Husqvarna Viking had issued a call for entry and the competition theme was “Color, Couleur, Colore, Kulör!”.  I had the idea to create a color wheel using hexagon-shaped patches, but wondered how I would ever manage to collect enough fabric to make each hexagon a slightly different hue.

I knew how to mix color on the computer.  The three primary colors in digital printing are cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY).  Shown at full strength, these colors are produced by entering a value of 100, i.e. C100 is 100% cyan.

Primary Colors

I could use increments of each shade, from light to full strength, and add black to shade to dark.  An entry of 10 produces a light value of cyan (C10), 50 creates a medium value (C50), and adding 50% black (K50) shades full-strength cyan.

Shading Colors

I could mix colors together to produce secondary colors.  Cyan plus magenta creates a dark blue-violet color.  Magenta with yellow is a reddish-orange.  Cyan plus yellow produces a hue of green.

Secondary Colors

Creating colors on the computer is interesting, but how could it help me with this quilt? 

I knew I could print onto fabric.  I had tried a number of products over the years, but I particularly liked Bubble Jet Set by C. Jenkins Company.  Even better, they had just announced Miracle Fabric Sheets, 8½” x 11″ sheets of fabric already pre-treated for printing and backed with freezer paper.

This seemed like the ideal solution.  I could print the unique color formula for each hexagon patch onto the fabric sheets.  Then I could cut out the patches and prepare them for English paper piecing, which I did on my sewing machine.

Printing onto Fabric

Cutting & Basting

Sewing Hexagon Pairs by Machine

Sewing Rows of Hexagons by Machine

By using this process, I was able to create a quilt with a white hexagon in the center that radiated out to black at the edges.  The six edges of the white hexagon form six lines, three with the primary colors of cyan, magenta and yellow, and three with the secondary colors formed by mixing the primary colors together.  In between is every possible combination of blending those hues.

I called the resulting quilt “Trinity”, in recognition of the original three colors at the foundation of the design. 

It works well.  After all, if a fabric designer – expert in her field – put those colors together, it’s a pretty safe bet that you can too.  But more importantly, if you like a piece of fabric enough to buy it, you probably like the colors that are in it.  And if you like the colors in the fabric, chances are you will like them in your quilt too.

This method of choosing fabric has served me well over the years.  Often, the focus fabric ends up as a border in the quilt – tying everything together perfectly.  In the quilt Comfort and Joy, the teddy bear print fabric set the palette for the bear paw blocks and the teddy bear sewflakes appliquéd on top.  In the same way, a fabric printed with spools of thread became the ideal border for Tools of the Trade.  An exquisite fabric covered with china teacups inspired not only the colour choices but the entire quilt Bridal Tea.

Other times, the focus fabric takes its place alongside the other fabrics in the quilt.  Such was the case in Fruitful, where the fruit-covered focus fabric ended up in the patchwork basket blocks.  And what better place to put a fabric with hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs than in a Card Trick block!  This focus fabric also appears in the pieced border of King of Hearts.

It is only fairly recently, however, that I have used a focus fabric to select the fabrics for a quilt without any intention of using the focus fabric in the quilt.  I had a gorgeous print fabric in golds, yellows, pinks and plums – a color combination that intrigued me.  I carried the fabric around with me on shopping expeditions as I collected a variety of fabrics in that color scheme.  The result was Instruments of Praise.  I originally had only one meter of this focus fabric, but later came across it again while browsing the internet.  How fun would it be to purchase enough yardage to use the focus fabric as the backing of the quilt?  Only we know that it came first!

Theme

I had already made two quilts based on Scripture:  The Lord is my Shepherd from the 23rd Psalm and Instruments of Praise based on Psalm 150.  I hadn’t even been thinking of any other passages that would translate into a quilt.  But on that Friday morning, it came to me:  John 15.  “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”  Vines and branches and fruit?  Oh yes, I could see it.  And so the journey began.

Color Scheme

My idea for the color scheme was sage green, gold and salmon – analogous, I suppose.  Next week, I’ll write a bit more about the tried-and-tested method of using a focus fabric for choosing fabrics for a quilt.  But since I didn’t have such a fabric in this case – the colors existed only in my imagination – my first task was to find one that matched my vision.  Here it is, believe it or not!  This fabric has no business being in the quilt, but the colors spoke to me.

Quilt Layout

I’m not going to show you the overall layout for this quilt.  I have to leave something as a surprise to keep you reading!  All I will tell you is that it has a rectangular center panel and multiple borders.  Over time, I will show you individual sections as I’m working on them so you can watch the quilt evolve.

Center Panel Section 1

So here’s the first section I’m going to show you.  It measures a little over 12″ square and really sets the tone for the color scheme.  There are thirteen different patches in this section and nine fabrics.  It is needle-turn appliquéd by hand, although I pieced the three fabrics in the outer frame and mitered them by machine before hand stitching them in place.