Here’s a fabulous quilt that illustrates a trend we’ve been talking about for a few years:
Honeybees and the color Yellow
This delightfully detailed quilt by Kathy Strawson was awarded the Viewer’s Choice at Quilt Canada in Edmonton in June. The quilt was an exploration of the color Yellow. It was hand-pieced and machine appliqued by Kathy. The machine quilting finish was done by Kim Caskey. It was based on the Ethiopian Bee Project, from the Feb 2016 Quilters Newsletter. She used EPP hexagon patterns created by Katja Marek.
Do you remember when people were afraid of the color Yellow? Long ago when I started visiting quilt shops and attending quilt guild events (pre-eQuilter) I actually heard people say they would never use Yellow in their quilts, because they hated the color. When asked why, they would say “Because I look terrible in Yellow!” They were equating a color they thought they couldn’t wear, with a color they didn’t know how to use in their quilt.
These days quilters have given themselves permission to use ALL colors, and Yellow is recognized as an important accent or highlight color. However in this case Kathy is totally immersing herself in the golden glow of Sunshine and Sunflowers, and her quilt is beaming with Happiness!
Yellow and Gold have been an important trend in fashion and home dec the last several years, and I strongly believe the attention on honeybees (and the plight of pollinators) has contributed to a shift in perception. Yellow is the color of joy, positive energy, optimism and illumination. Golden honey hues are warm and comforting. Yellow is associated with free-flowing creative thinking and imagination. It is a confident cheerful color. Try some Yellow and see how it lifts your spirits!
You can see an allover photo and detail photo of this Bee Hexagon quilt, on my Quilt Canada photo page here. I have placed a border collage with 3 fabrics now in stock at eQuilter.com
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Luana and Paul
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Travel/Quilt Dates:
July 29 – Aug 5 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
Sept 4-8 – AQSG Seminar, Tarrytown NY
Oct 31 – Nov 3 – Houston Quilt Festival
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Italy Tour. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.
