solid quilts — Blog — Valori Wells Design

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.....

Hello and Happy Monday!!! My weekend was full of planting in the garden and listening to my husband trying to get the little man to use the potty. Seven years of diapers is taking a toll on him. He is on a mission but I am not sure he is going to win! Teague is very stubborn.....and personally I don't think he is ready.

I am lucky enough to have been a part of the C&T Publishing Family since my mom's first book - Patchworthy Apparel....I was 7. Ha Ha....there are even some still out there. Since then I have created several books with my mom and even a few on my own.

Look at that baby.....might even be antique!

Last year I was asked to be a part of the We Love Color book by C&T and Kaufman fabrics. What an honor! I love to have an opportunity to make quilts that are not always for market or a pattern I have to do or with my fabric. Even better the quilt had to be out of solids....Kona Solids! Not a bad assignment!

And to be included with all of these amazing designers!!! WOW!

First, I have to say how much I love, love, love this book! There are quilts that I would love to make if only I had another day in the week without any responsibilities....don't we all want a day like that? Since the book is compiled of different designers the quilts are incredibly varried. To me that makes a great book. A book that you will pick up again and again to find inspriation from the quilt designs to the quilting and color choices.

The color inspiration for my quilt was a photograph of quilts and wool blankets all stacked on these awesome galvanized shelves. I think that it was in a book of mom's. I loved the way the colors moved in the photograph as well as the palette itself. Luckily I had all the Kona cottons to pick from, I mean honestly I don't see how you can't find a color that you need. You want to see a sneak peak at my quilt.....

It is one of these...can you pick it out?

I was asked what my favorite Kona color is......Azure - although I think that there are at least 4 other ones that I would consider a close second. When Olivia asks me my favorite color I always tell her, "all of them". Way too hard to pick...and my mood has a lot to with my favorite color of the day!

When you look at Azure what does it make you think of? For me.....blue sky, the ocean on a white sandy beach...that is why it is one of my favorite colors it makes me happy!

Little did I realize the Kona has come up with 28 new colors....REALLY! Talk about options....

Meet Citrus! "Yes I am yellow but not just yellow but WOW yellow, kinda makes you pucker". Like when my son takes the lemon from my ice tea and sucks on it...

Now, the best part is that I am giving away a copy of We Love Color......yeah!! Leave me a comment and you will go into the basket. Just so you know how I do a give away....you leave a comment - make sure you email is available to me otherwise I have no way of getting a hold of you - I will assign it a number and then put pieces of paper with the number on it in a basket and let one of the kids draw the number. The drawing will be June 11th.

To find out when the other designers are blogging check out Kaufmans Blog....

Have a great day!!!!

Valori