Table Of ContentCRAFTS/Quilting
P
a C O L O R I F I C
m
Goodbye, dull quilts!
G
o
e
c
k
e
HELLO, COLOR CONFIDENCE!
D
in
n Pam Goecke Dinndorf
d
o
r
f
Make 6 bold quilts in
Pam’s signature colors
Get answers to frequently
asked questions, like how
C
to rescue quilts that look
O
too flat or too busy
L
O
Foreword by fabric and R
I
quilt designer Kaffe Fassett
F
I
C
6 new projects from
Aardvark Quilts
“ Pam has a way of creating simple structures that allow the colors C
& • C&T Publishing should always be white and upper case
to positively glow. The color schemes she chooses always have a T
P • Background bar color can change according to book.
sophistication as well as a down-home earthiness that rarely fails U
B
to inspire me.” LISH •• TUiptlpe enre ceads en weeitdhs dtoe sbigen i ne lbemolden atn hdi/gohrl i ghting title.
IN
-Kaffe Fassett G
Unlock the Secrets of Fabric Selection for Dynamic Quilts
C O L O R I F I C
Pam Goecke Dinndorf
6 new projects from Aardvark Quilts
Unlock the Secrets of Fabric Selection for Dynamic Quilts
Text and Photography copyright © 2013 by Pam Goecke Dinndorf
Photography and Artwork copyright © 2013 by C&T Publishing, Inc.
Publisher: Amy Marson
Creative Director: Gailen Runge
Art Director: Kristy Zacharias
Editor: Lynn Koolish
Technical Editors: Julie Waldman and Sandy Peterson
Cover Designers: Christina Jarumay Fox and April Mostek
Book Designer: Christina Jarumay Fox
Production Coordinator: Jessica Jenkins
Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi
Illustrator: Tim Manibusan
Photo Assistant: Cara Pardo
Flat Quilt Photography by Christina Carty-Francis and Diane Pedersen
of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted; Style Photography by
Craig Blacklock, unless otherwise noted
Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright
hereon may be used in any form or reproduced by any means—
graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
taping, or information storage and retrieval systems—without
written permission from the publisher. The copyrights on individual
artworks are retained by the artists as noted in Colorific. These
designs may be used to make items only for personal use. Donations
to nonprofit groups, items for sale, or items for display only at
events require the following credit on a conspicuous label: Designs
copyright © 2013 by Pam Goecke Dinndorf from the book Colorific
from C&T Publishing, Inc. Permission for all other purposes must be
requested in writing from C&T Publishing, Inc.
Attention Copy Shops: Please note the following exception—
publisher and author give permission to photocopy page 42
and pattern pullout pages P1 and P2 for personal use only.
Attention Teachers: C&T Publishing, Inc., encourages you to use
this book as a text for teaching. Contact us at 800-284-1114 or
www.ctpub.com for lesson plans and information about the
C&T Creative Troupe.
We take great care to ensure that the information included in our
products is accurate and presented in good faith, but no warranty
is provided nor are results guaranteed. Having no control over the
choices of materials or procedures used, neither the author nor
C&T Publishing, Inc., shall have any liability to any person or entity
with respect to any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the
information contained in this book. For your convenience, we post
an up-to-date listing of corrections on our website (www.ctpub.com).
If a correction is not already noted, please contact our customer
service department at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 1456,
Lafayette, CA 94549.
Trademark (™) and registered trademark (®) names are used
throughout this book. Rather than use the symbols with every
occurrence of a trademark or registered trademark name, we are
using the names only in the editorial fashion and to the benefit of
the owner, with no intention of infringement.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dinndorf, Pam Goecke, 1954-
Colorific : unlock the secrets of fabric selection for dynamic quilts /
Pam Goecke Dinndorf.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-60705-363-7 (soft cover)
1. Patchwork--Patterns. 2. Quilting--Patterns. 3. Color in textile
crafts. I. Title.
TT835.D57 2013
746.46’041--dc23
2012042243
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedication
To my mother, Hazel, for nurturing
my love of all things beautiful,
and to my husband, Patrick, for never failing
to encourage my affair with color
Acknowledgments
I must thank my long-suffering family first—my stalwart
husband, Patrick, for making me believe and allowing me to
indulge in my obsession, and my children, Sydney, Egan, and
Elias, for their patience and inability to see the dust collecting
around them.
Thanks to the very special people I encountered at Gruber’s
Quilt Shop in Waite Park, Minnesota, who introduced me
to a whole new way to express myself with color: Sue Poser,
Charlene Lemieur, and Beth Probasco, fellow addicts who
share my bliss and inspire and encourage me in this quest for
the ultimate colorful quilt. Thanks also to Craig Blacklock,
the master photographer who took such care to get just the
right shots for this book in spite of the elements; the Lake
County (Minnesota) Historical Society, the Historic Union
Depot (Two Harbors, Minnesota), and Gooseberry Falls
State Park (Minnesota) for allowing us to drape my quilts all
over for photography; Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably of
Westminster Fibers, Marcia Derse of Troy Corporation, and
Terry Mangat of Free Spirit for supplying glorious fabrics
for the quilt projects; my editors at C&T, especially Lynn
Koolish for her patience, flexibility, and knowledge, without
which this book would never have come to be; and all of the
brave quilters who signed up for my classes and absolutely
enhanced my enjoyment of this quilted adventure we are on.
C O N T E N T S
Preface
… 7
Foreword from Kaffe Fassett
… 7
SELECTION: EXHIBITION:
Color and Print Colors on Display
… 8 … 22
What the Color Wheel Tells Us Monochromatic … 23
about Color Relationships … 8
Analogous … 24
Guidelines for Fabric Selection … 12
Complementary … 25
Value • Hue • Print or pattern
Temperature • Intensity Triadic … 26
Evaluating Fabrics … 18 Neutral … 28
Color Scheme Validators … 20 Focus Fabric … 29
Color Story … 31
Other Successful Color Combinations … 32
C O N T E N T S
FREQUENTLY APPLICATION:
Asked Questions Colorful Projects
… 33 … 35
Can the dots on the selvage be of use when Ziggurat … 36
choosing fabrics?
Why is it more difficult to choose only Trefoils … 39
3 or 5 fabrics for a quilt project than it is
Lattice … 43
to choose 45 to 60 fabrics per color scheme?
Are there some colors that are particularly Sawtooth Squared … 47
hard to match?
How do I decide how much of a particular Bargello and Biscuits … 52
color to use?
Make Peace … 55
How should I choose binding fabric?
Should I cut out all of the required fabric
before I start any construction? QUILTMAKING BASICS:
How do I decide how much of a fabric to buy How to Finish a Quilt
… 59
for my stash?
How do I correct a quilt that looks flat? Seam allowances • Pressing • Borders
How should I handle running out of a fabric? Backing • Batting • Layering • Basting
Quilting • Binding
How can I make a manufacturer’s fabric
collection come to life?
Why does my quilt look too busy? About the Author
… 63
What can I do to help a print with bright
white blend in?
6 COLORIFIC
col or if ic
• • •
adj.—highly colored
Preface
Throughout my childhood, as well as my children’s, one of my favorite
places to visit has been the rocky, majestic North Shore of Lake Superior in
Minnesota. We are drawn back again and again to experience the awe that
fills us when we are in its presence.
This was naturally my choice as a backdrop for featuring my new designs,
since this area played such a large part in inspiring and influencing my
aesthetic development. The rough, neutral beauty of Lake Superior in the
spring serves as a perfect foil for the bright colorations of the quilts.
I am very thankful for my God-given love for and talent with color and
feel a strong obligation to share that with others in his honor. It is entirely
appropriate to combine my humble creations with one of his best—
Minnesota’s North Shore.
—Pam
Foreword
Since I first launched my fabric designs in this patchwork market, many
people have used them, with different degrees of success. Every once in a
while I am struck by such original use of my prints I’m virtually stopped in
my tracks.
Pam Goecke Dinndorf has consistently caught my attention through
the years with her quite brilliant use of color and form. It is often the
proportion of the colors as they are combined that makes them optimally
radiant. Pam has a way of creating simple structures that allow the colors
to positively glow. The color schemes she chooses almost always have
a sophistication as well as a down-home earthiness that rarely fails to
inspire me.
She brings a very fresh and solidly talented eye to my beloved world of
traditional quilts.
—Kaffe Fassett
7
SELECTION:
Color and Print
As much as I love words, spoken words as well as written What the Color Wheel
words, sometimes I want to say things that words cannot
Tells Us about Color
say. Color, for me, is my language. From as far back as I can
remember, color has spoken to and for me.
Relationships
Color evokes feelings, inspires creativity, stimulates action,
To some of us, the color wheel is infinitely fascinating.
confers status, and recalls memories, all without words.
My own obsession with color led me to pursue as much
Studies have been done and books have been written on
education in color as I could. When I am daydreaming,
the power of color to heal, motivate, or incite, but this book
my husband often inquires, “What are you thinking about,
focuses on color as it applies to selecting fabric for quilts.
color?” Many of my night dreams are occupied with color,
Choosing color schemes for quilts is a unique endeavor.
as well.
We’ve all been trained in how to select colors for fashion
It is not necessary, however, to be that immersed in color
and home decorating, where matching colors is desir-
theory and terminology to be able to make successful
able. Quilts are completely different creatures. They are
color decisions. Due to the emotional component of color,
composed of many small pieces, whose every seam is an
choices often come down to instinct rather than education.
opportunity to change the fabric color, even just slightly.
Knowing a few basic concepts demonstrated by the color
Also, flat in shape, they are asking for a third dimension.
wheel will improve your confidence in your color instinct.
The guidelines for quilt fabric selection are understandably
different from those for fashion and home decorating.
Color is a powerful force, and consequently many quilters
find it intimidating. I hear confessions from quilters in my
color classes that they are not confident choosing colors or
that they find fabric selection the most aggravating part of
“I found that I could say things with color
the design process. Once you become somewhat familiar
and shapes that I couldn’t say any other
with the dynamics of color relationships, however, you can
way—things that I had no words for.”
harness that power to create extraordinary quilts. Color is
ours to manipulate to create effects that can be magical. —GEORGIA O’KEEFFE
8 COLORIFIC
Yellow
Yellow-green
Yellow-orange
Orange Green
Red-orange Blue-green
Color wheel
Red
Blue
Red-violet
Blue-violet
Violet
TIP “All colors are the friends of their
The simplest, most useful lesson you can take neighbors and the lovers of
from the color wheel is that relative position
their opposites.”
on the wheel determines the nature of the
—MARC CHAGALL
relationship between colors.
SELECTION: COLOR AND PRINT 9
