Monochrome Exploration with Quilt Lab

This month in Quilt Lab with Gotham Quilts we explored monochrome color usage.

Monochrome means one color. That doesn’t exclude white or black (or grey?) So, a red and white quilt is a monochrome color scheme. Even a range of colors, from light green to dark green, is a monochrome color scheme.

I wasn’t quite finished with my Bojagi explorations, and I was intrigued by the pieces my fellow Quilt Lab makers created using different kinds of fabric. I was really struck by the textures they combined. So, as soon as we logged off, I set to copying their ideas. As Austin Kleon says, “Steal Like an Artist.”

My piece is Bojagi inspired, with a cream color scheme. I went through my stash and pulled out a pile of fabrics with a light, creamy color. I threw in a few darker pieces for interest. The most exciting part to me was that I used a mix of several different fabrics. This allowed me to explore more of the Bojagi technique I was so interested in last month.

I combined silk, ramie, linen, linen blends, embroidered cotton, regular quilter’s cotton, and batiks. It is fascinating to feel how they all behave differently, but combine so nicely. When you hold the piece up to the window on a bright day, it is easy to be entranced by the transparency and movement.

Once again, this project is small. It is about 11″ square. I’m hoping that by the end of the year I have a fabulous collection of mini quilts from my various experiments. The best part about these minis is that they can be done really quickly. I get a taste of adventure, but I don’t have an ordeal if I don’t like the project. It is a shame that some day my children will be faced with disposing of 2,000 tiny quilts and projects, but I’m sure they will come up with something.

I have some more ideas on exploring monochrome, mostly with a series of minis, but that involves some major scrap sorting, and making a big mess. The kind of mess that has me on the living room floor with a full bin of fabric spread all over the place. This is also the kind of mess best made when my husband is on a business trip, not in the room next to me. Damn you, COVID-19!

My Long Time in Blue quilt is almost a good example of monochrome. It is all blue and white fabrics, although I did not stick to pure blue. I allowed myself to slide into blue-green, and blue-violets, too. Usually working in just one color is hard for me – I much prefer to use ALL of the colors. I do have a craving for a grey and white quilt, but I haven’t gotten around to making it yet.

My Blue and White Collection Quilt is an even better example, and it is so beautiful. I haven’t even let anyone cuddle it yet.

I really enjoyed seeing the projects my fellow quilt lab members had made. They are really inspiring. I highly recommend joining an online group if you don’t have one.

One thing I noticed about sticking with a monochrome color scheme is that it requires discipline. It isn’t easy to not stick in a little pop of a contrasting color. Another is that when done with a very limited palette, it pulls you into the piece, making you really look at it to understand the details. The subtle differences bring a level of fascination that I’m not accustomed to in my work.

How about you? Have you made any monochrome quilts?