The fun of making scrap quilts is that I sew bits and pieces together and let the plan develop as I go. I always ask my quilting friends, “Do you cut out the entire quilt before you get started, or do you cut some pieces and test your color choices before you cut the entire quilt?”

I think I have always done the latter and maybe that is because of my love of scraps quilts.

And because of this I often have some leftovers in quilting, not in cooking. I added more squares and had enough pieces from my Izzy Squared quilt (large version) to make a baby quilt.

Thought this would be a good time to talk value which is basically one word for light, medium or dark. If you haven’t read Oh Scrap yet, the book is full of color coordinated quilts that push the envelope a little bit in the study of value and fabric placement.

Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about all of these blocks, they are scraps so by definition anything is acceptable. So i am going to share some value tips from some of the blocks. The best way to study color is to look at things in black and white. Crazy, right?

In the above picture, look at the grayscale block. What do you see? Look how strong the royal blue block stands out. It is definitely considered a dark. The fabric has very little design in it so also reads as a solid. The other fabric in this example is the red corner square in the bottom right corner. Dark and reads as a solid so it is a strong selection.

When I mentioned leftovers sometimes start my quilts, sometimes they help me finish. I was about out of reds for the centers and came across this tiny 4 patch that I trimmed to just the right size for my center square. I love the quirky little block.

These two pictures are not side by side so  you may have to scroll back and forth to see the differences. I have shown the grayscale version above. Look at the bottom middle block, notice how the square in the left hand corner disappears?

Here is the color version of the sweet little aqua fabric that is just perfect for this block. It also reads as a solid but would be considered a light. When studying value, you also have to take into consideration the background fabric. This little aqua square is close in value but different enough in color to work.

Shown here is a larger section of the quilt showing the difference in the values of lights and darks makes you eye explore all the colors. I love the block that is just the 5 red squares.

When asked if I have a favorite version of these blocks, it is like asking if I have a favorite child. I love them all for different reasons! I am always surprised how each block turns out!! Love, love, love.

Then once your quilt top is complete, the quilting is always the icing on top. Maggi Honeyman quilted this quilt for me with an all over design. When studying color, pattern and values keep in mind that quilting does add another layer of art by defining or minimizing some of your fabric choices.

I used one of Bonnie and Camille’s 108″ wide quilt backs from Moda. (leftovers from another quilt back). The backing is so soft and almost silky feeling which will be yummy once it is washed and wrapped around a little one.

Shown below is the larger version of this color way of Izzy Squared quilt. To read more about it, go here.

Ask for Oh Scrap book at your favorite quilt or specialty store for patterns and more color tips.

Enjoy!

-modalissa