Quilts and Creativity

Intensity is probably the least understood of the three elements of color (hue, value, and intensity). Intensity refers to how bright a color is: does it shock you into needing sunglasses? That’s an intense fabric. Does the fabric fade into the background so much you don’t even notice it? That’s a dull fabric. (Dull here doesn’t mean boring or unattractive, simply less intense.

Guess which color is the most intense? It’s the color almost all quilters dread using: yellow. A beautiful, yet misunderstood hue. She is often left alone on the store shelves or in your stash because quilter’s fear it will overwhelm all their other gorgeous fabrics.

Brown is the opposite, an inherently dull color that almost everyone feels comfortable using. The most intense color combination is yellow and black (think of traffic signs like merge, or the yellow stripes on black pavement. Road crews use those colors because they are intense and get your attention.)

The first step to using intense colors is buying a range of intensities. Quilt shops actually carry fewer bolts of yellow than any other color (with purple not far behind) so it’s not easy to find brights, mediums, and dulls in certain colors. But persist, because the ability to use a duller version of an intense color can be the secret to a successful color combination.

The second step is to use less of an intense color. That is what most quilters intuitively do: if they use yellow, they use a small amount. If it’s an intense version of yellow, that’s the smart move. Otherwise, remember you can select a duller version and include more.

The third step is to strategically place the intense colors around the quilt. If you mass the intense colors in one location, they draw your eye there, demanding “Look at me!” and the rest of your quilt gets ignored. The better way to handle intense colors is to use them to your advantage: put a piece at the top left, center, and bottom right, guiding the viewer’s eye throughout your quilt.

Now you get to play in your color journal.

1. Cut swatches from one color family: select the color in which you have the biggest stash, so you have lots to choose from.
2. Separate the swatches into three piles: intense, medium, and dull.
3. Within each pile, sort the swatches from the most intense to the most dull.
4. Paste your swatches down into your color journal.

Extra credit: try some classic color combinations using different intensities: red/green complements, blue/yellow analogous, and blue/white are just a few suggestions. See how intensity affects the color combinations and which you like best. Why?

Share This

Complementary colors are those across from, or opposite each other on the color wheel. When you place complementary colors next to each other in a quilt, they have high contrast, meaning they stand out from one another. The classic complementary color scheme is red and green. Most of us gravitate toward that color scheme naturally during the
month of December, without ever realizing that combining those two colors follows the principles of the color wheel. Here is my Christmas quilt from 2005 that I have hanging over my staircase bannister:

The quilt below is my “Ode to Joy,” a celebration of poppies in the spring. I used the red/green complementary colors, and notice how vibrant the quilt is and how well the poppy stands out from the background (grasses in the field).

So how does this apply to making your quilt? Complementary colors make a high-energy quilt. They also provide instant contrast, a necessary element if you are using a block that needs to stand out from the background. Examples include star blocks, Irish Chain, Bow Tie, or anything else with an obvious representational design in the block. Imagine using fabrics that blended together if you were creating a Lone Star quilt. What a waste it would be to do all that that cutting on the bias and precise piecing, only to have the star fade into the background.

What about other color combinations? Blue and orange are also complements. Before you say “yuck,” envision a field of pumpkins against a blue sky, or squash soup in a blue ceramic bowl. Also yellow and violet are complements, but you see them used together less often. Winter pansies offer up that color combination straight from nature.

Work a couple of these complementary color schemes in your color journal by doing this:

1. Select a favorite color from the color wheel.
2. Go directly opposite that color on the wheel to locate it’s complement.
3. Go to your stash and cut fabric swatches for both colors. You can even pick several swatches for each color to really add variety.
4. Paste them down in your color journal and title the page “Complementary Color Scheme.”

Extra Credit: See if you find one piece of fabric in your stash that contains both of your complementary colors. Kaffe Fassett creates stunning fabrics by including several shades of one color with a bit of its complement thrown in.

If you are enjoying these lessons, check out my class Color Wheel Recipes. I teach this class at Sew Memorable in Dawsonville, GA and I’m available to teach to groups. I’d love to visit you and your guild.

Share This