Bella Valora: Exploring the Color Wheel and Value

While teaching my Bella pattern class in October I had a student who did a different color scheme than I had explored. I have made 6-7 Bella quilts either using a one color (monochromatic) or a multicolor color scheme. I have another pattern and class I teach called "Fifteen Shades of Gray" which is the third photo in this blog. It has 15 very light to medium values of gray with three bright coordinating batiks as the applique colors for a different portrait quilt project. The student selected 24-25 gray squares and one color (blue) for the applique. This gave me the idea to combine the gray values from the Fifteen Shades of Gray pattern with the Bella pattern but instead of only one color applique I did a multicolor/color wheel color scheme. I chose warm colors (reds, oranges and yellows) for the hair and cool colors (blues, greens, turquoise and purples) for the facial features. I chose one white tone-on-tone fabric and 24 values of gray in this project. I placed the lightest values near the face and faded to darker values away from the face. I did separate the chin/neck/lower hair pattern into two sections because I wanted both blue violet and purple. My favorite color is pink so I put both magenta and pink in the hair applique. I added a gold for a small hair strand and would not do that again but use yellow orange instead like I used in the small curls in the lower part of the hair. I thought the YO was prettier than the gold.

The construction of the quilt is the same as the other Bella quilts. I changed the thread color for each coordinating piece of applique and used the same thread color to add quilting to the areas near the applique piece. I quilted the gray background/face/neck with a light gray thread.

I embellished with a blue nail polish on the open area of the mouth-turquoise glitter was added to the eyelid area. I glued a few rhinestones in the left sided background area. I auditioned hair flowers and beads for a necklace as I did in some of the other Bella quilts but it looked tacky and busy. I repeated the multicolor in the cute striped binding fabric.

Valora is the feminine version of the Italian word for value.

My Bella pattern is available from my website at www.laurieceesay.com.

This is Bella Chroma which explores the colors of the color wheel. Still one of my favorite color schemes!

This is the sample for my Fifteen Shades of Gray Class which is smaller at 12' square. Bella is 22.5" square.

I learned my students inspire me and see colors in a different way and it's all good to feed creativity off of each other!

Bella Inverta: Reversing Values

I made this quilt as part of my teaching demo at the International Quilt Festival in Chicago in June. It began with a Moda Charm Pack called Soho Chic. The top fabric was the one in the upper right hand corner of the quilt. I fell in love with the chartreuse, eggplant, teal and dark pink. When I started choosing the 25 squares for the quilt I picked all the light ones and really disliked what was happening. Then I realized there were "darks" and :lights" but no "mediums" which was a lesson in VALUE! I usually pick the lights and mediums for the pieced background and use a dark coordinating batik for the applique. I set those light prints aside for the binding and grabbed the rich colored dark squares that I loved from the beginning. But then what do I use for the applique so it is visible? I reversed it and went with a light color to get optimum CONTRAST! I purchased a piece to cream batik and it reminds me of a photo negative. I name my quilt series Bella (good in Italian) ... Negative seemed, well, negative so I tried the word reverse in Italian and it was "inverto" which I switched to the female "inverta" hence the name of the quilt.

 This photo shows some of the many trims, beads, baubles and flowers I had auditioned as embellishments for this quilt. These are the rejects. I chose some lime green rhinestones for the background, some hot pink glitter nail polish for the mouth, hot pink loose glitter on the eyelid and instead of my usual white reflection dot on the eye I "reversed" with a dark brownish purple.  Then I had some fun jewel tone Christmas garland I took apart and hand sewed the sequins to the outside of the binding for some bling. These large sequins remind me of the winter hats we used to wear in the winter as children! (a baby boomer moment!)

 This is one on the original style Bella quilts with a colorful background with black applique.  Bella Chroma.

And this quilt called Bella Rosa (pink in Italian.) This monochromatic color scheme is a great way to have a VALUE study.

This quilt is now a pattern and is available on my website www.laurieceesay.com

SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) 2014 Auction Piece

I have been a SAQA member for a few years and they do an art quilt auction beginning in September of each year to raise funds. They ask any of the members to donate an original art quilt piece 12" x12" and I created this piece I call "Human Harmony."

The deadline was extended from June 1st to June 15th and that gave me enough time to make something for the auction.

I started with the red batik with purple and gray gears. I felt like working with darker skin tones and blonde hair-as interesting combo but if it's good enough for RuPaul it's good enough for me!! I added the word harmony because I was being social/political in my mind while I was creating this and it spoke to be about human/racial harmony.

I embellished with two different yellow nail polishes for in the hair, one polish on the lips and another purple nail polish on the eyelids. I added rhinestones to simulate actual jewelry and a bit of white fabric paint on the eyes.

I'm glad they expended the deadline so I could commit to the SAQA auction project!

 

 

A Sunny Disposition

 I made this wall hanging for two reasons. One, Studio Arts Quilters Association was having a themed exhibit called Color Wheel of Emotions and, second, when I teach color I always talk about limiting the use of yellow in it's true hue because it will overpower other colors. So I was thinking if all the colors of the quilt were yellow then they would complement and not compete with each other. I have made this pattern three times before and love it so I used it again!! I have 25 VALUES of yellow and positioned them so the lighter ones are where the face applique will lay and the rest of the yellows fade to the darker shades toward the left side of the picture. I embellished the quilt with yellow and gold rhinestones in the background,  gold beads and a yellow felt button for the necklace, a silk flower in the hair, gold glitter on the lips and bead work on the cheek in the shape of a sun. I machine quilted sun motifs on the face as well. I am a sunlight person and I love certain songs with sun or sunny in the name. This quilt did not make the cut for the SAQA exhibit-there were over 260 entries and only 19 were chosen. I don't really care because I love my little sunshine quilt and I can also use it for my "Color Is Our Friend" class/lectures and for my design classes as an example of a monochromatic color scheme.

This photo is a close up of the face. I found this great batik for the hazel eye color-it looks like a real iris! The fabrics make me smile because they are so happy!! I chose to use brown as my applique color instead of my usual black because I thought it seemed softer than black but still provided contrast to the yellows.