Simple shapes, by Diana and Laura

California artists Diana McClun and Laura Nownes have been working together since the 1980's, when their first book Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! was born.  With over one million copies sold to date, this book is often referred to as "the bible" of quiltmaking.  Many of Diana and Laura's patterns are suitable for strip piecing, jelly rolls and other confections.... here are just a few of our favorites.

Sparkling Spools,  by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes, Laura Nownes.com

We love simple patterns that look spectacular. "Sparkling spools" is just one of Diana and Laura's Simply Strip Pieced Patterns.

Bow Tie, 64 x 80", by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes, Laura Nownes.com

This easy to piece classic pattern focuses more on the placement of light and dark fabrics rather than the bow tie design, and it looks posititvely modern in this design. Imagine the fabric possibilities !

Origami Pinwheels, by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes, Laura Nownes.com

These pinwheels are so elegant and clever..the look of a traditional Japanese design is achieved without fabric folding!

You can find Diana and Laura's entire line of patterns at Laura Nownes.com.   Here are a few more of our favorites: The Big Tumble (which we featured in our 2010 series on Tumbling Block Quilts); Sensu (fan); Strippy Stripes; Bamboo and Pinwheels; and Pinwheels in my Garden.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Laura Nownes. You also can find Laura at the See How We Sew blog.

Look to the rainbow

Why are rainbows so appealing? For one thing, the colors of the rainbow create visual harmony when placed together (a "six tone chord" in color theory). And then there's the symbolism of the rainbow, denoting hope and prosperity, and inspiring many songs and movies (including Over The Rainbow, Finian's Rainbow, and Rainbow Connection, among others). If you like rainbows and quilts, as we do, then we think you'll like today's post. We've curated an inspiring collection of quilts in rainbow shades, in a wide range of styles and designs. At the end of the post we're also revealing some of our favorite fabrics, color wheels, and some fantastic color matching tools (and we'd love to hear about your favorites, too...)

Pinwheels, 47 x 47, by Martha Tsihlas, Del Sol Quilts



Martha Tsihlas is a quilter and fiber artist in Austin, Texas, whose outstanding work has been featured in galleries and in juried exhibits, including Textile Twists in 2010. Her Big as Texas quilt graced the cover of the fiber arts exhibit at the Texas State History Museum. We love "Pinwheels", an original Martha Tsihlas design, which features interlocking pinwheels in all colors of the rainbow. Each hue is represented in several different shades and textures, adding further interest to this beautiful quilt. For more information on Martha Tsihlas and her artwork, visit her blog, here.

Batik Wheel Dance, 45 x 56, by Carol C. Britt, as seen at Sew What Fabrics & Batiks, Etc.



In the beautiful Batik Wheel Dance, above, the colors of the rainbow are arranged in diagonal bands, and each color subtly blends into the next. The overlapping circles look like Cathedral Windows, but are made on the machine! The totally ingenious pattern, called Circular Patchwork, was designed by Carol C. Britt, who is the owner of Sew What Fabrics & Batiks, Etc. Also see the Island Batik Color Wheel Collection, later in this post.

Northern Lights, by Joen Wolfrom, at JWD Publishing



When it comes to color, Joen Wolfrom wrote the books (literally). Here we're showing "Northern Lights", which is one of Joen's classic designs. The lustrous effect is created by subtle value changes—using light to dark hues in each block, creating a wonderful sense of depth. We've seen this pattern done in black and white, too, with stunning results. Also note the beautiful sun-shaped quilting design, which is visible at the top of the quilt. To read about the pattern, visit JWD Publishing.

Flying Around the World, 48 x 60, by Liz Schwartz & Stephen Seifert, at eQuiltPatterns



We love the fact that this design team has created patterns inspired by the simple elegance of Amish designs. Amish quilts are known for their pure color play, in which simple shapes in solid colors are arranged against a dark background. "Flying Around the World", above, is reminiscent of a traditional Trip Around the World quilt, but with the visual effect of an op-art painting. The pattern can be obtained here; to see more designs, visit eQuiltPatterns. (For a contemporary rainbow quilt, also see "Cool Rainbow Weave", at Quilts With Style).

Skewed Nine Patch, 53.25 x 52.5, by Janes Wilson, at Jane's Quilts



Jane Wilson (Brisbane, Australia), has come up with a sensational "Skewed Nine Patch" quilt in a rainbow of colors. There are 100 different nine patch blocks, and each block is constructed of three different fabrics; the blocks are surrounded by a grid of navy blue sashing. The skewed lines of the blocks create vertical and horizontal movement and a lively pattern. We also love the back of the quilt, shown below, which has one enormous skewed nine patch block (it's a work of art, in and of itself!) For more details, and to see the quilt at her online store, visit Jane's Quilts. (Note added 2-5-2011: this website is no longer active)



Shazam, 27 X 37, by Linda Everhart, Quilting Among Friends



Linda Everhart is a designer and nationally-known teacher. Her dynamic rainbow quilt, above, has circles and ovals that zoom out from the background; a flock of flying geese that travel from corner to corner; and a border of rainbow squares, reminiscent of a film-strip. To facilitate the construction of quilts like "Shazam", Linda has developed a neat technique called FUSIQUE®: a raw-edge reverse fusing method that enables speedy assembly. For the pattern, visit Quilting Among Friends. (Note: although the quilt may or may not be inspired by the ancient wizard of the same name, we like the story of 'Shazam': S stands for the wisdom of Solomon...)

Pizzazz, by Joen Wolfrom, JWD Publishing



"Pizzazz", above, is a dazzling half-rainbow quilt that reflects a brilliant design by Joen Wolfrom. Of course there is color: the radiant colors move subtly from yellow to violet in diagonal bands. And then there is movement: the bands of color create undulating waves. And then there is the construction: this quilt’s block is constructed with four shapes and only three straight seams. The "waves" are an optical illusion created by straight piecing lines that intersect at wide angles, resulting in a gentle zig-zag pattern that ripples across the quilt. Finally, there is another illusion: the arrangement of dark and light values of the triangles within each block creates a three-dimensional appearance, similar to a pyramid. For more information, visit the Pizzazz webpage; to see all Joen Wolfrom Designs, click here.

Garden Rainbow Quilt, 82 x 76, by Roberta Horton for Kaffe Fassett, as seen at Tennessee Quilts



"Garden Rainbow", by Roberta Horton, is one of the lovely quilts featured in Kaffe Fassett's Country Garden Quilts book. Although the pattern is straightforward, there is genius in simplicity: the horizontal stripes are comprised of floral prints in a muted rainbow of colors, while the vertical stripes are comprised of matching florals, solids and stripes laid in an alternating dark/light brick pattern, giving the appearance of a complex geometric design. Tennessee Quilts has the complete quilt kit, as well as the kits for dozens of other Kaffe Fassett quilts and, of course, Fassett's fabrics.

Color Wheel Quilt, 56 x 56, by Joelle Hoverson, at Purl



This clever quilt has become a design sensation ever since it appeared on the Purl Bee. The project is from the book "Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson, the co-owner of Purl Soho. The colorful bundles of fabrics, below, contain 52 different cotton prints to assemble the color wheel (or use them in another colorful project!) See the original description of the quilt at The Purl Bee and the updated version of the fabric bundles here. The book can be found here.



Color tools and other fantastic finds

In honor of color wheels, rainbow quilts - and quilters everywhere - here are a few of the color matching tools and products we love:

3-in-1 color tool, by Joen Wolfrom

In 2002 Joen Wolfrom developed the 3-in-1 Color Tool for selecting colors and fabrics; you can just take it along to the fabric store to find fabrics that work together. It's been called "indispensable", which pretty much sums it up. For details and product reviews, visit C&T Publishing, here.

Island Batik Color Wheel Collection, as seen at Batiks Etc. & Sew What Fabrics



These beautiful cotton batiks are available in handy fat quarter bundles: 25 fat quarters in cool colors and 24 fat quarters in warm colors.

Hoffman Bali Color Fan, as seen at Batiks Plus



This is impressive: a color fan with a tiny swatch of all the Hoffman Bali batiks; there are over 300 colors. The color fan is available at Batiks Plus.

Fabricmatcher, at Moda Fabrics

Moda Fabricmatcher is an extremely clever online tool for finding fabrics in particular colors: and it is easy and fun to use. Just two clicks and you're there - there's no program to learn! Fabricmatcher will either match fabrics to a color you pick from a large palette (see color matcher), or it will identify key colors from a photo, then allow you to search for fabrics based on the key colors (see upload an image.) We selected a photo of red begonias from our photo album, and here's what we got (click on the screenshot image, below, to see a larger view):



Not bad! Keep in mind that the tool detects an average for each color. The green leaves in the photo - which were partly in the shadow - showed up as a very dark green, but the orange-red flowers are well matched. The next step would be to select one of the five colors, a theme, designer and collection, and Moda will show all of the fabrics that match. To try it yourself, click here (and let us know what you think!)

Image credits: All images are used with permission of the artists.

Spiked!

Batiks and stars: a match made in heaven

We love batiks, and we suspect we're not alone. Thus we've been on a quest - an odyssey, you might say - to hunt down the types of patterns that really showcase the overwhelming beauty of batik fabrics. We came up seeing...stars. The spiky points of the stars provide numerous opportunities for the eye to perceive the color contrasts in these designs. Visual advisory: you may need sunglasses!

Tropical Whimsy, 75 x 95, by Kristi L. Parker, at Chicken Soup Designs



Twelve brightly colored mariner's compass stars adorn this sunny quilt, designed by Kristi Parker. The stars are interspersed with tropical leaves, which are appliqued on a sunny yellow background. Meanwhile, playful geckos scamper around the blue-green border. The centers of the stars have modern motifs, including spirals, zigzags, and circles. The tropical motifs fit perfectly with the look and feel of the batik fabrics, and has us dreaming of the tropics. For the pattern, see Chicken Soup Designs.


4th of July, 54 x 71, by Judy Niemeyer



The 4th of July quilt by Judy Niemeyer, above, is a star in the quilting world (pun intended). The six inner star blocks, which are divided into quadrants that are offset from each other, have concentric rings as in a fireworks display; each ring is made of a different type of star. Hoffman Batiks were used to make the quilt, which has over 400 paper-pieced star points (but who's counting?) You can even see the quilt in different color combinations, using a flash animated feature called color-changing quilts. For the pattern, see Judy Niemeyer Quilting at the Quiltworx website, here.


Check Out The Stars, 64 x 80, by Marilyn Foreman, at Quilt Moments



The beautiful quilt by Marilyn Foreman, above, uses 28 luscious Artisan Batiks, including apricot, blueberry, cranberry, cherry, and other flavors (er, colors). The stars, squares, four-patch blocks and half-square triangles are cleverly arranged in groupings of complementary colors and values, creating eye-pleasing patterns. The pattern, which appears to be complex, is simple to piece. The pattern for "Check Out the Stars" can be obtained at Quilt Moments.


The Colourful Quilt, 53 x 53, by Jacqueline de Jonge, at Be Colourful



In designing "The Colourful Quilt", above, Jacqueline de Jonge has fulfilled the promise of her design studio's name: Be Colourful. This quilt has it all: curved shapes, New York beauty arches, and flying geese, which whirl around the stars. The quilt was done in Hoffman batiks, and Jacqueline says that the fabrics themselves inspired her design. You can read about "The Colourful Quilt", and see it in more colors and colours, on the website here. The website also lists sources of Jacqueline's fantastic patterns.


Heat Wave, 43 x 43, by Norma Schlager



Norma Schlager is an award-winning fiber artist whose quilts are often distinguished by their use of saturated hues and vivid contrast, as in "Heat Wave", above. This magnificent quilt, with its undulating waves and New York Beauty stars, was a first Place winner and Judge’s Choice Award at the Vermont Quilt Festival. We love the diagonal setting, which adds a dynamic quality to the design. You can read about the quilt, and view details of the precision piecing, at Norma's website (click on the gallery called Heat). Also, you can read about her explorations in fiber art on her blog, here.

Spiral Lone Star, by Jan P. Krentz



There are not enough adjectives to describe "Spiral Lone Star" by Jan Krentz, above, so we'll stick with: dazzling. The quilt is a marriage between a Texas star and a New York Beauty. Stars adorn all four corners of the quilt, and burst forth from the inner corners of the Texas star. A purple spiral cuts a swath through the orange Texas star, providing added visual excitement. The quilt is featured in the book and dvd by Jan Krentz, entitled "Lone Star Quilts and Beyond".

Nine Beauties Dancing, 63 x 63, by Nicole Gunson for Pieceful Expressions



We love "Nine Beauties Dancing", above, which is an original design by Nicole Gunson. Nicole combined and redrafted two different blocks - New York Beauty and Glorified Nine Patch - to create a modern, playful design unlike any we've seen. Circles surround the stars, giving a kaleidoscope appearance to the quilt. The beautiful batiks, which are in cool shades of blue, blue-green and violet with pink accents, are enhanced by the black background, which sets off the curves and the points of the stars and nine patch blocks. This winning pattern can be obtained at Pieceful Expressions.

Rays of Hope and Royal Radiance, by Carol Doak





At times, beauty lies in simplicity. Carol Doak's "Rays of Hope" and "Royal Radiance", above, are simply elegant. The beauty of the stars themselves is enhanced by the batik fabrics and royal blue backgrounds. To view "Royal Radiance", see Carol's gallery, here; to read about Rays of Hope, click here. In addition, Carol has written a book on Mariner's Compass Star designs, featuring 24 different star patterns: a wealth of inspiration.


Image Credits and Links

Tropical Whimsy, courtesy of Kristi L. Parker at Chicken Soup Designs.

Check Out The Stars, courtesy of Marilyn Foreman at Quilt Moments

The Colourful Quilt, courtesy of Be Colourful in the Netherlands

Heat Wave, courtesy of Norma Schlager. Her fiber art can be seen on her website and at Fiber Revolution.

Nine Beauties Dancing, courtesy of Pieceful Expressions.

Rays of Hope and Royal Radiance, courtesy of Carol Doak.

Resplendent: the works of Jayne Townsend

When we came across the embroidered batiks of Jayne Townsend, we were astounded by their beauty, and wanted to share it with our readers. Jayne is a UK-based artist and design teacher who is based in the Peak District in Derbyshire. Jayne's work is currently on exhibit at the gallery at Buxton Gardens.

The main elements of her designs are produced in hand-dyed batiks, which are then richly embellished with multicolored embroidery, beads, and sequins. The final result is often reminiscent of filigree, rendered in fabric.


Maternal Heart, 2008



Landmark Patterns, 2007



Isabella's Heart, 2006



Detail of Isabella's Heart



Jayne notes that she does not always plan her work, preferring to let it grow and develop in a more organic way. "The style of my work is constantly changing... I have acquired a sewing machine as the hand embroidery took so long!" To see more of Jayne's embroidered batiks and other works, visit her website here.

Beautiful Batik

Hope you all like color because my latest piece is almost dripping color!

It's another patchwork table runner, (or wall hanging if you prefer) this time done in assorted batik fabrics. (Actually, one of those fabrics pictured above is not a batik but a commercial print... anyone spot it?)


I rarely use batik fabrics yet am highly attracted to them. These two factors have helped me, over the years, to amass a nice little stash of the beauties and I thought that they would be perfect to finally use in some runners.


I am really enjoying working in this style of patchwork and quilting. Maybe it is the former weaver in me but I find myself very intrigued by this closely spaced, straight line quilting. I am definitely going to be doing more!


This Quilted Patchwork Batik Table Runner is now available for sale in my shop.

Also, I received my first order from Spoonflower, (Heaven help, me I like it!) Will post it next time around.
Till then, have a great day everyone!

P.S. A mighty big thanks for all the kind words and support from my last post. You are a wonderful group of people!