TUTORIAL, VERSATILITY OF COLOUR
Welcome to PART 1 of my very 1st online tute. its more nerve racking then face to face teaching haha.
Today I'm going to write about colour and how important it is, not only in your craft work but also in day to day living. Supplies for patchwork are becoming more and more expensive, so today I want to show you what you can achieve with colour rather than a large quantity of fabric.
For the purpose of this exercise I will use the same colour pinwheel square, so that you get an idea of the versatility of colour and what YOU can do.
This Tutorial is particularly geared for beginners, so if you are a new patchworker or a person who has never tried anything like this before this is for you. So grab a cuppa, read PART 1 through, then have a go. Its fun,and such an eye opener.
Have you ever stopped for awhile and just looked at the colours around you? If the answers “no” I’m just too busy, take time and do it now, sit and really enjoy your cuppa as you look at the colours, the walls, the furnishings, your clothes etc, now go outside and look at the colours of the sky, the clouds, the trees, flowers everything. Now consider the prospect of everything being the same colour how sad and depressing that would be for us.
Look at the colours of Nature, “ you know what, she never makes a mistake when choosing colours”.
Colours are important to our wellbeing, our day to day living, everything we do we use colour without realising it. Clothes we wear, cars we drive, meals we serve, everything.
So now lets consider colour in our craft work.
As you will notice throughout this exercise I am using the same colours for my Pinwheel blocks for all the items we are going to make. Using the same colour blocks I intend to make several different items so that you can get a feel for colour and realise it’s importance and it’s influence, not only on our visual senses and brain but on our emotions and how we are attracted to certain colours. If you react with a “WOW” when you start to assemble your chosen fabrics together, you have hit the jackpot.
However, if your reaction is just a mild “ugh”, (not a word for my ___ feelings at times, but I’m sure you know what I mean) then it will always be “ugh”. Don’t give up just change 1 to something that makes you go “WOW”.
Liking colours is instant, no “do I don’t I” moment, you either like a colour or you don’t.
If you want to be a part of this interesting exercise, and I hope you will take part, as it will be fun and at the end of it you will have made some nice accessories for you place or presents for gifting.
You can probably guess that I can well and truly “waffle”, used to get me into trouble with my uni assignments, I will try not to.
The main thing I want to stress here, is that YOU can make something beautiful without spending heaps of money on loads of different coloured fabrics.
Now if you want to be a part, scroll down and read the tute directions for the Pinwheel blocks , after you have made 2 blocks come back and continue reading here.
Don’t stress, have fun, there are no rights or wrongs, remember we are all different individuals with different ideas, different tastes, that’s what makes us “unique” .
You've probably all heard of or looked at a colour wheel, I have one here but very seldom use it. I expect you all know the primary colours, red,yellow,green, blue, as well as combinations of red+yellow make orange, red +blue make purple etc.
Plus we have shades of colour light,dark,medium, pale, bright
Cool colours, warm colours, shades of white, yellow white, blue white the list and confusion go on and on.
I much prefer to use visual and emotional seeing, If you like a colour use it, freedom of choice is really what its about, freedom of choice makes us feel good.
Now to explain more, you need to make 2 pinwheel blocks using 2 co-ordinating colours, these are so you can study them really look at them and actually see them, see the beauty of the colours and think about how you feel.
NOTE:
If you intend making all 4 items that I make from the same colour pinwheel blocks you need to have available at least 1mtr each of 2 co-ordinating fabrics for the main colours, plus odds and ends of other fabric to try combinations. I will try and give you quantities as we progress.
Come back after you have made your mugmats. Meanwhile I will upload photos of my 2 mats finished.
Back to the tute, Look at the bottom photo first and study the colours, this has a WOW factor, but rather than the pinwheel being the WOW, our eyes are drawn to the hot pink colour. However look again and you will notice the gorgeous shades of pinks in the pinwheel.If you zoom into the hot pink mat, you will notice that the pink "pulls out" the pinks in the pinwheel fabric, the hotpink draws your eyes so that you see the other pinks, as well as the gorgeous little flowers, didn’t notice them before, did you?
Make another mugmat using the same colour pinwheel block but this time add darker or different colours to either side of the block, it will be in the centre.
Now look closely at the two, not only look but actually see and absorb the colours.
Study the top photo and the first thing you notice is the pinwheel and its rich colours of golds and purple, as well as the small details of delicate flowers. The darker colours actually draw your eyes directly to the center pinwheel block, you will know notice and see the glorious “goldy” colours of the fabric as well as the purply shades, the pinks fade in comparison this time, isn't that amazing. Can you see the lovely “goldy” colours in the darker fabric, notice how it compliments the pinwheel.
WHY Is that, (hahha, I feel like Sumner Millar, saying, why is it so)
Adding dark colours to either side of the pinwheel block, actually draws your eyes to the picture as a whole, rather than in separate coloured sections. For example the pink in the other mugmat.
A totally different appearance to the pink block. How versatile is colour?
PART 1 has been a lot of fun, however if its been a problem for you, email me for a file containing this info.
See you soon for PART 2.
You will need 4 maybe 5 of the same coloured pinwheel blocks. Take care
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