Color of the Week... Starry Night
Starry Night.... dark blue grey... the color of early night.
This last image is from Morocco, the Peacock Pavilions....every night we would walk past this pool and to the left of the lights to a path that lead to our rooms. This sight was different every time I walked by. To say the lease I have tons of images of it.
Have a great day!
XO
Valori
Color of the Week... Sangria
Color of the Week... Indigo
Color of the Week... Concord Grape
Concord Grape is a very blue purple....with a hint of grey. Rich and deep with complexity...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!!!
Wishing you a beautiful rest of 2014...
xoValori
Color of the Week... Charcoal
Charcoal... I think is my favorite piece of Blueprint Basics. Black and white photography is my first love. When I am desiging either a quilt or fabric design I use a gray scale to see what my color values are up to...
Once in a while turn your camera to black and white and see what the world looks like.
XO
Valori
Around the World Blog Tour...
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!
XO
Valori
Color of the Week... Moss
Moss
Deep in the forest under the canopy of trees you will find moss...It has a luxurious quality within the texture and color.
Have a great day!!
XO
Valori
Color of the Week... Coastal Fog
I am running late on Color of the Week this week.... Jet lag has taken over my life the past two days... But my adventure to Morocco was a trip of a lifetime and I would do it again tomorrow.
Coastal Fog reminds me of a overexposed, old black and white photograph...I am excited to share a few images that I took in Morocco that make me think of Coastal fog...as far as a fabric goes this subtle beauty is a great neutral.
When you accidently push a button on your phone and take a photo... love a happy accident!
I am editing my photos from Morocco and can't wait to share this beautiful place and people with you.
Have a great day!
Xo
Valori
Colored Happy....
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!!!
XO
Valori
Color of the Week...Apple
Apple of my eye! This green is a granny smith apple...the best apple pie and a fresh, crisp color...
Have a great day....
XO
Valori
Color of the Week... Bamboo
Bamboo
I truly have come to LOVE this color... Yellow has come a long way from "sunshine" and "lemon"....a nice bold gold with a hint of green...the new yellow!
I am off to Morocco today for an Artist Retreat. My stomach is filled with butterflies of excitment and nerves.... it will be a trip of a life time for me.
Have a great week!!!
XO
Valori
My Life in Fabric
I am so excited to introduce my new book to you....
My Life in Fabric with Valori Wells
My life has always been in fabric. The Stitchin' Post opened in May of 1975 by my mom, Jean Wells. I was a year and a half. I don't remember anything else. Although I strayed from fabric as I studied photography and printmaking in college. Coming home and being in the shop or mom's studio kept textiles in the forefront of my life. After college and photographing two quilting books for my mom I found myself embracing fabric in a new way.... I wanted to design it. To create beautiful fabrics. My first collection of fabric was released in 1998 - Shades of Serenity a collection based on my black and white photographs. Fast forward.... 2014..... My life in Fabric is a collection of projects and techniques based on my love of fabric and how I like to create from Silk screening to block printing... painting and embroidery and recycled sweater owls....
I hope you enjoy a peak at my book....it is full of my love of fabric as much as my life...
Trinity....
This was my favorite photoshoot on the edge of the creek.....Just how I imagine a romatic picnic with someone you love.
Baker's Twine....
Screen printing and embroidery...
Block printing....
Studio Birds
Waterside
The Wave....
Painting on fabric...
Karavan
The Owls...
Sundresses.....
I have to end with these two.... my beautiful girls. My family - including my village - have been so amazing during the process of creating this book. It is a long journey and I couldn't of done it without them.
XOXO
Valori
Color of the Week... Turkish Sea
This blue has a slight green tint too it when you look next to a true blue. I love that feel. It is refreshing and calming...
At market this week... lots of fun and inspiration to be shared after the trip. Have a great day!!
XO
Valori
Color of the Week... Amber
Amber makes me think of two things...
beer and sap.
Beer, not because I drink it (makes me feel bloated) but because my husband brews it. And we live in Central Oregon...so many breweries in our area.
Sap that has been hardened over the years to create amber...Love the variety of color that comes from amber.
Have a great day!
XO
Valori
Ashton Road Candy Picnic...
Ashton Road was released the end of July....for my collections to release complete I like to do a "look book" for the salesmen and women to show to shop owners when they show the fabric for the first time. The look book is full of inspirational photographs and projects. Some of the projects are free pattern downloads and others are recreated Sewing Cards. I try to come up with a theme for the photo-shoot that reflects what the fabric means to me. To get the look book to Robert Kaufman in time I receive sample yardage about 4 to 6 weeks before my deadline. That being said I try to be really prepared for the projects that need to be made and the photo-shoot. I received Ashton Road in the beginning of June. In the images below you will see all the work that goes into getting ready for a release. I have some of the most wonderful staff at the Stitchin' Post and friends that help me with all the sewing and pattern writing as well as the photo-shoots. I could not do it without them!
For Ashton Road the photos-hoot had to be with the kids....it had to be outside on a summer day. The colors in the fabric remind me of candy so we created a "candy picnic" for the kiddos. Two of my good friends helped me with the shoot. We each had cameras - perfect for three kids! It was the best day and one of the funnest photo-shoots I have ever done. The images are priceless and really express the happiness and love that created Ashton Road.
The Round-table...
My Tent...
Playtime Treehouse Quilt (free download).... made out of the flannel.
Vivi loves her Cruzin' Everyday Skirt....(new sewing card)
The Everyday Skirt pattern will be released at Fall Quilt Market.
Playtime Bikes.... out of the cotton sheeting. (free pattern download)
Urban Baby Quilt... (free pattern download) Flannel...
Three Times Around... (free pattern download) Cotton Sheeting...
This quilt is adapted from one of my patterns - The Zoey Throw.
That was our day.... lots of laughing... lots of sugar and LOTS of great photos!!!
This is my other new pattern coming out at Quilt Market, Diamond Lane.
I am doing the final touches for Quilt Market next weekend....My booth will be featuring Ashton Road... Photos to come....
Hope you have a great day!!!
Enjoy those little things in your life.... like laughing kids with lolipops!!!
XOXO
Valori
PS We are working on getting all of the Ashton Road free patterns up for download by the end of Ocotber.
Ashton Road...
Happy Monday!!!
With International Quilt Market just around the corner I thought I would share my newest collection of fabric with Robert Kaufman, Ashton Road.
This collection was inspired by these three lovlies.....
We love drawing together... even Teague with his 5 year old attention span. I wanted to do a kids collection that also had prints that didn't scream juvenile..... Out of their love and creativity came this colleciton Ashton Road....(Ashton is Teague's middle name)
The Neighborhood is repeated the length of the fabric and there are 4 panels of Treehouses in the width of the fabric.
There you go.... Ashton Road the Collection.... these beauties come in cotton sheeting and cotton flannel!
Tomorrow I will share the fun photo shoot and projects that I did to support Ashton Road.
Have a great day!
XO
Valori
Color of the Week... Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle...
pink...on the orange side but not quite salmon pink....
rich in color.
Have a Beautiful Day!!!
XOXO
Valori
PS... I will be emailing winners of Summer Blueprint Basics Friday!
Color of the Week... Bluejay
Some days it is hard for me to come up with just the right words to describe a color... or words at all. It is one of those days, I'm a little burnt out and on overload....
so I found this great poem....
"A Blue Jay
A blue jay's feathered back holds spots of white clouds
And soft, glistening blue.
Upon its wings is painted days of sapphires
And snowy flurries, too.
I peeked out beyond the open curtain
At the big, flowering rhododendron.
There a bright, silent blue jay landed suddenly.
Amoung our pink fairy blossoms it stopped by me,
Jewelled with patches of rich blue - perhaps a gift
From the azure sky.
We might even think some of pure heaven
Is in flight when blue jays fly.
This dappled blue jay then soon quietly moved from branch to branch
In the green blooming shrubbery outside my window.
By boughs of cool leaves like sheaths
All at once it paused for a moment
And surprisingly looked up at me from below."
Gayle Sweeney
This is the last instalment of Blueprint Summer... Next week starts Autumn.....
Tell me your favorite summer color to be entered to win some Summer Blueprint Basics.
Have a great day!
XOXO
Valori
Color of the Week.... Coffee
Enjoying some coffee right now...although my coffee has cream in it so it isn't the beautiful Kona Solid Coffee color..
Coffee is a great brown...rich, dark, and full of flavor! In a quilt, Coffee can make other colors pop if it is used as a background, or you can use bits and pieces as an accent. I think this brown is a nice alternative to black. Enjoy my "unique" images of coffee...
Splash....
Can't show photos of Coffee without a shot of espresso!!
Have a great day!
XO
Valori