Category: Ideas/Suggestions

Not Quite a Kaleidoscope

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As you know, this week we’ve been talking about the basic kaleidoscope block starting with how to make it, and then showing how this block could really transform the look of a fabric.

Today, we’ll look at the kaleidoscope from a different view. What happens if you don’t choose the same fabric to work all the way around the block? Then what type of an effect might you get?

Both of these blocks are kaleidoscopes, but see how different they look? The one on the left uses the same dot fabric for the corners of the block as it does for the matching interior triangles – this draws the entire block out making it look much more square. While the block on the right gives more of an “X” marks the spot type of effect, as the dot is on the alternate interior triangles. Just imagine an entire quilt with either of these blocks! Then consider what it would look like if you used both of them!

Imagine using a block like this around the edge of a larger focus fabric for a children’s quilt – or even just at the corners of the quilt!

Take a good look at this quilt – the eye sees curves and circles all around the quilt. But this is still a simple kaleidoscope block, repeated. The various shades of blue are tied together by the white print used in all blocks, and the fact that the blues are in similar color ranges. Did you notice that the blocks alternate? Half have white fabric for the corners, while the other half uses the blue fabrics, this adds to the curve illusion.

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These blocks were made using a very interesting technique. The quilter first sewed strips of solid fabric together to create the gradient effect you see here, then those new color strips were cut into the kaleidoscope triangles and sewn together again – a very vivid and striking effect!

And here you see the full quilt – the one thing this quilter did differently is that the triangle was not flipped over to make a second cut, she used a bit more fabric for her triangles, so that the stripes would always have the same gradient (light at the tip to dark at the edges). I wonder if she did make the reverse cuts and made a second quilt out of those….

As you can see – there’s LOTS that can be done with the kaleidoscope block – what ideas does it give you?

Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

Kaleidoscope Block = Fabric Transformation

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Yesterday, I showed you how to make a kaleidoscope quilt block, and you saw the steps as I made a block using a stripe fabric (and the finished paisley block).

Today, I’d like to talk about how the kaleidoscope block really transforms the way you look at a fabric. For instance, what type of a block do you think a fabric like this one would make?

Can you see this as a repeated image? The design twisting around a center point? Well, one of the participants at the recent seminar I taught saw the potential in this fabric, and you’re going to be amazed at the results she got from this pattern. (You may want to click on the image of the fabric above to see the detail of it.)

And here are some of the blocks she got from this one piece of fabric – as you can see, some very different looks depending on the repeat chosen.

If you look carefully, you can pick out the areas she pulled each repeat from in the original piece of fabric.

And here it’s pictured again, with the original fabric and the quilter. Great job! The lilacs have really transformed into a brand new type of flower – what would you call it? A Lavender Star Flower?

Next, we have this lovely black fabric, a very striking pattern, as I’m sure you’ll agree. But when you look at it, what color do you see? Black, red, even white?

What about green? Yes, that’s the same fabric used in the blocks pictured on the left of the picture. And again, we have the quilter’s standing with their creations. The sage used on the corners of the blocks really does match nicely with the hint of green in the original fabric – and it showcases the kaleidoscope making it ‘pop’ nicely.

In contrast to this style, the quilter on the right has chosen a fabric for her corners that blends right into the original print – making it look almost as if the block is actually a printed image instead of a pieced one.

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And here, a soothing cream/tan color. Once again the elements of the print have created a floral effect in the center of the block – this is particularly evident in the yellow ‘flower’ center on the left.

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Do you see the difference made in these blocks? Just the fabric used for the corners is going to give these two similarly colored blocks a completely different look in the final quilt.
This set of blocks is actually finished off as octagons – can’t you just see these sitting on a side table in the living room?
And these great patriotic blocks started off as a simple striped fabric – what a terrific look!
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These blocks are going to make an absolutely gorgeous red and white quilt – wish I could see the finished work!
I nick-named this batch “garden bouquet”, doesn’t it just look like you could go out to the garden one summer day and pick these flowers? Look at the contrast effect the quilter is getting by using the different red and yellow corners for her blocks.
Here are a couple more of the “garden bouquet” blocks – giving you a bit closer look at the actual fabric repeats used.
The quilter, and a peek at the original fabric used to create the kaleidoscope.

So as you can see, if you look at the fabric in just the right way, you might see a great kaleidoscope in the works! If you’re wondering how a repeat of a fabric will look beside itself – here’s a trick you can use…. for small prints, you can use a simple mirror set at a 90º angle to the fabric – look in the mirror and you’ll see a mirrored image of that section of the fabric (not really a true repeat).
Or, you can take the fabric, lay it out and locate the repeat you are looking for in two places, now draw those two sections together so you can look at them side by side.
I also like to use my template (which is almost always going to be a clear ruler of some sort) to view the fabric section – this way I can see just how much of an image I can capture (such as in the paisley print used in yesterday’s finished block – I wanted to capture an entire paisley in the repeat).
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

Colorized Photo Quilt

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Today, I have one last photo quilt for you – a rather unusual idea, but one that worked out very well as you will see from the photos in just a moment.

The quilt designer, Carol, wanted to make a quilt for her husband that could be hung on the wall of their cabin/retreat. She wanted it to be in colors that would coordinate well with the design of the room, and didn’t want the photos to detract from the quilt’s colors.

So, she took several black and white pictures of landscapes and images around the cabin, and took them to a printer to have the photos professionally recolored. If you have access to a good photo editor and are familiar with it’s operation, you can do the same thing at home using your computer (more on this later).

The photos were recolored to coordinate with her fabrics, a subtle green for one set of images, and an orange that is almost a pumpkin color for the other set. She then bordered each picture with two different frames (in their coordinating colors), as you can see below.

Here is an orange/pumpkin block – picture is of a barn.

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And a sage green block – the cabin itself.

As you can see, the colorization of the photos adds a nice subtlety to the images. Since this quilt was made not with several small photos, but with nine large blocks – it makes the pictures the focus without making them stand out too harshly.

And here is the finished quilt!

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Okay, I promised more about the idea of colorizing blocks. This is for those of you who are willing to experiment a little bit. If you want to colorize photos like this, you will probably need an editing program other than the one that came with your digital camera.

For this blog, the images are all cropped, brightened, and so-forth by my secretary/assistant using a program called Gimp (she tells me it is very versatile, and best of all it is a free program).

Here are the steps she took to colorize the image of a stuffed bear she had on hand when I asked about pictures.
Original Image
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Changed to Black and White photo, using the “Colorify” command (no color was chosen so it defaulted to black & white)
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A purple hue applied to the black & white image, using the “Colorize” command (the Gimp program uses sliders in this section, simply adjust until you like the color – if colorizing multiple images, make a note of the color values to repeat the exact color).
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In this image, the “Colorize” command was used, adjusting both the hue and lightness sliders – to show more of the background the bear is sitting against.
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If “Colorize” doesn’t provide the result you like, you can also try the “Hue Saturation” command – which is how this image came about.
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Or perhaps red is more the color you are looking for? The choices are truly endless!

If you want to manipulate photos this way, then I suggest trying out the Gimp editor before investing in a more expensive program. The free download can be found here: GIMP – The GNU Image Manipulation Program.

Or, if you prefer to leave such things to the professionals, just about any location where you can make copies or get photo prints can assist you with this.
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila