Wayward Transparency Quilt Along

I'm participating in three quilt alongs! I didn't really plan to join that many, but as each one came up,  and I found I have the fabric to make the project, I thought, "Why not?" 

The first one I'm doing is the Wayward Transparency Quilt Along led by Yvonne Fuch's (QuiltingJetGirl). The description of the along is here. We not so far into it that you couldn't join in too. Right now!

For quite a while now, I've been fascinated by transparency as a quilt design element. 

If you're not familiar with transparency, the way I explain it is... the design looks like fabrics have been layered over each other, changing the depth of color. The look is accomplished by using several different values - light, medium-light, medium, medium-dark, and dark - of color. 

I really like this transparency quilt. To give credit where it's due, the name of this quilt is Jewel Box by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle.

I also love this Richard Blanco piece which is acrylic paint on canvas. Can't you imagine it recreated with fabric? 

But until I fully grasp the interplay of values, I'm practicing with Yvonne's along. These are two transparency quilts that Yvonne has made. The first one was shown at QuiltCon 2016 in Austin.

 

This is the quilt we'll make for her along. I'm making the 48" X 48" size. 

We were to choose three values of a color. I went with the orange, but had to go through a half dozen different combinations of orange to get the "right" ones. My fabrics are:

light: Painter's Palette Amber
medium: Moda Grunge Tangerine
dark: Kona Flame 

The best way to select a combination with enough contrast is to take a picture of the fabrics together, and then use photo editing to turn it into a black and white picture. The values should really stand out. 

I'm up to date on the "assignments" for the quilt along. I've done the piecing and sewing for steps one and two.

On November 24, Yvonne will release the third piecing step. Then the fun really begins as we see the whole design coming together. I know what I'm going to be working on in December! Linda