Highlighter Rocks with Sunflowers & Lemons

February 12, 2016

Happy Friday!

This week really flew by...Quilt Con is just around the corner and I am just about ready to go. A few more bundles to fold this weekend. Today I wanted to share with you my Highlighter Rocks with Sunflowers & Lemons Quilt.

Highlighter is Kona Cottons Color of the Year!

I found photographs a huge inspiration for my Highlighter quilt since the color was so hard for me to grasp. It makes me pucker and smile at the same time. By looking for photographs that used that color it started me thinking about palettes to play with. I came across an abstract painting with yellows and grays, drawings of lemons, sunflowers and yellow doors.

These photos inspired the palette and then I began playing with ideas for design. I carry an embroidered pouch with me full of colorful rocks and it got me started on the “rock” idea for the quilt. Rocks of course, because they are gray and that was a part of the palette. Inspiration can come from so many different things and when all those little bits come together a quilt design emerges. Next came pulling together the gray rocks and the yellow stripped background to give the quilt subtle lines and movement - similar to the color essence in the abstract paintings. The goal was to balance out the intensity of Highlighter but still make it the dominate color of the quilt. The top is just part of the quilt, quilting can stand out or blend in depending on your motif and color of thread. I wanted a little of both because I just had to quilt sunflowers and lemons.

This is a free pattern at Robert Kaufman...soon! Like in the next week they will have it up to download.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments about Mystic and all the blogs that I did this last month about Morocco. I loved getting to share all of it with you.

Have a great weekend!!

XOXO

Valori

PS The 3 bundle winners have been emailed.....

The Souks of Marrakesh...

February 1, 2016

The Souks....

A combination the entire Mystic collection and Kona Cottons.....

The Souks is the open air marketplace in the medina (center) of Marrakesh.... it is a maze of tiny stalls and vendors with every possible product you could need....I barely touched the surface of the Souks and was a little confused as to where I was but after a couple of visits I was able to find my way around. It is one of the most interesting aspects to the city...people watching...smells.... colors.... textures.... sounds...it hits every sense and then some. The souks may seem confusing but they are very well organized by product.... dyers area, food, leather, etc. The strips in the design of the quilt connect to each other in some places but not quite in others creating a maze sort of feel but yet it is very organized it felt like the Souks.

My quilting is a maze of quilting to showcase the Souks....

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Souks....

This would be one of my favorites!!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of my trip to Morocco....the trip changed my life and I am so very grateful!!!

Last weeks bundle winner.... Jenny (you have been emailed)!

Ok - I have three fat 1/4 bundles of the entire collection of Mystic.... leave a comment and next week I will announce the winners!!!

Have a great week!!

XOXO

Valori

Mystic Blue

January 22, 2016

Happy Friday!!!

It is a beautiful blue sky day here in Sisters...perfect day to share with you my Mystic Blue quilt that is made out of the blue palette in the Mystic collection and Kona Cottons.

This quilt is a mixture of design elements seen in the rugs and the variety of blues you experience while visiting Morocco.

I already love blue... and now I am completely enamored by blue....

I really enjoyed quilting this quilt... embracing the solid areas for Moroccan elements of design.

Mystic Blue will be a Sewing Card available late January.

And now for Moroccan blue inspiration....

The Riad Idra in Marrakesh.

The doors...

Amy and I....

Jardins Majorelle - this garden was incredible with the marjorelle blue everywhere.

How could you not fall in love with blue!??

The winner of the last blog post is Ann (you have been emailed)...

A bundle of blue Mystic up for a giveaway... Just leave a comment and the winner will be picked on Tuesday....

XOXO

Valori

Flying Carpet

January 8, 2016

Happy Saturday....

This is Flying Carpet, one of the four quilts made out of Mystic Fabric, for Robert Kaufman.

Flying Carpet was inspired by the rugs and carpets in Morocco.

The variety of styles and colors were amazing....each style representing a tribe or area in Morocco.

No rug was exactly the same because they were usually made by one woman - their skills passed down from generation to generation and no pattern is used just their knowledge. I loved that you could see two rugs from the same village with similar patterns still be very different.

I had to include this cute little guy. Kitties are well revered in Morocco... they take care of the rodents since most of the markets and homes are open air. You will find them everywhere.... I was in heaven.

In honor of Flying Carpet I am giving away a fat 1/4 bundle of the "extract" palette....just leave a comment below and the winner will be chosen on Monday. My manor of choosing winners is not scientific, I collect the number of comments (say 35) and write them on little pieces of paper and let one of the kids draw. So it really is quite random. Don't worry this isn't your only chance to win....I will be giving away a bundle of fabric with each quilt.

Hope you have a great weekend!

xoxo

Valori

The flying carpet pattern will be available mid January from The Stitchin' Post.

Interrupting the silence...

November 12, 2015

I am interrupting the recent silence on my blog (haha) to talk about a friend of mine’s new book. I am very lucky to be friends with some amazing people in our industry and Sarah Filke is one of them. Sarah is a resident of Australia. She came and taught at Quilter’s Affair last summer and was given rave reviews from her students.

I am excited to share with you her new book… Old Quilts, New Life

In this book Sarah selected 9 quilts from the American Folk Art Museum in New York and used them as the inspiration for her 18 quilts. She asked me if I had a favorite antique quilt that I would like to share…. Why yes I do!

I love this quilt! The contrasting fabric used in the chevrons intrigued me. I loved the varying widths of the rows and how the fabrics were all over the place but the way they are arranged made the quilt work. (I was privileged to see it in person at the Houston International Quilt Show in the Kaffe Fassett showcase.) I was so inspired by this quilt and my recent collection of fabric Mystic, inspired by Morocco, that I had to make something.

My something is this….

The Souks

The souks are the market place in the center of Marrakesh that I enjoyed winding through, finding treasures and seeing the craftsmen at work. The colors are vivid and the smell at times intense but so full of life I found myself sucked into a magical place.

The antique chevron quilt was a maze of color but yet felt organized…. That is the Souks!

Stay tuned for more about the Souks of Marrakesh and the new Mystic fabric!

Valori

Around the World Blog Tour...

December 8, 2014

Around the World Blog Tour...

Sue Spargo invited me to play in the tour.... Sue is a very talented lady and someone I admire.

This is Sue's recent class on Craftsy....Embroidery Texture and Dimension by Hand

Her embroidery and applique inspire me to be free when I create. Taking risks with mixing mediums and techniques.... Which fits right into what I am creating in my studio.

The studio is very busy and very messy....I wish I had a cleaning fairy! Fabric is exploding in here as I received all my Ashton Road fabric. I am thinking that I need to cut some off and give it away....wink, wink!

My new collection of fabric for Robert Kaufman - In The Bloom - will release at the end of the month. I am working hard in the studio with my sample yardage, creating quilts and projects to photograph and create a look book for the release of the fabric....

I can only give you sneak peak.....I promise to share more once the fabric is released. I am so, so, so excited about this collection.

I spent the weekend in Seattle with my girls and my mom. I was teaching at a shop - The Quilting Loft - in Seattle. It was so fun to be with Olivia and Violette experiencing all of the new things a city can offer...staying at a hotel in downtown, the American Girl Doll store, the Spaceneedle, Chihuly glass garden and of course Pike Street Market...I loved every second.

Teaching Silk Screening out of my new book....My Life in Fabric

Pictures from my class on Saturday. We had so much fun printing and playing with color.

My new work fills me with so much joy....teaching the silk screening class reminds me to do what I love and my work will show it.

My desire to work is as much about me as it is about my family.....they inspire me to be better at everything I do and everything I am....

Traveling this weekend with these two filled me with so much love and happiness I know I can do anything...they are my world.

My wish for you is inspiration and love.....to enjoy every moment!

Valori

Colored Happy....

November 19, 2014

I am very excited to introduce you to Colored Happy... My quilt for the Kona 30th Anniversay.

I absolutely LOVE this quilt. Several years ago I found this magazine clipping of pillows that I thought would make a great quilt. The images has been tacked to my inspiration board ever since.

With all the 303 Kona Colors this was th perfect design to play with color. I fell in love with the new Kona solids and used them as my starting off point. The block itself is very easy to construct. It was a matter of playing with color. I choose 8 different color stories for the 25 blocks. This meant one of the color stories would have 3 blocks. I felt like this would set the balance of color just perfectly. (and I have a thing for odd numbers)

My biggest challenge Colored Happy was the quilting.....it is one of my favorite parts of the quilting process. There are times I run into a wall on what designs to quilt. I wanted to have the quilting add to the color and design of the quilt but not take over. With the variety of colors in the quilt how could I just pick one color to quilt with....I couldn't, so there are lots of colors in the quilting. The quilting designs are a mixture of "pebbles", curved organic shapes, and funky flowers.

The Kona 30th Anniversary Look Book....

Check out all of the beautiful quilts made by fabulous designers for the Kona 30th Anniversary Celebration.

The folks at Robert Kaufman are generously giving away Kona Charm pack with each blog posting over the 30 days. I picked the packet of new colors to give away to some lucky reader. Just leave a comment and you will go into a drawing to win this beauty....A great start to making Colored Happy. Colored Happy is a free pattern that can be downloaded from Robert Kaufman. (the give away is open for 24 hours starting at 10 a.m. pacific time Wednesday, November 19, 2014)

Have a great day!!!

Valori

Craftsy.....

June 2, 2014

I am so excited to announce my July Mystery class with Craftsy....

Come check it out......

I hope to see you in the class in July!!!

Have a great day!!!

Valori

Color of the Week... Pink Nectar

April 17, 2014

Pink Nectar

Pink Nectar.... I always think of spring when I see this color. The pink blossoms are an invitation to daydream of Summer and my garden in bloom.

Enjoy your spring day!

I have some beautiful bundles of Blueprint Basics from Robert Kaufman looking for a good home.....

Leave a comment on this blog and you could win....

XOXO

Have a great day!

Valori

Quill photo shoot & look book

January 16, 2014

Good Morning.....

The response to Quill and Blueprint Basics has been amazing....I am so proud of these collections and to be a part of Robert Kaufman.

I thought I would share the look book I created from the Quill photo shoot.... I hope you like it! I will have new projects and patterns in the spring just in time for Quilt Market!

If you haven't checked out Robert Kaufman web site you should... they have my videos up also that give you a little insight into my work on these collections. We are getting the fabrics up on our web site, Stitchin Post, for pre-orders..... YEAH!

Have a great day...

Valori

PS the free pattern downloads in the look book will be available in February.

Valori Wells + Robert Kaufman = LOVE!

January 9, 2014

So so so excited to announce that I am a designer for Robert Kaufman Company. My debut collections... yep 2 of them... were released today.

I thought I would give a little teaser of the collections and if you want or I should say need more check out Robert Kaufmans web site....I will also be posting lots of fun projects out of the collections on this blog.

The first collection is Quill...

This is the Journey Quilt made out of Quill and my other new collection Blueprint Basics. The dress is the Sondy dress.... out of Quill knit! Journey will be a free pattern this spring!

This quilt is Plume... it features Generous...my main design in the Quill Collection. The yummy pillows are out of the Quill Linen....essex linen! So wonderful to work with!

And now for the beginning of my basics collection.... Blueprint Basics....they will be released in four seasons...

This is Spring!

There will be more to come.... but alas I am waiting in the airport getting ready to fly to San Diego for the TNNA show - it is a yarn market. Should be fun to get out of town for a few days.... after all of this hard work and anticipation of the release of Quill and Blueprint.....

Have a great weekend!

Valori

Bridgette Lane projects...

October 25, 2013

As promised lots of great projects from Bridgette Lane. My sweet girl, Olivia, was my model for the photoshoot. Love that girl and her energy....

For the new sewing cards we have Colored Pencils and Boardwalk.

This is Colored Pencils...

Boardwalk...

I truly love this quilt.... it shows how well the little prints of Bridgette Lane cut up so well...

The kitties love it too. I honestly couldn't believe the two of them posing for me!

Both of these quilts are made out of the cotton. I did a free pattern out of the flannel....

You can download the free pattern here... Download BridgetteLanePattern_web

I love to recreate patterns with new fabric... here are a few that I came up with for Bridgette Lane.

Rosalie Quilt

Bridgette's Rosalie uses the smaller template in the Sewing Card.

Lion Around Sewing card is the PERFECT baby gift...or to cuddle under when your 8 and your mom is making you do a photoshoot on a cold fall afternoon in a sundress!

Leonardo the Lion and Elsa the Elephant were a no brianer to make out of the soft yummy flannel.

At the last minute Vivi decided she wanted to be a part of the photoshoot....

She loves her animals...

If you at the International Quilt Market this weekend come by my booth - 804, if not I will be posting on my Valori Wells Designs facebook page and Instagram @valoriwells.

Have a great weekend!

Valori

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2013

July 25, 2013

We had an amazing year.... our Quilter's Affair classes were wonderful and we had a excellent group of teachers.....and the Show....well, I can say one of the best ever....the weather was perfect, no rain (thank goodness), no wind and happy, happy people.

I have so many photos to share with you that there will be multiple posts....

I will let the photos speak for themselves.... I will start with Picnic in the Park.... the final event for Quilter's Affair....and the kick off for Saturday...

First our employee challenge.... This year the Stitchin' Post employee challenge was Streams of Color...

You will notice the little legs holding quilts.... My nephew, Braden and the girls wanted to help....

This is mine.....

Almost missed this one going by...

The picnic in the park is a fun event....

Waiting patiently....

Tomorrow..... Kathy Doughty from Australia.... she was the speaker Friday night. Amazing woman!

Have a great day!!!

Valori

Portland Market....

May 29, 2013

Back from market and finally feeling like I have caught up....well, at least on the market stuff now onto the next deadlines. I am reminded that I don't like to be bored so new projects are always good. Keeps the creative juices flowing.

Before the new projects how about some photos from my booth at market?! WISH!

I love a corner booth...it is open and very inviting...

I wrapped twigs with Wish fabric and hung little wish birds and the lyrics of Jena's song on the branches. The old (working) typewriter was available for folks to type their wishes...

Here is the little wish bird pattern for you to make your own birdie! Download Little Birdback

A jar of wishes from my friends at market...

I also had all the wishes from my friends and family that make up the Wishing Tree print.

The new Jillie Wrap skirt and Amelia Shawl...

My Wish chairs and knitted pillows.....

Close-up of the other pillow.... pattern to come soon!!

Trinity.....

Wish Bird....

I love my birdie vase...perfect for a peony....

Can't end without some beautiful Peony photos.... I could take photos of these flowers forever and ever and ever!!!!

Thanks to all the great peeps that visited me at market! Makes me feel great to see all the wonderful smiles and get all of the great hugs!

Have a great day!!!

Valori

Off to market....

May 14, 2013

We are heading to Portland tomorrow for market. If anyone comes to the show come by my booth 2254. I would love to meet you.

I wanted to share a couple more bits from Wish....

Living in Sisters we are so blessed to be surrounded by talented people who love to collaborate. My friend Jena is a musician and when I told her about Wish she asked if she could write a song about it. It is being put together as we speak and will be going on her new album. So exciting and flattering. As soon as I have the song available to me I will post so you all can hear this talented girl.... in the mean time here is her blog Cabin Time Sessions.

She was kind enough to give me the lyrics.... So beautiful!

This is the quilt Wish.... it uses a designer 2 1/2" roll from Free Spirit but you could also make it with fat 1/4's or 1/4 yards. It is a free pattern download. Download WishFreePattern_web

I will be taking lots of photos of my booth and market. You can always find my recent photos on my Valori Wells Designs facebook page or @valoriwells on Instagram and Twitter....hope to see you there.

I have to finish packing....

Valori

Wish Patterns...

May 11, 2013

Happy Saturday....

We have a huge lacrosse tournament in town this weekend and my oldest has two games today. It is amazing to me that she is 7 and we are already this busy with sports....can't imagine what is going to happen when all three are in sports. Before I head out I thought I would share some Wish projects...

When I have new collection of fabric released I always make patterns - sewing cards or clothing - to give you ideas on ways to use the fabric. One of the most important things is that what I create can also be translated into other fabrics.... making the pattern useful for shops and customers alike for a longer period of time than just the life of the fabric. It is sad that a fabrics lifespan on average is 6 to 9 months. There are times that if it is really popular it will last a year.

Several years ago when I introduced my Wrenly collection I made a twin size quilt out of the voile called Betsy. It uses big pieces of fabrics that in turn make a quick quilt to piece. I thought it was a perfect "off to college quilt" and out of voile it is so soft and cuddly. I re-created Betsy out of Wish voile...

The original...

Wish version....

One of the other patterns that I recreated was the Lanie Dress....LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress. Originally I made it out of Novella rayon...which flows beautifuly.

For Wish I made it out of the Knit...talk about comfortable...

The knit is so amazing to work with I had to take the two Girlfriend patterns that I had done out of Karavan knit and make them out of Wish....

The Original Sondy...

The New Sondy...

The Original Isabelle....

The new Isabelle...

Since Wish is such a special collection to me and it connects me to my favorite people I had to make Wish Birds for my booth and for my friends....

I do love re-creating patterns but I also have lots of ideas for new patterns....

I did four new patterns for this season. First is the Jillie wrap skirt...

This skirt is so quick and easy to make and is very flattering. I LOVE maxi skirts and dresses so this skirt is long. I have made it out of knit, voile and rayon. They all have different qualities of drape and coziness.

The next is the Amelia Shawl...

This awesome shawl is a big rectangle that has buttons along both edges to create sleeves....I love to knit so I included a knit version in the pattern. When the Amelia Shawl is made out of the voile it is the perfect summer cover up.

Pockets of Wishes is a small wall hanging created with pockets for "wishes" or dreams, kids drawings, etc.

All of the pieces are top stitched onto a background rather than pieced.

The last pattern is my favorite by far....Trinity spent a lot if time in my head before I was able to create what I saw. I just love how the variety of creams and whites in the background create a great texture as well as the different substrates that I used; linen, cotton and embossed fabrics.

This card is not a beginner sewing card it is more of an intermediate technique card. I show you how to make the strips and cut them into triangles free form so your quit will be your own not exactly like mine. I enjoyed it so much I am going to be doing more of these technique cards to go with the beginner cards.

I am being called to head to the lacrosse game.... Have a great day! More Wish projects and inspiration to come....

Valori

QuiltCon.....Austin, Texas.....

February 20, 2013

And it is officially the first QuiltCon...excited to be here...today I get the honor of doing a meet and greet at Remnants....with the beautiful Jessica Sloan. If you are in town come by....

here is the info....

Remnants: fiber[culture], 10435 Burnet Rd. suite #106, Austin, TX

from 2-5pm....

Look at the beautiful shop..... can't wait to see it in person.

I am off to the show.....

Have a great day!!!

Valori

Sew Red and Valentine's.....

February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!!! I think it is one of my favorite days because it was my grandmother's birthday, Clara Valentine....I miss her! This day is to be full of love and happiness...it isn't about gifts and roses and chocolate to me but the beauty of loving...

"We are reminded how short life really is, and how we are just passing through. So,all the people you haven't told you love lately, tell them, and live your days like you mean it." - Hal Sutton

I am excited to be posting about a great project that I was a part of.... Sew Red and the Sew Red blog tour....What is Sew Red? It is a really cool book with beautiful projects from a variety of folks in the Quilting and Sewing Industry... and everything is in RED....this book was created to raise awareness of the risks of heart disease in women! How amazing to be a part of such a great cause. I am blessed to not have lost any women in my family to heart disease. It is such a huge issue for us and it takes people like Laura Zander - the founder of Jimmy Beans Wool (btw an awesome yarn shop) to take a step up and make us all aware. Laura's from the knitting world and started her quest for awareness with Stitch Red... a needlework book that was filled with projects in red... This is an fun and important blog tour I hope you have the time to visit some of the other blogs for their projects and thoughts on heart disease....I have added a list to the end of this post on all the other folks contributing....

But I thought I would first share some pics.....

The book....

The quilt I did for the project....Love their photography!!!

Turned out so beautiful.... I really was honored to be part of such a great book.

Have a great HEART healthy Valentine's Day!!!!

Valori

2/11 - Kay Whitt - http://blog.sewserendipity.com
2/12 - Marcia Harmening - http://www.happystashquilts.com/blogs/news
2/13 - Ty Pennington - He'll actually be posting on Stitch Red Blog, as he does not have his own blog - http://www.stitchred.com/blog.asp
2/15 - Patty Young - http://modkidboutique.blogspot.com
2/18 - Mark Cesarik - http://homeecny.blogspot.com and you!
2/19 - Amy Butler - she'll also be posting on the Stitch Red site
2/20 - Sweetwater - http://www.sweetwater.typepad.com
2/21 - Brett Bara - http://www.brettbara.com
2/22 - Saremy Duffy - http://www.saremy.typepad.com
2/23 - Nancy Zieman - www.nancyzieman.com/blog
2/25 - Tula Pink - http://tulapink.com/blog and Kaari Meng/French General - http://frenchgeneral.blogspot.com
2/27 - Anna Maria Horner - http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com
2/28 - Kristen Ashbaugh Helmreich - www.marinade.wordpress.com

Novella Indigo...

November 5, 2012

AAAHHH Monday! I love my Monday's...I tend to spend the day in the studio working on the latest obsession.

But alas....I must share my Indigo palette with you. The photo shoot that we did with Indigo was my Favorite. My assistant and I planned a dinner party late in the summer with all of our peeps. I knew I had to use my peeps others may not wear the clothes I ask to match the palette. The entire party was based around Indigo and the colors. I planned the food to match, and cooked it all.... I love cooking! Especially for friends.

We sent out invitations to the party indicating what they would wear. Then all they had to do was arrive be willing to let me take their pics and enjoy a lovely dinner.

But first the fabric....

this is in cotton sateen

this is in cotton sateen... yummy!!

Rayon...

Cotton Sateen and cotton

I have to warn you I have a lot of photos from the Indigo Nights Dinner Party.....it was just so fun. I can't tell you how exciting it was to pull it off. There are times when you have ideas that really are not going to work. This one did and it was perfect!!!!

This pic was done by my lovely assistant, Sondy! She is getting good at catching a moment. So proud!!

Didn't really have any Indigo food but all of the accent colors were perfect for cooking!

Wine infused pear over peaches with a little marscapone cheese....all I have to say is OMG YUMMY!!

Without planning it we had a full moon! It was a beautiful night!

In the cool of the evening the girls ended up cuddled in Novella quilts. Made my heart fill with love and gratitude for these amazing people in my life.

Novella Indigo free pattern.... Download NovellaFreePattern-web

Finnelopy sewing card....

Tomorrow....Booth shots....I love how my booth turned out and am excited to show you. If you happen to be local...we are going to put the booth up in the shop after our annual PJ sale on Saturday. The crate should be arriving on Wednesday.