Valori Wells

Highlighter Rocks with Sunflowers & Lemons

Happy Friday!

This week really flew by...Quilt Con is just around the corner and I am just about ready to go. A few more bundles to fold this weekend. Today I wanted to share with you my Highlighter Rocks with Sunflowers & Lemons Quilt.

Highlighter is Kona Cottons Color of the Year!

I found photographs a huge inspiration for my Highlighter quilt since the color was so hard for me to grasp. It makes me pucker and smile at the same time. By looking for photographs that used that color it started me thinking about palettes to play with. I came across an abstract painting with yellows and grays, drawings of lemons, sunflowers and yellow doors.

These photos inspired the palette and then I began playing with ideas for design. I carry an embroidered pouch with me full of colorful rocks and it got me started on the “rock” idea for the quilt. Rocks of course, because they are gray and that was a part of the palette. Inspiration can come from so many different things and when all those little bits come together a quilt design emerges. Next came pulling together the gray rocks and the yellow stripped background to give the quilt subtle lines and movement - similar to the color essence in the abstract paintings. The goal was to balance out the intensity of Highlighter but still make it the dominate color of the quilt. The top is just part of the quilt, quilting can stand out or blend in depending on your motif and color of thread. I wanted a little of both because I just had to quilt sunflowers and lemons.

This is a free pattern at Robert Kaufman...soon! Like in the next week they will have it up to download.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments about Mystic and all the blogs that I did this last month about Morocco. I loved getting to share all of it with you.

Have a great weekend!!

XOXO

Valori

PS The 3 bundle winners have been emailed.....

 

 

The Souks of Marrakesh...

The Souks....

A combination the entire Mystic collection and Kona Cottons.....

The Souks is the open air marketplace in the medina (center)  of Marrakesh.... it is a maze of tiny stalls and vendors with every possible product you could need....I barely touched the surface of the Souks and was a little confused as to where I was but after a couple of visits I was able to find my way around. It is one of the most interesting aspects to the city...people watching...smells.... colors.... textures.... sounds...it hits every sense and then some. The souks may seem confusing but they are very well organized by product.... dyers area, food, leather, etc. The strips in the design of the quilt connect to each other in some places but not quite in others creating a maze sort of feel but yet it is very organized it felt like the Souks.

My quilting is a maze of quilting to showcase the Souks....

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Souks....

This would be one of my favorites!!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of my trip to Morocco....the trip changed my life and I am so very grateful!!! 

Last weeks bundle winner.... Jenny (you have been emailed)!

Ok - I have three fat 1/4 bundles of the entire collection of Mystic.... leave a comment and next week I will announce the winners!!!

Have a great week!!

XOXO

Valori

 

A little embroidery...

Hello Friends....

I love embroidery. Over the years I have embroidered bits and pieces of my fabric designs. Adding stitching to quilts, bags, and pillows whatever I can think of that will add a little more texture and color to a project. My flora design in Mystic is perfect for embroidery.

I like to make something for my mom at Christmas and this year at the last minute I decided to embroidery on the grey canvas Flora to make into a pillow for her. It is perfect colors for her house. This is the modern canvas from Robert Kaufman so it is light weight compared to traditional canvas. It is perfect for pillows and bags...

I added some gold piping which worked really well at accenting the gold in the embroidery. The great thing about taking a printed fabric and adding embroidery is that you don't have to embroider the entire pillow. Just add to the design of the fabric. My mom loved it...

She has now started one for a friend of hers.... it is in progress so I thought I would show you how easy it is to embroider a little fabric and make something...

Here we go in progress. I use three strands of the Aurifil embroidery floss. Tie a knot in one end and use the design printed on the fabric as your guide.

It is that simple.... I like to use a couple of colors in the flower. But it is up to you... maybe an variegated thread. There are so many great fabrics out there that would be perfect for this technique.

I have to share a few photos of Morocco that inspired this new design Flora, from Mystic. It is not a specific flower but the essence of the flora in Morocco...created into a stencil like design....something simple but dramatic.

The roses at Peacock Pavilions were amazing...

The stenciled door in our house at Peacock Pavilions....

And a little henna to round it out.....

The winner of the Gypsum blog bundle giveaway is..... Robin (you have been emailed).

I have more fabric to give away... and with this bundle I am going to include some of the canvas.. just leave a comment to be entered to win. Winner announced on the next blog post this Friday....

Have a great day!!!

xoxox

Valori

 

Just in case you would like to come to Morocco and do a little creating and exploring... YA SALAM

 Amy Butler’s Ya Salam Exotic Getaway! Marrakesh Morocco
November 5 - 12 2016

Join Amy and David Butler and creative guru Val Wells for an exciting inspiration expedition exploring Marrakesh and all of it’s exotic inspirations!
Our week together will be filled with creative workshops mixed with day trips that take us to fascinating, colorful locals! We’ll scour the souks, visit
historic sites in Marrakesh and have a full day in the Atlas Mountains taking in the natural beauty and tour the rural Berber villages. Our home base
is the gorgeous Peacock Pavilions.  Many of our meals and events will take place at the Pavilions including our creative
workshop sessions. You are in for a treat!

 

Color of the Week... GIVEAWAY!!!!!

 

Color of the Week started with my collection of fabric, Blueprint Basics, and the desire to share my color inspiration through photography. I mixed in some Kona Cotton Solids to complete the color spectrum. The 52 weeks were split into the four seasons...

Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter....

I designed a quilt for each season ending with a trip around the world quilt, Celebration, that uses all 52 pieces.

All of these quilts are free pattern downloads on Robert Kaufman...(left to right: Winter, Spring, Celebration, Summer, Autumn)

To Celebrate the Color of the Week I have 12 of these babies to give away, 52 fat 1/4's in each bundle....

To be entered in the giveaway just tell me what your favorite Color of the Week was? I will close the giveaway next Sunday night and pick 12 winners next Monday.

Thanks for your support!

XOXO

Valori

Colored Happy....

I am very excited to introduce you to Colored Happy... My quilt for the Kona 30th Anniversay.

 

I absolutely LOVE this quilt. Several years ago I found this magazine clipping of pillows that I thought would make a great quilt. The images has been tacked to my inspiration board ever since.

 

With all the 303 Kona Colors this was th perfect design to play with color. I fell in love with the new Kona solids and used them as my starting off point. The block itself is very easy to construct. It was a matter of playing with color. I choose 8 different color stories for the 25 blocks. This meant one of the color stories would have 3 blocks. I felt like this would set the balance of color just perfectly. (and I have a thing for odd numbers)

My biggest challenge Colored Happy was the quilting.....it is one of my favorite parts of the quilting process. There are times I run into a wall on what designs to quilt. I wanted to have the quilting add to the color and design of the quilt but not take over. With the variety of colors in the quilt how could I just pick one color to quilt with....I couldn't, so there are lots of colors in the quilting. The quilting designs are a mixture of "pebbles", curved organic shapes, and funky flowers.

The Kona 30th Anniversary Look Book....

 

Check out all of the beautiful quilts made by fabulous designers for the Kona 30th Anniversary Celebration.

The folks at Robert Kaufman are generously giving away Kona Charm pack with each blog posting over the 30 days. I picked the packet of new colors to give away to some lucky reader. Just leave a comment and you will go into a drawing to win this beauty....A great start to making Colored Happy. Colored Happy is a free pattern that can be downloaded from Robert Kaufman. (the give away is open for 24 hours starting at 10 a.m. pacific time Wednesday, November 19, 2014)

Have a great day!!!

XO

Valori

 

Ashton Road Candy Picnic...

 

Ashton Road was released the end of July....for my collections to release complete I like to do a "look book" for the salesmen and women to show to shop owners when they show the fabric for the first time. The look book is full of inspirational photographs and projects. Some of the projects are free pattern downloads and others are recreated Sewing Cards. I try to come up with a theme for the photo-shoot that reflects what the fabric means to me. To get the look book to Robert Kaufman in time I receive sample yardage about 4 to 6 weeks before my deadline. That being said I try to be really prepared for the projects that need to be made and the photo-shoot. I received Ashton Road in the beginning of June. In the images below you will see all the work that goes into getting ready for a release. I have some of the most wonderful staff at the Stitchin' Post and friends that help me with all the sewing and pattern writing as well as the photo-shoots. I could not do it without them!

For Ashton Road the photos-hoot had to be with the kids....it had to be outside on a summer day. The colors in the fabric remind me of candy so we created a "candy picnic" for the kiddos. Two of my good friends helped me with the shoot. We each had cameras - perfect for three kids! It was the best day and one of the funnest photo-shoots I have ever done. The images are priceless and really express the happiness and love that created Ashton Road.

The Round-table...

 

My Tent...

Playtime Treehouse Quilt (free download).... made out of the flannel.

Vivi loves her Cruzin' Everyday Skirt....(new sewing card)

The Everyday Skirt pattern will be released at Fall Quilt Market.

Playtime Bikes.... out of the cotton sheeting. (free pattern download)

Urban Baby Quilt... (free pattern download) Flannel...

Three Times Around... (free pattern download) Cotton Sheeting...

This quilt is adapted from one of my patterns - The Zoey Throw.

That was our day.... lots of laughing... lots of sugar and LOTS of great photos!!!

This is my other new pattern coming out at Quilt Market, Diamond Lane.

I am doing the final touches for Quilt Market next weekend....My booth will be featuring Ashton Road... Photos to come....

Hope you have a great day!!!

Enjoy those little things in your life.... like laughing kids with lolipops!!!

XOXO

Valori

PS We are working on getting all of the Ashton Road free patterns up for download by the end of Ocotber.

 

 

 

Color of the Week

 

 

 

Iron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What can I say as a black and white photographer I love this color... and there is something about gray that is calming and peaceful. Iron is a cool blueish gray that reminds me of the keys in an old typewriter.

Enjoy!

XO

Valori

 

Last week I accidently did a bad link to my new blog....

Here is a good link!

www.valoriwells.com/blog

 

 

Blueprint Basics

I love color….

 

When I set out to create Blueprint Basics I made a color wheel of sorts. This was the beginning of separating the colors into seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The designs came next. The designs in Blueprint Basics started with my sketchbook, simple drawings of inspiration. I planned the designs to mix throughout the seasons.

                         

My swatches and strike-offs covered a section of my inspirational wall for a year. The beginning of Blueprint was also the beginning of The Color of the Week idea…. One night when I couldn’t sleep, I was so excited to create a line of basics, I started thinking about how much I photograph color. Why not connect the two and create an inspirational blog once a week for an entire year. A year of color….mixed with inspirational photography, quilts and projects.

I am so very lucky to be working with Robert Kaufman and when I presented my idea they were excited and wanted to see what I could do with the project. Thanks to them my little idea is now a reality.

Let me introduce you to Spring Blueprint Basics…..

  

Leapfrog

 

   

 Royal Blue

 

  

Smoke

 

        

Sunkissed

 

 

Salsa

 

 

Pink Nectar

 

   

Emerald

 

      

Grappa

 

   

Iron

 

Mixed with these designs are four Kona Solids. I love to work with solids. Combining Blueprint Basics and Kona Solids was a given for this project.

 

  

Kona Solid Orange

 

  

Kona Solid Pomegranate 

 

  

Kona Solid Robin Egg 

 

  

Kona Solid White

 

  

 

For each season I have created a free pattern download. This is Spring...

We will be kitting this quilt at The Stitchin' Post.

 

Please join me starting April 10, 2014 for a year of color....

Color of the Week with Blueprint Basics and Kona Solids

 

XO

Valori

 

***Anouncement****

I am moving my blog to my website. www.valoriwells.com/blog

I will keep this one active for 6 months. And put teasers of my posts....

Thanks!

 

 

Quill photo shoot & look book

Good Morning.....

The response to Quill and Blueprint Basics has been amazing....I am so proud of these collections and to be a part of Robert Kaufman.

I thought I would share the look book I created from the Quill photo shoot.... I hope you like it! I will have new projects and patterns in the spring just in time for Quilt Market!

If you haven't checked out Robert Kaufman web site you should... they have my videos up also that give you a little insight into my work on these collections. We are getting the fabrics up on our web site, Stitchin Post, for pre-orders..... YEAH!

Have a great day...

XO

Valori

PS the free pattern downloads in the look book will be available in February.

Bridgette Lane projects...

As promised lots of great projects from Bridgette Lane. My sweet girl, Olivia, was my model for the photoshoot. Love that girl and her energy....

For the new sewing cards we have Colored Pencils and Boardwalk.

This is Colored Pencils...

Boardwalk...

I truly love this quilt.... it shows how well the little prints of Bridgette Lane cut up so well...

The kitties love it too. I honestly couldn't believe the two of them posing for me!

Both of these quilts are made out of the cotton. I did a free pattern out of the flannel....

You can download the free pattern here... Download BridgetteLanePattern_web

I love to recreate patterns with new fabric... here are a few that I came up with for Bridgette Lane.

Rosalie Quilt

Bridgette's Rosalie uses the smaller template in the Sewing Card.

Lion Around Sewing card is the PERFECT baby gift...or to cuddle under when your 8 and your mom is making you do a photoshoot on a cold fall afternoon in a sundress!

Leonardo the Lion and Elsa the Elephant were a no brianer to make out of the soft yummy flannel.

At the last minute Vivi decided she wanted to be a part of the photoshoot....

She loves her animals...

If you at the International Quilt Market this weekend come by my booth - 804, if not I will be posting on my Valori Wells Designs facebook page and Instagram @valoriwells.

Have a great weekend!

XO

Valori