Block # 1129 Calypso
Greetings! I’m glad that you have come to visit my blog for the volume 12 Quiltmaker’s 100 designer blocks blog tour. Here is my block. I named it Calypso because of it's colors it has tropical feel to it. As you know, I will be sending one lucky tourist will go home with their very own copy of this wonderful resource at the end of the tour. In this blog, I’m going to share with you my journey to the final block design. Read it to the end to find out how to get your chance at owning this issue of Quiltmaker’s 100 blocks. Also, don’t forget to visit me on Facebook and click the “Like” button. I would appreciate it greatly.
As I told you in my last post, the inspiration for this block came from Seminole piecing designs. The design the I wanted to adapt into a block is called Rattlesnake. Here are a couple of examples of the Rattlesnake band design shown in grey scale.
As I told you in my last post, the inspiration for this block came from Seminole piecing designs. The design the I wanted to adapt into a block is called Rattlesnake. Here are a couple of examples of the Rattlesnake band design shown in grey scale.
Originally, I had used the design in the border of a wall-hanging I made for a guild challenge. I loved the way it looked in the finished project.
I started by opening up the block I had used in the Pansy wall-hanging. For the original block I had partitioned the side of the square into 7 divisions. I used the center section as placement for the crossing part of the design.
For this project I decided that I wanted the cross element to be narrower than it was. I thought that this would make the design more striking if a very bold contrast was introduced into that part of the block.
To match this new design direction, I changed the partition from 7 to 9 and connected the center section to make the crossing element. I left the old blocks design lines in as guidelines for you to see.
You can also see in the image above that I changed the size of satellite square from my Calypso block design during the development of the block design. I felt that the square needed to be smaller to compliment the narrower size of the cross element. It may only seem like a small change but I felt that it made a difference in the appearance of the block design. You can compare the blocks side by side below.
The next step in my process is to audition different fabrics into the design so that I may see what kind of fabrics that it favors. Can the fabrics used be of a large or small scale design. Also I want to discern how strong the contrast needs to be for the quilt design to have the appropriate amount of visual impact. I use the fabrics found in my EQ software fabric libraries.
For this block it’s best to use smaller prints, solid and tonal fabrics. It’s also important to make sure you have a high contrast between all 4 fabrics. Here are some examples below.
For this block it’s best to use smaller prints, solid and tonal fabrics. It’s also important to make sure you have a high contrast between all 4 fabrics. Here are some examples below.
Now it was time for me to decide what fabrics I wanted to use when I made my block. I decided on dyed fabric. I hand dye fabric and had a ready supply. Next I chose my colors. Since the design needs a strong contrast, I decided to use complementary colors. I chose to use violet and it’s complement of yellow alongside orange and it’s complement of blue. I thought these would make a striking palette. I played with the solid color palette in my EQ software to find the right shades for my block design.
I used my 3 in 1 Color Tool from Joen Wolfrom help me find fabrics in my stash that would give me a similar result. I rely heavily on this tool as my knowledge of color is learned and not instinctual. If you are like me then I would recommend you get one for yourself. It's a worth while investment.
I pulled out the cards that seemed to best match my vision. I considered Red-Violet and Purple for the violet background. For the yellow and oranges hues I compared Orange-Red, Orange-Yellow and Yellow-Orange. For the blue cross I had to choose between Aqua Blue and Cerulean Blue. I used these cards to help me search through my fabrics to find the perfect match. I pulled out my stash boxes for blue, violets, yellow and orange.
I pulled out the cards that seemed to best match my vision. I considered Red-Violet and Purple for the violet background. For the yellow and oranges hues I compared Orange-Red, Orange-Yellow and Yellow-Orange. For the blue cross I had to choose between Aqua Blue and Cerulean Blue. I used these cards to help me search through my fabrics to find the perfect match. I pulled out my stash boxes for blue, violets, yellow and orange.
After much consideration I made my decision. These were my final choices for the orange & yellow squares, blue cross and violet background.
I was very pleased with how close the finished block was to my original EQ version of the design. The block on the left below is the EQ image. Next to that I have my fabric palette and finally, to the right, the finished block. I was lucky to have the right fabrics but EQ helped me to identify them.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog. To enter the drawing to win a free copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Designer Blocks Volume 12, please leave a comment below and don't forget, if you haven't already done it, please visit my Facebook page, Iris Quilts & Dyed Fabrics and click on the "Like" button. Happy Quilting!
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