Strip landscapes are very similar to painting with fabric.  You will need a wide array of fabrics in many hues, values, colors and shades.  You will find that in searching for that perfect piece of fabric to fit into a particular spot, you will probably audition many possibilities.  Your color choices will set the mood and time of day for your quilt.

For myself, color success is somewhat intuitive, and the result of trial and error and much practice.  I find myself examining the sky and mountains more carefully now, looking for subtle variations.  Your success will only be limited by your imagination and your ability to let yourself experiment and make mistakes.  The technical sewing skills involved are not difficult and easily mastered with a little practice.

COLOR SCALES

Pure colors are primary colors and all hues formed by mixing primaries.  They are very clear, vivid, intense and medium in value.  Summer scenes will tend to utilize pure colors.  These fabrics will create drama and add sparkle.  Be careful of how dominent and powerful these pieces may be in your quilt.

TINTS

Tints are pure colors mixed with white.  Pastels fall into this category although some tints have only a tiny bit of white mixed in.  A spring scene will be effective when created with a majority of tints.

SHADES

Shades are pure colors mixed with black.  Shades are associated with fall colors because they are deep and rich.  Shades can be used to develop shadows.

TONES

Tones are pure colors mixed with grey.  These colors are wonderful in winter scenes.  They will also help you to create illusions of mist, fog and haze.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Warm colors tend to advance and cool colors recede.

You will need to keep a good balance of light to dark in your creation.  If you use all of one and none of the other, your quilt will end up dull and lifeless.  A successful landscape will have fabrics which slowly transition from color to color with many intermediate steps.

Begin to build your fabric stash with small quantities (1/8 - 1/4 YD) of as many suitable pieces as possible.  Landscapes may use between 30 - 100 different fabrics in one quilt.  You may only use a strip or two of each.  The most versatile cut for strip quilting is full width cuts rather than fat quarters. 

Think about the sky of various seasons, clouds, water, storms, sunrises and sunsets, mountains, deserts, beaches, forests, etc.  Try to find batiks, gently patterned nature prints, and raw muslin.  Textures work in some places.  Be creative and adventureous.

Try to avoid distint prints of leaves, trees, landscape prints.  It is usually best to keep individual fabrics very subtle to help them blend in a seamless flow.  In my classes, the number one fabric mistake that I saw, was in purchasing fabric too bright, bold and patterned.

Take time to look closely at nature and think consciously about all the colors that make up our world.  Enjoy the process!  You'll find many Quilting Patterns, Books, CDs to further help you in your artistic journey.

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