Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Road Rally! Toot! Toot!

Posted byjennykaequiltsPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , , , , ,

Welcome to your next stop on Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Road Rally Blog Tour.  Vrooooom!

Before we get to the block and a give-away, I have to tell you a funny story.  A few years ago, we were shopping for our first new car, a Mustang! (I love muscle cars!)  The salesman sat behind the wheel, giving me a tour of the car’s features.

“Now, if you look here, and go to this interface (because cars have interfaces now!)  and select Lighting, you can change the interior lighting colors.”

I blinked rapidly and my mouth dropped open as he scrolled through colors like Ice Blue, Emerald, Hot Pink, Deep Purple, finally selecting Orange.  I had NO idea such options could exist!

“Now, if you want…”. He kept talking but I could not hear him over the angles singing in my ears.  “Stop!” I said with tears in my eyes. “Just stop!  You had me at color.  You had me at color.”

Mustang Drive
On an afternoon drive with the Mustang.

It took actual facts and stats to convince my husband but we bought my dream car.  But this illustrates my passion for COLOR! (It also illustrates how much I love blue.) Ain’t it lovely? Sigh.

Mustang Comes Home
The Color-changing Mustang comes home.

This brings me to the block, which I LOVE because I love COLOR!

20170201_122818 (2)

This block (#1545 on page 31) is made with ONE 2-1/2″ precut of Maywood Studio’s Ombre Gelato fabric collection and solid black.  It makes my heart flutter.

Another funny story.  I went into an LQS to buy a 6″ ruler, JUST the ruler.  I saw this entire fabric collection on the shelf…and left with TWO 2-1/2″ rolls, at least 3 yards and fat quarters for the whole shebang.  I could NOT help myself!  Embarrassing. Can you relate? #colorcukoo

20160827_134803[1]
Maywood Studios Gelato Ombre Fabric. This is half of what I brought home…
When I designed a block for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks issue (which in my mind is a “must have and keep forever” quilter’s resource), I wanted something that would be eye-catching and keep with my style. I also wanted to show the ombre color flow of the fabric.  I love the end result.

I auditioned a couple different colorways and had my tribe vote on which one to submit.  Which do you like better, A or B?

A or B
Which do you like better? Did I make the right choice?

I am planning to make a quilt with several blocks.  Here is the start.  Very excited!  What do you think about the grey sashing and cornerstones?

Ombre Audition
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE color?

I used some of the yardage in my quilt, Road from Casper.  This quilt was in the Casper, Wyoming art gallery Art 321, during the Eclipse.  How cool was that?!?

Road from Casper

Now, you may be reading this blog, shaking your head, thinking about your struggles with color. You do not share my love affair.  Color and fabric are your enemies, and not your friends. You stick to kits because picking fabric is just painful.

“I ask for help and they say just pick what you like or they throw a color wheel at me, like THAT is supposed to help!”.  I hear you.  And I can help.

First, I have a pattern, Flowers in the Window, which is really a color workshop. It will guide you in how I select fabrics, one step at a time.

Jenny_Parks_FITW
Flowers In The Window Workshop pattern. I created these effects with 2-1/2″ squares!

Second, check out my video Color-Courage for the Fabric-Phobic.  In it, I share more tips for selecting color and fabric for quilts.

Color Courage

Third, subscribe to my newsletter and blog.  I have a series coming up that deals EXACTLY with these color issues. You will also be first to know where I am teaching, my latest videos and newest patterns.  Bonus!

Forth, bring me to your town!  Color is one of my key passions and I LOVE to share the tricks I have learned.  When your guild or shop is looking for an encouraging, entertaining and knowledgeable teacher, pick me! Ooooo pick me!

And NOW… the GIVEWAY! Woot! Woot! Two lucky folks will win a copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks AND their choice of one of my patterns.  (Head over to my shop to pick which one you want to win!)  To enter, leave a comment or question in the comment section below. Be creative and tell me your thoughts. I will chose two random answers and post the winners on my blog on November 21, 2107.

Thanks!  See you next time!

Jenny Kae

P.S.  What’s your vote, A or B?

 

 

 

 

Published by jennykaequilts

I am a quilt designer and teacher.

100 thoughts on “Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Road Rally! Toot! Toot!”

  2. I vote for A. I love pinks/purples/blues and A fits right in there. B is very pretty as well.

  5. My vote would be A.

    I too love colors. But, I’m the wild one as I prefer bright vivid colors as opposed to pastels or dark muted tones. I try to use all the colors of the rainbow. All this talk of color makes me want to return to The Gypsy Wife Quilt I put on hold due to the fact it’s so challenging for the likes of me!

    By the way, congrats!

    dlk3265 @ gmail . com

  6. I vote for A. Love them both, actually! I love how changing the colors in a background can impact the whole quilt. Love to be inspired by all these blocks!

  7. I love both versions of the block. I have one question for you: you bought all that fabulous fabric but did you get your ruler?

  8. Cool car! Amazing block! Thank you for sharing! I bought a roll of the ombre fabric too! It’s super! Enjoy your day! angielovesgary2 atgmail dotcom

  10. I choose A as I like the colors close together on the color wheel. The A is restful for my eyes and highlights the applique better.

  11. I like cool colors, so I vote for Block A. I’ve had three Mustangs over the years and loved them all. Beautiful scenery for your drive!

  14. I choose B, because it speaks to me 🙂 And your Mustang changes interior light colors?! wow, just wow. Was that built specifically for women? lol. I like muscle cars too, but love the Challenger. No idea if it has color changes or not. 😀

    Thank you for the giveaways. You had me a MOO, I love the I spy MOO pattern.

  15. I like Block A, because I love the color blue, too! I also love Casper, WY, though it’s been 20 years since I’ve visited during geology field camp. Thanks for sharing your love of color!

  18. I have always loved the sight of bare tree branches against the sky, especially the evening sky. Your block reminds me of that.

  19. I love color too…and love that fabric line..hard not to buy oodles of all the colors!!

    I like the A choice best, but both are great. Thanks for sharing!

  20. I like B, it is nice to see a pop of yellow. So glad That I can come back to you to get lessons on matching color and fabric. Thanks for that.
    djcutting2(at)gmail(dot)com

  21. While I really like your block, I think I like B even better because it has a sparkle to it, and reminds me of my younger sister–something about the zing of the contrasts. Funny how just the placement of color can have personality, huh? One of the things I love about quilting.

  23. I vote for A. I love color, especially bright ones! I love muscle cars too and here in Florida there are a lot of car shows. We went to a Mustang car show and it was amazing to see all of the old mustangs. Cute block and I can’t wait to see your quilt. I follow you on Instagram as ceciliaquilts, so I will be watching for it.

  24. My tastes in color runs along the lines of artist Freddy Moran, use lots of colors and then throw some more in there. I love lots of color. I love the work of the Aussie quilters who use lots of colors and patterns in their work. In the end it is just finding a way to make it all work together.
    A car with changing interior lights? How interesting. Have you played with this feature yet? Is it as exciting as it sounds? Btw my choice would be ‘A’. ‘A’ presents soothing to me like a Caribbean sunset. Yellow can sometimes take center stage depending on who it is working along side. I do love yellow and want to make a yellow dominate quilt some day.
    tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com

    1. Oh yes, her quilts are so fun! Love Aussie quilts too! So brave and different than typical American styles.
      Yes, I change the lights with every season. It is almost time for red!
      Ooo, a yellow quilt! I would love to see what you come up with.

      1. Take a look at the yellow quilt by Zen Chic – Plus It’s Simple. I saw this quilt at Spring Market in person and I fell in love.

  25. I am a color lover, too, and am interested in your process of choosing palettes. One of my favorite patterns of yours is I Spy Moo! I prefer the A layout…purple is my passion!

  26. Cute block, love the ombre fabrics! Yes, you made the right choice,A is it! Thanks for sharing your color passion.

  28. I really love the colors in A – that teal – lovely! and love the way the colors blend. Lovely block! I am really loving your Flowers in the Window pattern – I think it is stunning!

  29. I actually like B because i love that little glimmer of bright yellow in there. Love your blog post about color! I didn’t think I’d been to your blog before….but I recognize that Flowers in the Window quilt that I saw (maybe on another blog tour) long ago and loved it so much! You seem like a quilter who really enjoys her work! Thanks for the giveaway.

    1. Oh Deb, what sweet things to say! And it warms my heart that you saw one of my patterns. Yay! I do enjoy quilting. Although I am having a hard time getting away from the computer to work on the sewing machine! My pleasure. 😁

  31. I vote for A. I love color too- just no wimpy pastels! They need to be rich and saturated to be my favorites.

  33. Ooh, I love colors! Jewel tones on black just grab my attention. I love playing with color and color placement. My favorite blocks are stars, and I like using dark backgrounds so that the stars pop out, like the night sky.
    reillyr2(at)hotmail(dot)com

  34. My favorite of the two blocks is A. I absolutely love the colors. Ombre what can I say about it but that it is the most amazing fabric. I hope it is always in the fabric stores. Ombre came into style in clothes the year my daughter graduated from high school. I went shopping with her when we saw a pair of purple ombre jeans and I talked her into getting them because I loved them so much. She ended up wearing them in her senior pictures as one of the 3 clothing changes she was allowed. To this day we talk about how much we both loved those jeans so I am glad we can now buy ombre fabric for quilting. Makes me think maybe I should make her a block with a pair of ombre jeans appliqued on it. She would totally love it.

    1. What a great memorie! I had a pair of blue ombre jeans in school. The problem was that that were dark at the top and I got teased because it looked like I set myself. 🤣 I hope it is always in stores as well!

  35. Congratulations on having your block included in Quiltmaker’s 100, Vol. 16! What a lovely block! Love it! My pick is A since I’m not sure what the pattern is. I think B would make a beautiful quilt with the perfect pattern, one that uses all those bold colors in just he right way.
    Woot! Woot! Is right! Super giveaway, Thanks for a chance to play.
    usairdoll (at) gmail (dot) com

  38. A wins. You definitely made the right choice. Great post. I share your love of color so I’m going to follow you to learn more!

  42. I LOVE COLOR! The ombre fabrics you bought are beautiful! I’m going to leave a BIG HINT for my husband since he doesn’t know what to get me for Christmas.

  43. Oh my, I like A – the blues are so wonderful! And I love the idea of your Just A Taste pattern, so many possibilities there. Thanks for the giveaway, and congratulations on a block in the book.

  44. Your energy just exudes through your writing! I couldn’t stop smiling. Love A and B, but love how A looks twilighty – not in the vampire sense, but in the sunset sense! Love Flowers in the Window pattern. I can see people using it as a wall hanging in an office where you don’t have windows… also known as cubicles from- you- know -where! Congrats on your block being in the publications and thank you for participating in the road rally!

    1. Thank you! I was trying to have my personality come out in writing. It can sound so stiff and like an infomercial. Yuck! I love that idea – a cubical window! I may steal that… 😁

  46. What I’d really like is your mustang; colored interior lights…my husband thinks I’m silly because I love to sit in the hot tub and play with with color combos of the spa light…. But I’d settle for Wonky donkey. Can’t wait to try your block; and yes I have losts of various ombre fabrics.

  47. Love your Road from Casper! Block A is more appealing to me. Great block. Picking colors is scary for me so I tend to buy more than I need and arrange and rearrange at home until it looks right. Then sew it up and regret that I didn’t choose the other color. If I won a pattern I’d pick your Flowers in the Window (as I need all the help I can get or I’ll end up with rooms and rooms of fabric).

    1. Thank you! That is kind of you to say. I appreciate that you sharing your struggles. I bet there is a courageous color-picker just waiting to come out! Good call – Flowers in the Window is a great place to start! Let me know if I can help you in any way. You are, girl! 😁❤

  49. First my vote is for A. I am a bit challenged by color- I loved your reference to a color wheel-I’ve bought tons of “help” for my color choice squeamish-ness but so far am still challenged. The “scrappy” world excludes me big time.

    1. Thanks for commenting! I understand. It can be a real struggle. It seems like color and fabrics hold lots of quilters back from what they to do. I would love talk to you more about that. Feel free to ask me anything. We are in this together! 😁

  50. I vote A. My favorite color ways are pinks and purples. I have a reputation for OD-ing on purple. Ask my quilting buddies. They swear the next time I buy a purple fat quarter they are sending me to a 12-step program. Oh well there are worse problems to have. QUILTERS UNITE!!!!!

Comments are closed.