Watercolor Quilt
ann...@its.com
so could someone please tell me what a
watercolor quilt is? It sounds beautiful!
Thanks in advance!
Annalea Sommerville
ann...@its.com
Gillian Cannon
|I don't get to read news everyday :~)
|so could someone please tell me what a
|watercolor quilt is? It sounds beautiful!
Hi, Annalea.
I'll answer you since I'm the organizer of the current Watercolor fabric
exchange.
Watercolor Quilts are a totally different philosophy of quilt making.
They are created on a "design board" which is a piece of Pellon fleece
marked in 2" blocks and are composed vertically, since the normal usage
of these is as an "art" quilt or wall hanging rather than a bed quilt.
The theory is based on the impressionists (e.g., Monet) and each quilt
consists of a gazillion (actually 225-500) different pieces of fabric.
Each piece is cut 2" for a 1-1/2" finished size. If you can locate a
copy of the book _Watercolor Quilts_ you will immediately see what is
meant. However, the different philosophy I talk about means that you
have to purge your head of all the ideas you had about quilt fabric.
Watercolor quilts do not allow solids, pin dots, prints that look solid
from a distance, tone-on-tones, harsh geometrics, and high contrast
prints.
Just so you can see what the parameters for the folks who are
participating in the exchange (which are good for an individual to use
as well for choosing fabric) here are the exchange rules.
This is probably more than you ever wanted to know!
This is a re-post of a slightly revised rules.
RULES: (Sorry to sound like a Drill Sergeant here!)
1. You must own or be familiar with the theory of the
Watercolor Quilts, as outlined in the book.
2. You must obtain/purchase/get from your stash 10 different
fabrics in the hue you have been assigned. The fabrics must range
in value from light-light (almost white) to dark-dark (almost
black). Your fabrics must include at least one of each value.
NOTE: If you are assigned YELLOW, these rules about values do not
apply. ANY fabric with yellow in it qualifies, since yellow is
very hard to find. THIS ONLY APPLIES TO THE PERSON WHO IS
ASSIGNED YELLOW.
NOTE #2: The six values are light Lights (almost white), dark
Lights, light Mediums, dark Mediums, light Darks, and dark Darks
(almost black) as discussed on p. 26 of the book _Watercolor
Quilts_.
3. The fabrics must be 100% cotton. You must wash, dry, and
press these fabrics, and cut six 6" squares (please use a rotary
cutter) on the straight of the fabric. Please wash polished
cottons, decorator prints, or chintz twice to remove the shine.
4. DO NOT INCLUDE: Solids, small prints that look solid from a
distance, small scale prints, tone-on-tones, symmetrical plaids,
geometric stripes, monotonic prints. Do not include prints with
large areas of pure white background--it will not blend. High
contrast prints are difficult to incorporate in the quilt.
5. INCLUDE: Multicolor medium- and large-scale prints. Prints
with "neutral" backgrounds, i.e., cream, beige, navy, black.
Novelty prints, tropicals, batiks, juveniles are acceptable.
HINTS: Hint #1: Use the background color or predominant color
to determine whether it fits in your assigned hue. Some prints
may have two or three dominant colors and can be used to fulfill
the requirements of several different colorways.
Hint #2: For about a quarter you can obtain a red
transparent report cover from most bookstores or stationery
stores. This makes a great red lens for determining color values,
and it's cheap besides! In the color theory class I took 4/9, the
instructor said that she uses a green transparent cover on the
warm colors to determine value (just another 25 cent outlay).
Hint #3 (Values again, which seem to be one of the
biggest bugaboos). Take your fabric, put it in order from
lightest value to darkest, jog it 1/2" or so and put face down on
a photocopy machine (NOT COLOR COPIER). Push the button. You
will easily see in the photocopy the relative values of all the
fabrics and can make adjustments.
COMPLETING THE EXCHANGE:
1. Make six packets of 6" Squares in the ten different fabrics
covering six values in the color you are assigned. Mail them on
or before the due date to the other 6 members of your exchange.
DISCLAIMER: I am organizing this exchange as a volunteer effort.
I am not responsible either for the success or failure of the
exchange or any individual's part of it. If you cannot complete
your part of the exchange, please let me know ASAP so that your
spot can be filled.
Gillian, in San Juan Capistrano, CA
* SLMR 2.1a * I made Vice Admiral in charge of Vice!