of yellow and blue

The yellow is the compliment of purple and yellow-orange the compliment of blue-violet.   I picked the green rather than orange for the block because I liked the effect better.
I then added some orange accents because that is the compliment of the blue.  I also chose orange thread for quilting.

Still unsure about what real purple is, I raided my stash and found 2 another purples so there are 3 purples in the project.  I think in the end, the purple in my border is the best purple of the three.

The first set of pinwheels I made combined blue and purple (middle block on the right above).  I didn't like them that much. They seemed harsh to me.  I'd jumped a step on the color wheel from purple to blue, bypassing the blue-violet.  So then I made several more blocks with blue-violet and blue, which I found more pleasing (top and bottom block on the left).  I put both pairings in the table runner for comparison.  This is a color study so I thought it would be good to include both pairings!

Blue with blue-violet (left),  Blue with purple (right)

I also found that the purple color seems to change depending on which other color I paired with it.  More than once I picked out a block which I thought had a purple I didn't want to use in the table runner, only to find that when I put the "wrong" purple right next to the "right" one they were the same!

I think one of my issues with purple (i.e., why I don't like it that much) is because it absorbs so much light.  Sewing the purple was like sewing black. I found it hard to see my stitches or where I was going.  I much prefer lights and brights!

Here's something else I noticed.  Standing up close to my computer monitor the colors in the wall hanging look washed out.  When I stepped back, the intensity and color was much truer to life.

I really like the completed table runner.  It's vivid!!

Here is the flip side:

This color study was a lot of fun and I learned a lot doing it.
I have an idea for a small project (just one block I think) using color gradations.  I'll keep you posted!

Book report: Minimal Quiltmaking by Gwen Marston

When I ordered Gwen Marston's book  Minimal Quiltmaking pre-publication from Amazon.com in February I really didn't know what I was getting.  I really liked the "Winter Birch" quilt on the cover and knew this was going to a book about contemporary quilts.  I'm always interested in reading anything about Modern Quilting.  (FYI:  This book has the fiercest copyright statement I have seen.  No part of the book may be reproduced and there isn't a "look inside" feature at Amazon.com.  You'll need to click the links to get an idea about what is in the book).

Little did I know when I placed the order how apropos its arrival last week would be. This is a book about color and quilts!  Just what I have been thinking about a lot lately.

Gwen asked 22 quilters around the country to contribute quilts to the book and she includes dozens of her own quilts as well.  Some of the quilts were created by the women especially for the book.  Several of the quilters said in the comments about their quilt that when Gwen asked for a minimal quilt, they that to think about what that really meant.  But they had fun rising to the challenge.

The book is divided into chapters with different types of minimal quilts--they include "minimal quilts"(solids, mostly bright colors), "hard-edge quilts" (fabric cut with a ruler with sharp edges, no wonkiness), quilts with "minimal colors" (studies in pastels/neutrals), and "minimal quilts inspired by art."

I bought the book based on the image of the Winter Beech tree on the cover.  I think only 3 of the quilts in the book actually have a concrete image and even for one of those, you'd have to read the label to know what it is (a lily pad).

The rest of the quilts are really color studies: improvised designs with lots of pieced strips and blocks of color.

It was fun to see the quilts influenced by modern artists.  Here are just 3 of the artists who's work is reflected in the quilts.

I hadn't realized before that quilts that aim for "transparency" were inspired by tissue paper work done by Josef Albers.   It seems like a lot of quilters, and quilt collectors, have really been influenced by Albers.  Gerald Roy, a student of Albers, talked a lot about his work in the recent lecture I heard at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The author has made several quilts influenced by the work of  Piet Modrian.  (I'm just old enough to remember the dresses in the 1960s which were also based on his artwork)!

Paul Klee is another artist whose art influenced the quilters featured in this book. His art is a lot of fun and you can easily see why a quilter would drawn to his work.

Many of the quilts in the book were made using Kona cottons because of the wide color options available.  Cherrywood fabrics and some linen are also used.

I was able to find two of the quilts in the book made by Lynn Harris (TheLittleRedHen) on the Internet:
"Zinnias"
And a pattern for Daisy Chain.  This is one of the few quilts in the book which has an identifiable subject and isn't totally abstract.

Here are two blogs written by contributing quilters.
Over the fence designs, Pam J. Beal
Kristin Shields Folk Art  (scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Gwen Marston and Liberating Quilting

If you are interested in the Modern Quilting and the use of color and line, you'll appreciate having this book in your library.  And on your coffee table!

Color Study 1: Crosses and Losses variation completed

I was able to quilt and bind my color study quilt, Crosses and Losses variation today.  I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

I know that yesterday I wrote that I was thinking this quilt was going to be saved to give to a baby at some point,  but scratch that thought!  I really like it!  I'm going to keep it and put it in the rotation of small quilts which I keep on display in my front hall.  This quilt is such fun to look at!

Pilgrim/Roy Collection Inspired Modern Crosses and Losses Foxy Crib Quilt

Having seen the Pilgrim/Roy Collection "Quilts in Color" exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, I decided it would be fun to do some color studies in quilts of my own. 

There is a quilt in the exhibit call Crosses and Losses.  It has blocks with bars (Losses, I guess) and alternating with 9 Patch blocks (Crosses).   Up close the quilt is nice, but from the far side of the room, it was really pops. The colors in that quilt are neutrals with yellow and orange accents.  It's an easy pattern so I decided to use it as a basis for my first color study. 

I exchanged the 9 Patch block for a Wonky Modern Cross block and varied the widths of the bars in the Losses block.  I chose 2 analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) and the complement to the cyan which is red-orange. 

Modern Variation of Crosses and Losses Quilt pattern with triangular accents and Mr Fox in his vest!

Yes, this quilt vibrates.  You should see it in real life!   I consider this a success.

I took about 8 photographs of this quilt top with my mobile phone and a camera.  In the photographs the margins between the cyan and red orange appear blurry while the blue and green seams appear sharp. I thought I had wiggled…but all the pictures show the same thing.  Fascinating.

Sly Mr. Fox, in his red-orange argyle vest, wanted in on the action.  He was hard to argue with since he met all the criteria for the color way except for his grey background.   Adding him makes this a fun baby quilt at 35 inches square.  The fox block actually calms the vibration in the quilt and gives your eyes a place to rest.  I made a third red orange triangle block but when I auditioned that block in place of the fox, looking at the quilt was almost painful.  (Put your finger over the fox block on your screen and you'll get the idea of what that quilt would have looked like). 

This was a great project.  I'm looking forward to quilting this top.  

I think I have an idea for a design for another color study quilt.  

To be continued.

Crafty's Tula Pink "Fox Tails" Mystery Quilt Update

Today I finished assembling the Craftsy.com April Tula Pink Mystery Quilt.  It is a Log Cabin, Courthouse Steps variation, with the center block of the Log Cabin a large diamond.

Tula Pink's directions and accompanying photos for the quilt construction are excellent.
I was careful to always use the 60 degree mark when trimming the blocks and the points all match! I also credit Tula's precise instructions.  She explained exactly how to press the seams and how to use the  extending tips of the seams to get those perfect points. Amazing!

The quilt is set on the diagonal. The setting triangles at the top and bottom of the quilt in the kit are a cream print.  This is such a loud, busy quilt that it just seemed to me that the quilt pattern came to a full stop at those cream triangles.  I decided to continue the pattern to the quilt edges.

I used her directions to cut one triangle out of muslin.  I used that as a pattern to make pieced triangles from the left over fabric.  I turned out to be very straight forward.  The little triangle was exactly half the central diamond in the blocks and sewing on two 2.5 inch strips to each side made a setting triangle exactly the correct size.    The purple/grey dots, grey and aqua and aqua/grey dots is the setting triangle block.

The quilt is a good size for a double bed or a generous throw.  I have some fabric that is a good match and I could add a border to make it queen size.  I'm still thinking about it.

The color way of this quilt isn't my favorite, but I'm appreciating it a bit more now that I can see the whole quilt top.

I'm going to use the cream fabric from the kit as part of the backing and plan to use up some more of the scraps from the 2.5 inch strips. Should be interesting!

MFA Boston: Some pearls from the lecture "Color: A Primer" by Gerald Roy

This is a fabric color wheel I created with Cherrywood Hand Dyed fabrics, 2013.

I attended a talk given by Gerald Roy on April 17, 2014.  He is the Roy of the Pilgrim/Roy Collection of quilts.  Some of their quilts are currently in the "Quilts and Color" exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston now through July 27, 2014.   Roy spent part of the time discussing color theory and part discussing quilts and quilt construction.  I jotted down a few notes about some topics I found particularly interesting. I have an interest, but not expertise, in color theory so hopefully nothing in my notes has run amuck!

Isaac Newton created the first color wheel in 1705.  He placed the color in wedges in a circle.  If the wheel is spun, you only see white, not the individual colors.

When light is totally refracted the eye sees white.  If light is totally absorbed, the eye sees black.  Yellow is the most refractive of the colors. It is the only color which comes close to white in color refraction.  That's why Roy likes the yellow and white basket quilt in the Pilgrim/Roy collection.  He said that because the color refraction of white and yellow are so close you see the color in that quilt more than the pieced baskets.

Warm colors project forward while cool colors recede. He said that warm colors relate to the sun, cool colors to water.  Purple and green are created by mixing warm and cool colors and are only two "transitional" colors on the color wheel.  They interact well with both warm and cool colors.

Roy said that Abstract Expressionism was the first time in art history that color came first. Prior to that the subject of the painting was of primary importance and color was secondary. In traditional space the color is static. Dark and light colors are used to enhance the perspective to make the viewer think the space is 3 dimensional rather what a painting really is--something flat and with just 2 dimensions.   In abstract art there is plastic space.  Roy said that when there is no intentional image or shape, colors can move forward or backwards in the work.

Colors of equal intensity can create color vibration.  Contrast stops color interaction.
Only gradation of colors allow contrasting colors to move.  This is a great example of gradation from the "Quilts and Color" exhibit of the Pilgrim/Roy Collection.

Sunshine and Shadow, Mennonite, Pennsylvania, 1880s

Roy had a power point with his own paintings and quilts from the Pilgrim/Roy Collection to illustrate his talk.  I found his lecture fascinating.

Here are some interesting facts he shared about fabrics, quilts and color in fabrics.

• Wool absorbs light so colors appear more intense.  Most of the classic Amish quilts are wool challis which is one of the reasons why their colors appear to be so rich.
• Cotton reflects light.
• Crazy quilts are made of silk.  Silk was sold by the pound, not by length of the fabric like cotton and wool.  Lead was added to the silk to make it heavier so they could charge more!  The lead causes deterioration of the fabric and makes the treated silk poisonous.  Yikes!  He went on to explain that crazy quilts were made for decoration, to put on a sofa or hung on a wall.  They were a way to show off the creator's embroidery skills and not intended for use on a bed.
• The layers of a quilt are stitched together.  If ties are used, it's a comforter, not a quilt.  The ties are called "toppies" and the loose ends of the toppies can be on the top of the comforter or on the back side.  Either is fine.  
• Hand quilters quilted inside the block to avoid the seam allowance where there were more layers of fabric to push the needle through.
• Quilt care:  Fabric like to be flat and "comfortable".  Roy said that is you feel comfortable with the temperature and humidity in a room the quilt will be happy too and will last longer.

MFA, Boston--Quilts and Color: The Pilgrim/Roy Collection, Second Look

Touching Sunbursts,  Pennsylvania 1854

Last night I had the privilege of hearing Gerald Roy, one of the 2 gentlemen who collected the quilts in at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, "Quilts and Color" show, speak about the collection and about color in quilts.

He told us a bit of the back story about the show.  They started talking about putting part of the Pilgrim/Roy quilt collection on exhibit at the MFA 5 years ago.  He credits the MFA's director, Malcolm Rogers, and the young museum staff with making this show possible. The museum has some quilts in their collection, mostly gifts from people, but he said no one at the museum in the past was particularly interested in them.

Roy said Malcolm Rogers came to his home to discuss the possibility of a quilt show at the MFA.  Before Roy would show Rogers any of his quilts, he had Rogers do some piecing and appliqué so he would better understand what he was looking at! Once Rogers had done some sewing, THEN Roy showed him some of his collection!

It took 100 people to get this show set up--Roy counted the carpenters as well as the curators!  He said everyone wore white gloves AND white coats and they all treated the quilts with utmost care.

The walls in each room were painted colors chosen to best show off the quilts being displayed. White walls are not a good choice for a quilt show.   It took 6 light engineers to get the lighting right.  The lights had to illuminate the quilts but there couldn't be any hot spots which could damage the quilts.  He commented that it is important to let your eyes adjust to the lighting in the galleries when you first enter. That's really true in my experience.

Some of the quilts are mounted on wooden frames which are padded with batting and muslin.  The quilts are sewn onto the frame, with stitches every 6 inches across the quilts to keep them flat and taut  without stretching them.  Roy commented that it is not great for the quilts but it does show them beautifully.  He added that the quilts are coming off the frames as soon as the show closes!

After the talk, my friend Janet and I went back to the exhibit to look at it again.  It was almost 9 PM and there were very few people in the gallery.  It was amazing to be there without a crowd.  If you can get there at night, do it!

I discovered I missed a whole room on my first visit. Yikes!  It was the section with all the appliqué quilts.  This room was labelled quilts with "Contrast."  Here is a Mariner's Compass made in Massachusetts in1840.  It's 20 years before the Civil War but the brown and cream fabric looks much like the Civil War  reproduction fabrics currently available.  I think this quilt would have also been happy in the room of quilts with Vibration, except those quilts vibrate due to color and this one vibrates because of the plaid.

Mariner's Compass

It was so quiet in the gallery last night that a one of the MFA guards came up and said "You have to come look at this quilt!" She led us to the yellow and white basket quilt made in New York in the 1920's-1930s in the "Mixtures" room.

Yes indeed!  We knew it well and also why she wanted us to see it.  This basket quilt is creating quite a buzz among the show's visitors.  If you stand right in front of the quilt, it does look yellow and white for a the most part.  But move to the right or left and you notice the white looks more like a light grey.
Did the quilt's maker run out of fabric and needed to substitute something different to complete the quilt?

Roy had just finished telling us about this quilt.  No, they believe the white is all the same fabric.
However, it is a cotton sateen (also known as cotton satin).   Ordinary plain woven cotton has a flat weave--the threads all run up and down or straight across.  In a sateen, the thread also has a diagonal weave. How the light strikes that diagonal weave determines how the fabric looks.

Notice how differently the fabric appears depending on where you are standing.  Fascinating!  We had fun expelling to the Museum guard why she was seeing the variation in the fabric's color.  That doesn't happen every day!

In his talk last evening, Roy, showed us a photo of the backing on this quilt.  It is light purple,  yellow's complement in the color wheel.  This delighted him no end!!   That is a detail you have to be told because you won't be able to see the backs of any of the quilts.

Basket Quilt, Front Facing

From the left side

From the right side

One of the attendees at the lecture asked Roy what he thought about the Modern Quilt Movement.

He stopped to see if the audience knew what was being asked.  He asked who in the room were quilters.  It turned out almost everyone!   So he continued.  He thought the Modern Quilt Movement was great.  New people have started quilting which he said is always a good thing, the experimentation is great….and folks are buying lots of fabric!

One last comment from Gerald Roy:

He said a pieced top is only a pieced top.  "It isn't a quilt, until it is quilted."   

Those of you with a stack of UFOs….take note! 

I'll share some his thoughts on color in another post. 

Craftsy's Tula Pink Mystery Quilt

Craftsy posted the workshop for Tula Pink's April Fox Field Mystery Quilt yesterday.

It turns that the only mystery was purchasing the kit for an unknown quilt project.  The whole set of instructions and a photo of the completed quilt were all posted at once. Hmmm.  Well, at least you don't get any surprises after you've cut the fabric!


Here are the fabrics in the kit.  (FYI: Craftsy sold over 1000 kits--completely sold out weeks ago, so there aren't any more available for this project).

It turns out the quilt is a Courthouse Steps Log Cabin…with a surprise. The center of the blocks is a diamond!

I haven't started sewing yet.  I'm still cutting pieces from the 3 stacks of 2.5 inch strips.

This quilt is a color and fabric design challenge for me.  I like the pink and orange combination and the aqua, grey and green combination.  Purple isn't a color I gravitate to often.  But put them all together??  Not a chance!

I've been looking at the color wheel and this set of colors just doesn't fit into any of the usual combinations.  They aren't compliments, triads or tetrads.  I've tried to make sense of them but just can't! That may be why I find the combination jarring.

But that's fine. I've challenged myself to step out of the box and try some new things in my quilting this year.  This qualifies!

Tula Pink has set the diamonds vertically in the quilt with large filler pyramids at the top and bottom.
She used a cream background which is in the top photo--barely visible under the strips.  It's a sharp contrast to the busy bright colors in the rest of the fabrics.  I'm not sure what I am going to do.  I might alter the pattern and cut off the diamond points.

I have some wonderful feathery aqua fabric which is a matching color which I could substitute for the pyramids or I could make another header and footer for the quilt. Here it is the feathery aqua fabric with a set of strips.

Can't wait to start sewing.  This is going to be interesting!
Please let me know if you can use the color wheel to explain the colors in this quilt!  Thanks!