2020 Vistas

Let's play with color this year. Let's get inspired to make beautiful things with SKY Ombrés! 

Sunset Lake Quilt from Ombré Quilts Book. Barn at Madeline Island School of the Arts

Today's post will focus on the SUNSET color story that makes up the precut Half to Have it bundle in my SKY fabrics called SUNSET. It consists of 15 colors (half the collection) and it comes in a precut tower 1/2 yard each as well as on full bolts at your local quilt shop or favorite online retailer. I wish I could tell you I have it in my shop, but I don't! The collection is super popular and many stores have sold out! But don't worry, more is coming across the Pacific and headed to Robert Kaufman's warehouse arriving next month. There are online retailers that still have some stock but many shops are waiting for the next shipment! Be sure to stay tuned and ask for it! We have put the book into its second printing already! OMBRÉ QUILTS- It's available everywhere! 

SKY Ombrés have lots of nuance of colors reminiscent of the heavens above. Photos don't do justice to the variety and texture of the fabrics, however we try to show you from selvage to selvage just how wonderful they are. I'm featuring a few projects in this post that use the SUNSET Color Story (next time I will do the SUNRISE story). Above shows all 15 pieces in the precut with their appropriate color names. Each piece represents 44" across and about 24" repeat. 

Ombré Quilts has Sunset Lake directions & fabric requirements. It uses Octagon Shimmer templates.

The fabrics cut up beautifully and you don't need to be a color maven to get amazing results. The beauty of SKY Ombrés is that the color work has already been done for you! Add solids, prints or yarn dyes to give even more dimension and interest. Below is on of my students at Jen Kingwell's shop, Amitie Textiles, who chose a midnight solid to put her polygons on. I love how they pop.

Australia was fabulous, by the way! I love the people, the ocean, the sky and the animals. We are all so sad about the fires and the hardship they all are enduring since November. Best thing you can do is send money to help them take care of all the living beings that are affected. Every little bit helps. Thank you for caring. 

SKY Sunset Color Story

Aussie Student's Polygon Play WIP

Jan Juc Beach, Torquay, Australia

The Australian skies were breathtaking and yes, different than my Californian skies I see along our coast. The water is a different hue, the air feels smoother, the smells are full of eucalyptus and some kind of mint....And the light is all it's own too. There are many similarities to California as well, but I think I was most enchanted by the exotic animals: Koalas, Kangaroos, Echnidnas and Parakeets. 

Dawn Star Quilt from OMBRÉ QUILTS in Sunset Color Story by Amanda at James & Gracie Handmade

Another favorite quilt highlighted above is made by Amanda McCabe. We became friends on IG bonding about the women's world cup soccer champs last summer- THE BEST!!! And then I found out she is also an amazing quilter with tons of talent. So I sent her the Sunset Half to Have It bundle and asked her to work with it. Needless to say, she made a breathtaking piece with just 15 of the half yard cuts. You too can make this quilt by buying the precut and the book and taking the time to study, cut, piece, study, play, piece! Below shows two ways she was thinking about when laying out the blocks. Every quilt will be unique, as the ombré will cut differently and you will make different choices. This is not a copy cat quilt, but a copy cat technique. Even if you do try to make exact one, (go for it!), it will still be unique. Also it's important to remember to cut out more than you need and be ok with the having extra blocks that may not make it into your final quilt. Put them on the back, or make another project. These colorful stars are too pretty not to use. All instructions are in the book under Dawn Star (colors will be different so substitute accordingly) 

Amanda McCabe Dawn Star block option A in Sunset

Amanda McCabe Dawn Star block option B in Sunset

left are Kona swatches showing how many colors are in 1/2 yard of full ombré BLUSH.

Ombré fabrics are all the rage now. And they have been admired in our industry, especially hand dyes. Now with digital printing, I can create complex art with any medium and it is printable! I used pastels for SKY and we interpreted hundreds of colors in SKY. It is my first digital printed line and I am over the moon with the results. C&T and I made a few YouTube videos showing you how to use them. Don't be afraid! They are so fun and forgiving to work with, they make all of us look like color pros! Kick your feet up and watch a few. Let me know what you think. 

Sunset Lake WIP- Back when I was "Almost Done" and book deadline were pressing! I was debating whether or not to add another section at the bottom... hence the hanging blocks sweeping onto the floor. IT was a YES! So this quilt is jumbo at 88"x105.5" with the fabrics I used laid out on the floor in front. 

Kristen Takakuwa, One of the founders of HELLO STITCH in Berkeley California has been a friend of mine for some time now. We have worked on many projects together, she has helped me meet deadlines and shared with me her ways of quilting, garment making and design. She mentioned a while back that she wanted to do a flying geese bordered skirt and wondered if I had some early designer samples I could part with...This is just two strips: one Blush, one Sky. I love how it turned out. She posted on her Instagram @mamacatquilts and used the Cleo Skirt pattern from Made by Rae. 

Finally, I'd like to invite you to upcoming events I am going to be attending, teaching and would really love to see you. 2020 is going to be a colorful, creative year and I hope we get a chance to see one another. This week is Craft Napa, Napa Ca. to kick off the 2020, followed by QuiltCon in Austin, TX in February where I will be having a booth (#1010) and showing my Ombré SKY quilts, leading into an exciting summer teaching all week at Quilter Affair in Sisters OR and a very special fall retreat at Madeline Island School of the Arts, which still has some spaces left. Treat yourself to a fabulous week. It's a 5 day intensive and it's going to be an amazing, soulful time where we'll settle in for some ombré exploration and discover the beauty of island life making. 

That is all for today. I wish you a wonderful new year!
May 2020 bring you joy, curiosity, love and a renewed desire to make this world a better place. 
xo