My student chose a stack of brightly colored squares for her quilt. There were beautiful, blues, pinks, greens and yellows. She arranged her blocks in a color wave pattern and it turned out beautiful.
My student's stack of fabric squares.
She is laying out her quilt in a color wave pattern.
The back side of her finished quilt.
The finished quilt.
I selected a collection of purples in various shades. The first layout I put down was a traditional checkerboard pattern using the different lights and darks.
The first layout in a traditional pattern.
Space was limited so I pushed them close together.
My student looked at my layout and said "I don't like it that way. What about this." She then proceeded to relay out the blocks using the color wave method. It turned out so much better.
The second layout in the color wave pattern.
There was nothing wrong with my original layout but it was predictable and traditional in nature. It was also very angular. By using the color wave pattern layout the quilt is more modern looking and has a very fluid motion. It is always amazing to me how changing one simple aspect can make such a difference in a quilt.
My finished quilt in the color wave pattern.
I learned something valuable that day. Don't get stuck in a rut with how you layout your quilt blocks. Branch out, mix things up and be open to someone else's vision. Always remain open to new ideas and be teachable. Who knows what wonderful creative avenues will open up for you.
So the next time you are laying out a quilt of monochromatic blocks give the color wave layout a try you may be surprised how it turns out. I am working on a pattern for this quilt and layout so check back soon to get your copy.
Danna
