A Passion for Color
If
you love fabric, then you probably share a passion for color. From rich
solids to vibrant prints, perusing the fabrics in a fabric shop is like
being a kid in a candy store. We all have colors that we are personally
drawn to-for me it's saturated oranges, teals, and greens. So recently,
I've been challenging myself to move out of my "personal color palette"
and comfort zone and sew with neutrals. It's really interesting to see
how this changes my perspective on a project when it's not about
in-your-face bright color but instead about more subtle design details.
Experimenting with colors outside of your comfort zone can open you up
creatively in so many ways.
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Alisa Burke combines dynamic stitching with a playful use of color.
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I
am constantly inspired by artists and designers that display a fearless
approach to color. Mixed-media fabric artist, Alisa Burke, is one such
artist. She combines a playful approach to color with easy surface
design techniques and dynamic free-motion stitching.
And
she truly uses her sewing machine with artistic abandon. She customizes
plain fabric with paint, simple printmaking, and machine embroidery,
then sews them together in a style that evokes collage and graffiti for a
uniquely layered look.
One
of her keys to maintaining her spontaneous approach to color is keeping
a color journal. She documents color observations, makes notes of
colors she likes, and combos that catch her eye. Her journal includes
photos, paint swatches, fabrics, and papers that inspire her, and she
uses it as reference when she is selecting colors for her next creative
project.
In her new book, Sew Wild: Creating with Stitch and Mixed Media, she offers this great tutorial on making a Swatch Journal so you can document your own color explorations and inspirations.
Make a Simple Swatch Journal
I
create simple fabric books to store all of my swatch inspiration and I
sew inspirations to each page over time. This journal is easy to make
and could be altered to fit a variety of different themes and projects.
These instructions result in a journal that's about 7¼" x 11" (18.5 x 28 cm) when closed.
1. Quilt fabric scraps to an 11" x 14"
(28 x 35.5 cm) piece of batting. Add a layer of backing and binding if
desired. Fold the finished small quilt in half to make the outside of
the book.
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Keep fabric and color inspiration in a handy swatch journal.
Fill the pages with paint chips, fabric samples, sketches, and more to keep yourself inspired!
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2. Fold about 20 fabric scraps and paper pieces in half to create pages. You can make them uniform by starting with 11" x 14" (28 x 35.5 cm) pieces or vary the sizes.
3.
Lay the fabric scraps and paper pieces on top of the inside of the
book, lining up the folds of each piece with the fold in the book cover.
4.
Using the sewing machine, sew straight down the fold through all layers
with a zigzag stitch. This is the spine of your journal.
5.
Now you can start adding content. Use the sewing machine or
handstitching to sew inspiration swatches of fabric or paper to the
pages.
6. Organize the pages by color themes, patterns, and textures. Create tabs on the pages to separate the themes.
Are
you inspired yet? I guarantee a swatch journal will motivate you to use
colors in exciting new ways for your next sewing project. If you need a
creative jumpstart, check out Sew Wild
for more exciting mixed-media sewing projects and techniques. The book
also includes an instructional DVD of Alisa showing how she achieves her
unique design style through her signature techniques. She will
definitely get you inspired to explore color and sewing in new ways! In
the meantime, keep challenging yourself to expand your color horizons
and make something wonderfully unexpected.
Happy sewing,
