Intuitive Color & Design: Adventures in Art Quilting by Jean Wells, Updated 2nd Edition

Jean Wells started one of  America's first quilt shops in 1975, which she runs with her daughter, quilter and author Valori Wells. She has published thirty books, including the updated, second edition of Intuitive Color & Design.  

Wells begins with the basics of design and its application to quilting then teaches how to design and complete an original quilt. Assignments throughout the book offer readers a chance to learn through experience. The book is heavily illustrated, showing inspiration photographs, finished quilts, and line drawing showing the processes.

Inspiration for Quilt Design explains how Wells uses photographs, inspired by light and lines, for the basis of her abstracted interpretations. In her chapter on Journaling she illustrates how she uses journals and sketchbooks.

In Elements of design, she shows how to create abstraction from life, and use scale, shape, pattern, texture, value, and color.  Principles of Design explains balance, center of interest, repetition, variety and proportion, unity or harmony.

Color Through My Eyes considers inspiration, palette choice, color and pattern, principles of color, value and contrast, intensity, contrast, and volume. Palettes can reflect seasons, places, or personality.

The Design Process in the second part of the book leads quilters through tools and techniques used in art quilting, including piecing techniques, choosing batting, and finishing the quilt. Piecing techniques include intuitive angle piecing, rulerless butting and piecing, narrow-insert piecing, straight-line insert, detail piecing, and corner-curve piecing. Piecing techniques used for art quilts is very different from traditional piecing. Wells offers assignments to help quilters to master them.

Finishing the edges of art quilts include raw-edge finish, using a facing, creating a fabric 'matting' behind the art quilt, and creating 3-D quilts.

Wells offers Advice on What To Do When You Get Stuck and the critique process.

Fields of Provence by Jean Wells 

This is an essential book for serious art quilters.

from the publisher's website:

Jean Wells gives you the assignment of your life: put away your ruler and use your inner vision to design and piece spectacular, free-form quilts you'd never have guessed you could create. In this updated edition of best-selling Intuitive Color & Design, Jean’s workshop assignments get your creative juices flowing, giving you challenges to expand your quilting horizons. Start by learning to see line and color; study the nuts and bolts of design; develop your color work and composition; and when you get stuck, there’s expert advice on problem solving. You will never see quiltmaking in the same way again.

• Creative exercises take your use of color, line, design, and piecing in dramatic new directions
• Use photographs and journals to find inspiration and develop your ideas with Jean’s updated, expert guidance
• Learn innovative finishing techniques to show your quilts at their best
• Classroom-proven techniques make the adventure easy for any quilter

Available now from C&T Publishers in soft cover and ebook.

Modern Roots:Today's Quilts from Yesterday's Inspiration by Bill Volckening

Note the vintage quilt on the wall and the
modern interpretation on the chair

In the introduction to Modern Roots, Bill Volckening quotes Jonathan Holstein's 1973 book The Pieced Quilt: An American Design Tradition noting that antique and vintage quilts sometimes appear to be uncannily modern in design. Bill expanded on this concept in his 2014 lecture Masterpiece Quilts: Modernism in American Patchwork--or, "There's Something Modern About that Quilt."

When Jacqueline Sava reproduced a 1870s Crossroads quilt it confirmed Bill's thinking that "Old quilts were rich with information and inspiration for today's quilters."

Drawing from his extensive private collection of American quilts he selected twelve, dating from 1840 to 1970, to explore the characteristics of modernism including minimalism,importance of negative space, use of solid colors and limited palette, and geometric design.

The quilts are varied: scrappy or showing controlled color use; flamboyant or with large areas of negative space; familiar patterns with a twist and the rare and unusual.

 A simple 1840 medallion quilt has multiple borders of alternating red and white with a circular central block of appliquéd "Sprigs of Photinia." There are three Log Cabin variations. A Lone Star quilt has broken stars in the corners. Pieced blocks include Indiana Puzzle, Shadow Box, and an unusual New York Beauty variation. Radiating Fans create a secondary pattern. Airplane blocks with sashing is representational. Stacked Bars is scrappy and primitive.

There is a full page color photograph of each quilt with its source, date, and materials and an article addressing the quilt's design and background.

The detailed instructions include a material list, cutting and construction directions, and color illustrations showing the steps of construction. Smaller versions of the full size quilts are offered as are photographs of newly made quilts based on the instructions.

Volckening has replicated the original construction methods for the quilts. Several patterns are good for those with some piecing experience, but some are better for those with advanced skills.

Volkening is an award-winning photographer, quiltmaker, and blogger. The Volckening Collection of quilts include impressive examples from all time periods and styles.

Learn more about Crossroads to Bachelor Hall by reading Volckening's article to learn more about this quilt at http://www.academia.edu/24535757/Cross_Roads_to_Bachelors_Hall
and on his blog at
http://willywonkyquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/mystery-pattern-clue.html

I received a free book from C&T Publications in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

http://www.ctpub.com/modern-roots-todays-quilts-from-yesterdays-inspiration/

Crazy Handkerchiefs I Love

 I really love handkerchiefs with strong geometric designs. Here are some from my collection with circles, squares, lines and such.

 Cogs?

 This hanky had a paper pinned to it, showing it was likely from a handkerchief exchange.

 This one give me vertigo!

The next two handkerchiefs are by Erin O'Dell, a midcentury designer.

 Faith Austin did this unusual handkerchief, very unlike her typical designs.

 Ann McCann was another mid-century designer.