Two-million-view milestone : Part 1

Quilt Inspiration recently hit a major milestone, with over 2 million page views.  We're very pleased, and we think it's time to say THANKS to the many talented designers who inspire us all.   Join us for a two-part retrospective with a few of the artists we've featured.

Eye of the Storm by Peggy Martin

'Eye of the Storm' by Peggy Martin is an excellent example of a medallion quilt, where there is one large circular or symmetrical object in the center, surrounded by concentric rings or diamonds which draw the eye inward. For more information on this storm-at-sea quilt, see our March 2011 post, Eye of the Storm.

Surprisingly Red by Jacqueline de Jonge

Beautiful roses, soft pastels and warm reds are brought together in perfect harmony in this stunning quilt pattern by Jacqueline de Jonge. The medallion is surrounded by an undulating wave of skinny New York Beauty points.  For more information see our December 2011 post, Christmas around the world: The Netherlands.

Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith

"Simply Delicious" was the second block-of-the-month pattern at Piece O'Cake Designs and it is still going strong. This classic quilt was inspired by vintage botanical prints from the 1800's.  For more information see our August 2012 post, Simply Delicious.

Diamond Wedding Ring by Judy Niemeyer

 

In Judy Niemeyer's  clever Diamond Wedding Ring quilt, the pieced arcs are arranged in a triangle shape, with a star in the center.  Judy says that this pattern is great for both the beginner and advanced quilter.  For more information see our February 2013 post, Wedding Ring Quilts Part 2.

Memories of Monet by Joen Wolfrom

"Memories of Monet" is a deceptively simple design by color expert Joen Wolfrom.  Joen combined two historic blocks, Summer Winds and Storm at Sea, in an analogous color scheme. For more information see our December 2012 post, Color Play by Joen Wolfrom.

Magnolia Quilt by Sue Spargo

The gracious old homes and flower gardens of  Magnolia, Ohio, inspired Sue Spargo to create her enchanting "Magnolia" quilt. Sue's folk-art imagery reflects her multi-cultural background and her fascination with folk art from around the world. For more information see our September 2010 post, Our Town Part 2.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

Winner of the December Giveaway: Color Play for Quilters

Thank you to all who entered the December Giveaway; we enjoyed reading your comments!  We picked a name at random from those who entered, and the lucky winner is:  Inge Lise from Denmark.   She has won a free pass to Joen Wolfrom's Color Play for Quilters at Craftsy.   If you've ever wondered how prize-winning quilters come up with their color combinations, and create movement, depth and luminosity through fabric, Joen Wolfrom's class is for you (see our review here).  Here are some quilts from the class.

 

Above, L-R: "Northern Lights" and "Memories of Monet" by Joen Wolfrom; "Northern Lights" by Meredith Annett as seen at JWD Publishing; "Tsunami" by Margarete Steinhauer as seen at JWD Publishing; "Reflections on the Pond" and "Pizzazz" by Joen Wolfrom.

Color Play by Joen Wolfrom: Class review and giveaway !

~The Giveaway is closed... read on for our class review ! ~
We're here with a review of Joen Wolfrom's new online class,  Color Play for Quilters, and we are thrilled to be able to offer a free class to the lucky winner of this Giveaway.  As you may know, Joen Wolfrom is one of the most respected teachers on the subject of color and design.  She is a quilter, author, designer and photographer, and the owner of JWD Publishing.   We have admired Joen's work for a long time (in addition to her books, we love her Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool).  We also have been intrigued by Craftsy, which is a wildly popular new craft learning site.  We discovered that taking the class is like taking a 2-day quilting retreat, except that you can do it on your own schedule, from the comfort of your own home ! 

Northern Lights by Meredith Annett (Nova Scotia, Canada)

One of the things we like about Color Play for Quilters is that it does involve "play". There are 13 different lessons, and each lesson involves some aspect of playing with color and/or fabric. For example, Lessons 2 and 3 are devoted to creating your own color wheel and exploring the four color scales in the world of color: the pure color scale, tint scale, shade scale, and tone scale (you'll learn what these are, why they are important, and how to create them in paint and with fabric). Meredith Annett’s quilt "Northern Lights", shown above, provides an example of how shades enhance a design with their deep, dark beauty (a shade is created when black is added to a pure color).

Coriolis by Judy B. Dales (Vermont)

"Coriolis" by Judy Dales, shown above, is one of the quilts which Joen Wolfrom discusses in Lesson 4 (Value/Gradation).  Joen says that "Coriolis" is one of her favorite examples of the use of value gradation (moving the value of a color very gradually from light to darker or from dark to lighter). Joen shows how Judy has moved a wide range of values throughout her quilt, from light to dark to light across the surface of the quilt. This keeps the eye moving across the quilt, creating an exciting design !

Blue Ginkgoes by Norma Schlager (Connecticut)

In Lesson 5, Joen discusses color plans that work, and how to use them.  For example, in "Blue Ginkgoes", Norma Schlager has used a lovely complementary color scheme of aqua blue with orange-red.  In the class, Joen explains that what we learned in school may need some adjustment ! Do you remember learning that orange/blue and red/green were complementary pairs ?  Thanks to Joen's classes and books, we now know that orange is complementary to turquoise, red is complementary to aqua green, and orange-red is complementary to aqua blue.  These subtleties can make all the difference between a quilt that is simply OK and one that is truly stunning. 

Memories of Monet by Joen Wolfrom

In addition to color and value, Joen explains how to create certain illusions in your quilts, including Depth (Lesson 7). For us, one of the 'aha' moments in this class is that you can create an illusion of depth - such as you would see in a landscape - in a pieced quilt. Fabrics that are lighter and grayer ("toned") will recede, while fabrics that are darker and purer in color will advance. "Memories of Monet", above, is a deceptively simple design which Joen created by combining two historic nine-patch blocks, Summer Winds and Storm at Sea. The marriage of these two blocks, and the careful application of color and value, creates four-pointed stars and softly-colored diagonal lattices set inside illusionary circles. Joen explains the illusion; she also has created several different sample quilt blocks so you can test the principles with your own fabric stash.

Reflections on the Pond by Joen Wolfrom

This beautiful quilt uses harmonious (analogous) colors of garden and water, moving from soft yellows to alluring violet. This is also an example of a visual illusion which Joen covers in Lesson 9: Luster. In "Reflections on the Pond", Joen uses value - a gradual shift from light to dark - to create luster. In the class, you will learn the difference between Luster and Luminosity and how to create these effects in your own quilts  !

In sum, we think that Color Play for Quilters has something for everyone.  For those who are left-brained, as we are, there is enough color theory to explain why different color schemes work, and to explain how to analyze fabrics that will produce a desired effect. For the right-brained among us, the class is filled with beautiful photographs of flowers and landscapes, as well as quilts, which Joen uses to illustrate the take-home points; another section of the class covers Visual Coloring, which is an intuitive approach to color in design.  In terms of the Craftsy platform, we loved the interactive nature of the class. For people who would rather learn "hands on" than by reading a book, Craftsy is the way to go. You can skip around if you want, fast forward or repeat sections, and ask questions as you go. For the serious quilter who wants to make more beautiful quilts, this class is a great value (only $39.99). We learned a lot, and we highly recommend this class!

~This Giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to everyone who entered!  The lucky winner of Color Play for Quilters will be announced tomorrow,  December 20, 2012. ~
How to enter this Giveaway: Under this post is the Comments section (click to expand if necessary). Leave us a brief comment there, explaining why you would like to learn more about color in quilting, and we'll add your name to the list of contestants ! Please make sure that we are able to contact you, either by your blog, website, or e-mail address. The Giveaway closes at noon EST on Wednesday, December 19. One winner will be drawn at random and will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 20. The lucky winner will receive a free class registration to Color Play for Quilters by Joen Wolfrom.

Image credits:   Images are shown with the generous permission of Joen Wolfrom.

Free pattern day! Storm-at-Sea Quilts and block diagrams

Storm at Sea uses small changes in straight angles to create an optical illusion of rounded shapes.  Here are some free storm-at-sea quilt patterns!  Note: This post has been UPDATED.  For the latest free patterns, please visit our Free Pattern Day for Storm-at-Sea quilts (CLICK HERE!)

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, patterns, and collectibles!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.  

Image credits and links: This post was updated on May 12, 2025.  The photo montage shown on this page is a derivative work that is the property of Quilt Inspiration. If any links are broken, we'd love to know so we can fix it. Please email us at QuiltInspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.

Simple shapes in quilting

Last week we featured top designers whose easy-to-piece quilts feature simple shapes: squares, rectangles and/or triangles. The results are simply beautiful ! The original articles are: Simple dimensional shapes:  Joen Wolfrom Designs; Simple modern shapes: Esch House Quilts; Simple shapes, jelly rolls and i Candy; Simple shapes by Diana and Laura; Simple shapes in fabulous fabrics; and Simple shapes: jelly roll quilts and other confections.  Links to the designers' sites are below the photos.

Row 1: Joen Wolfrom, at JWD Publishing.  Row 2: Debbie Grifka, at Esch House Quilts.  Row 3:  Stephanie Sheffield, Amy Walsh and Janine Burke, at Blue Underground Studios. Row 4: Laura Nownes and Diana McClun, at Laura Nownes. Row 5: Pamela Goecke Dinndorf, at Aardvark Quilts.  Row 6: Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs.

Simple, dimensional shapes: Joen Wolfrom Designs

We've always been partial to dimensional quilts, and Joen Wolfrom is a master of the genre. Joen has been part of the quilt-teaching and designing scene for 30 years, and she is known for her expert use of color and her simple, clean design lines. Joen is the owner of JWD Publishing, a pattern company that publishes high-quality patterns for quilters of all skill levels and interests.

Northern Lights, by Joen Wolfrom, at JWD Publishing

Northern Lights is based on a simple rail fence pattern, made with 1-3/4" strips. The variations in value and color from one block to the next make this quilt's beautiful, yet simple design vibrate with energy. "Northern Lights" is also a stunning example of a rainbow quilt.  We took this photo last year at the 32nd anniversary of The Cotton Patch in Lafayette, California (the quilts were hanging from the trees !)

Stepping out, by Joen Wolfrom, at JWD Publishing

The shading of four-patch and square-within-square blocks gives an interesting optical illusion; the warm four-patch blocks in the lower right advance, while the cool four-patch blocks in the upper left recede.  The variations in value, and the color contrasts, keep the eye moving across the surface of this quilt. See if you can identify the focal point.

Tropical Morning, by Joen Wolfrom, at JWD Publishing

"Tropical Morning" is made entirely of simple half-square triangles.  The lattice arrangement of light, medium and dark values creates a variety of three-dimensional shapes, from pyramids to prisms.  You probably know about Joen Wolfrom's popular books on color in quilting... this quilt is a striking example of the use of analogous blue-green and green-yellow color schemes.

Image credits and links: For more information, see Joen Wolfrom's website. Her latest book, Adventures in Design, will be released in the fall of 2012 and joins Joen’s other books, including Visual Coloring, Color Play, The Visual Dance, and many others. Joen Wolfrom is also the inventor of the popular 3-in-1 Color Tool.  You can also find JWD Publishing on Facebook.

What do you think about red, yellow and blue?

In the previous post we showed red and blue quilts, and mentioned that ivory and/or beige is a great complement (better than white, in our humble opinion).  Even a hint of yellow is enough to round out a predominantly red-blue scheme, as shown in this wonderful scrappy quilt by Will Vidinic of Will's Quilts in Paris :

It's amazing how often we see red, yellow and blue in classic quilts.  Consider the vintage Spanish-American war quilt shown below (seen at auction), which we like better than flag quilts done only in red, white and blue...

...and this vintage crib quilt which uses just a hint of yellow in the strips separating the orange and blue blocks:

and the famous Gee's bend denim quilt by Annie Mae Young, which graces the cover of The Quilts of Gee's Bend (published by Tinwood Media):

and what do you think about this early 20th century Afro-American quilt seen at auction? The blue dots at the intersections really cool down this fiery color scheme :

Many 20th century artists explored variations of red-yellow-blue, including Piet Mondrian, Alexander Calder, Mark Rothko, and Ellsworth Kelly.  Ellsworth Kelly created his famous Blue Yellow Red IV in 1972:

In the past, we thought of red-yellow-blue as THE primary colors, as on the Itten Color Wheel. However, RYB is a historical set of primary colors that predates modern scientific color theory (see RYB color model). Using RYB as primaries yields a relatively small gamut, in which, among other problems, colorful greens, cyans, and magentas are impossible to mix, because red, yellow, and blue are not well-spaced around a perceptually uniform color wheel. For this reason, modern printing processes, as well as color photography, use cyan, magenta and yellow as primaries (CMYK, where K is black). We're training ourselves to use the 24-part Ives color wheel, which is based on CMYK (see Color Play by Joen Wolfrom).  Here is a split-complementary scheme that features blue with its orange-yellow complement in the middle, and additional warm hues on either side, as shown on the Studio Color Wheel by Joen Wolfrom :

Many artists and quilters still work with Blue-Yellow-Red as primaries.  But as Joen Wolfrom points out:  "If you use red, yellow and blue for your complements, you're two steps off. That doesn't make an ugly quilt, but you could use the right color wheel and it would be stunning rather than okay."  We would love to know if Ellsworth Kelly has changed his view of Blue-Yellow-Red in light of modern color theory (Kelly was born in 1923, and is now 87 years old).  Let us know what you think !

What makes this color scheme work?

We're intrigued by red-and-blue color schemes. What makes these colors work together? Red and blue are neither complementary nor analogous colors, yet they can be beautiful together... but only if the right hues and shades are carefully chosen. For example, here is a stunning mariner's star quilt by Judy Mathieson. Do you like this color scheme ?

Scarlet and Indigo, 16 x 16, by Judy Mathieson, for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

The names "Scarlet and Indigo" have an almost mystical connotation. The deep shades of red and blue remind us of the famous Rothko painting called "Number 207", below:

Number 207, aka Red over Dark Blue on Dark Grey, 1961, 92.8 x 81.2, by Mark Rothko, as seen at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive

Is this "scarlet" is a true red, or more of an orange-red, or a blue-red?  The online color thesaurus suggests that "scarlet" is equivalent to coral red and "indigo" is equivalent to blue-violet.  To check it out further, we did an online color analysis of the "Scarlet and Indigo" quilt using a handy website called Kuler* ("kuler" is pronounced like "color", not "cooler").  On Kuler, you can upload an image and obtain exact color values for different portions of the image.   Here is the result for the "Scarlet and Indigo" quilt (click on the image to see the detail, including RGB, CMYK and hex values):

Comparing these RGB and CMYK values to the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool by Joen Wolfrom, we can see that "indigo" is a very dark shade of true blue (blue plus black) while "scarlet" is a deep shade of orange (orange plus black). These hues are not complementary, but we think they are beautiful in these dark shades. The navy blue is so dark that it "reads" as a neutral; in the Rothko painting it looks black.  Perhaps that's one key to the success of this scheme.

What about red, white and blue... do you think they go together ?   Many flags use this color scheme, such as in this striking vintage quilt top seen at auction (below).  This quilt has plenty of white space, which was used to separate the blocks and avoid visual overload.

We like red, white and blue in flags, but we've seen examples where the blues and reds clash or where the pattern is too brilliant.  What do you think of the combination of periwinkle with red in the fabric below?

And what about this cerulean blue and orange-red combination, below ?

The color combination above just doesn't work for us... cerulean blue's complement is yellow-orange, not red-orange, so this combination seems to clash. Also, you'd think that white would be neutral, but we just don't like white with orange-red.   (It's not that we don't like orange-red per se; it looks stunning in combination with aqua blue, as shown in the fish quilt in our complementary colors post).

As an alternative to white, we love blue and red with gray. For example, consider the combination of dark navy blue with scarlet in "Waves" (below) by Beth Carney at Beth Carney Studio :

A combination of blue and red with cream, ivory, or beige is also an option, as in the Celebration of Freedom quilt by Judy Laquidara, shown below.  The center star is set on a white background, which makes it stand out, while the star blocks are surrounded by a warm beige.

Actually, the beige in the above quilt is a tone of golden-yellow (golden-yellow plus gray), which explains why this quilt is successful: it is really a three-color or "triadic" color scheme with tones of red, blue and yellow.  For more examples of quilts with triadic color schemes, stay tuned for our next post.

Take-away points and notes to self:

- Consider using a dark (navy) blue as in "Indigo and Scarlet" and "Waves", or muted (grayed-down) blues and reds, as in many civil war quilts.

- Remember the complementary pairings:  blue-violet with golden yellow; blue with orange-yellow; cerulean blue with yellow-orange; turquoise with orange; and aqua blue with orange-red. Use the ultimate 3-in-1 color tool as a guide to fabric selection.

- When using blue and red together, consider substituting ivory, beige or gray for some or all of the white, as in "Celebration of Freedom" and "Waves".

Finally, we'd love to know about any blue-and-red or red-white-and-blue quilts you've made, and why they were successful!

Image credits and links:  Judy Mathieson's website can be found at Judy's Place.  "Celebration of Freedom" by Judy Laquidara was first shown in our Celebration of Freedom post; you can find Judy Laquidara at the Patchwork Times.  "Waves" by Beth Carney was first shown in Quilters Remember September 11.
*Note that the Kuler website uses a traditional color wheel, for example, where red is opposite or complementary to cyan. In our complementary colors post we discussed why it is better to use the Ives color wheel.  As mentioned above, we first assess CMYK values using color extraction tools like Kuler, then use the ultimate 3-in-1 color tool to find the best complement.

The Color Series: complementary colors, cool tools, and hot tips !

The correct use of color is key to an aesthetically pleasing design.  Experienced designers seem to choose colors intuitively. Clearly, the artists who made the beautiful quilts shown below all had a great sense of color.  We want to apply this sense of color to our own quilts, so we're launching a mini-series on color schemes and color tools...and we've got some hot tips to share with you ! 

Antique Orange and Blue Tumbling Blocks Quilt, circa 1880, at Material Pleasures; Double Wedding Ring Quilt, Meander Publishing Quilt Collection;  High Hopes by Sally Dickinson, at the 2010 Arizona Quilters Guild Show

In school we were taught that there are three primary colors (yellow-blue-red) and three complementary pairs (yellow-violet, blue-orange, and red-green). Now we realize that there are many more hues in the spectrum. Each of the quilts shown above has a different hue of blue, from true blue to aqua, and a different complement that ranges from yellow-orange to orange-red. Color theory should make it easier to create these complementary pairs... but which tool(s) are the best ? 

Color Scheme Designer:   This free web tool will facilitate finding an optimal color palette based on a traditional yellow-blue-red color wheel. Go to Color Scheme Designer and click somewhere on the color wheel to pick a starting color, like Orange, then click on the "Complement" button above the wheel.  You will see the color scheme shown below: 

Once you have a palette, you can even view it in terms of standard Pantone colors; just click on the "color space" tab at the upper right of the screen, as shown below.

 

By playing around with Color Scheme Designer for just a few minutes you can learn a lot about color schemes. For example, try shifting the color wheel towards red and see how the complement shifts, and try out the triadic, analogous and accented analogous schemes!

The Ives Color Wheel, and the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool (3rd edition) by Joen Wolfrom 

The Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool is based on the Ives Color Wheel, below, which is significantly different from the traditional color wheel used in Color Scheme Designer. You can take the 3-in-1 tool to the fabric store, which makes it exceptionally useful; but does the Ives color wheel really make a difference?

click to enlarge the image

The short answer is 'yes'. Joen Wolfrom explains*: "Most of us learned that the primary colors are yellow, red and blue. A color wheel using these three primary colors results in blends not nearly as beautiful or dynamic as the yellow-magenta-turquoise combination used in the Ives Color wheel." Also: "If you used the 24-step color wheel we grew up with, with red, yellow and blue for your complements, you're two steps off. That doesn't make an ugly quilt, but you could use the right color wheel and it would be stunning rather than okay."

Since "stunning" is what we're aiming for, we did an experiment: we started with a tint of aqua blue (slightly lighter than pure aqua blue) which is at about -8- on the Ives wheel. Its complement, which is directly opposite on the wheel, is orange-red (-20-) (below, left).

In contrast, Color Scheme Designer - which is based on a traditional color wheel - predicted an orange-yellow complement (above, right). As Joen says, the two schemes are at least two steps off.  Which one do you prefer? (Leave us a comment).  Now look again at the quilts at the top of the post: they all have complementary color schemes that match the Ives wheel, and the fish quilt uses a stunning aqua blue and orange-red color scheme that is similar to the one in our experiment.  Since the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool now includes HEX, CMYK and RGB formulas, you can cross-reference the Ives hues with all other sites and programs. Now that's cool (er, hot).

Finally, here is a fascinating story about the history of the traditional color wheel, direct from Joen Wolfrom:

"While I was doing research for my upcoming book, Adventures in Design, I found some answers to questions that I have wondered about for a long time. I have always wanted to know where or how the yellow, red, and blue color wheel originated. Here’s what I found in my recent investigation:

The historic color wheel (primaries of yellow, red, and blue) was devised by a small group of artists more than a century ago who felt the need to organize their pigment colors in an understandable fashion to help them with color selection. They placed blobs of color around a circle showing their available pigments. It became popular to make one’s own informal color circle to help organized color, using the various pigments on hand. Eventually a printing house printed a circle of color for artists that offered a logical, easy color reference based on this idea. Hence, this color wheel has been our reference for decades.

Not surprisingly, modern technology has led to new discoveries in color study. The physics of color is a vast field and we should be taking advantage of much of the information that is now available to us, due to color research. Admittedly, it is sometimes hard to say goodbye to old habits. Most of us no longer read by lantern nor cook from a wood stove, although these were the acceptable modes of attaining light and heat when the first color wheel was created. Nature hasn’t changed its way of coloring the world, but with the modern equipment available to us, the way we use color in our homes, our art, and our business can be so much more effective if we use the knowledge of today rather than the rather informal assumptions of yesteryear."

Stay tuned, because we have more cool tools, hot tips and insights to share with you in upcoming posts!

*More links:  You can read about the Ives color wheel - and successful color schemes - in ColorPlay, and listen to an interview with Joen Wolfrom at Penny Halgren's How-to-Quilt site.