Quilters are artists. And whether you think about it consciously or not, you are applying the elements of art in the decisions you make about your quilts. The more aware you are of the principles; the more effective you will be as textile artists–-a.k.a. quilters.

The basic elements of art are color, line, shape, form, and texture. All of these elements factor into the art of a quilt. Because you are perusing Moda Bella Solids, let’s talk about color.

If you have never had the chance to learn the basics of color theory–or if it has been a while–watch this tutorial video from GCFLearnFree.org. It is a good synopsis of what you would learn about color in an art class. You might also want to read this article from Canva that includes an interactive color wheel. After you select a hue and your desired color scheme, suggestions will be offered for you. It’s a useful planning tool.

Just for giggles, give this a try… Take a look at the Bella Solids Designer Select fat quarter bundle on the Missouri Star website. Open the view where you can see all twelve of the swatch colors and look at the four across the top–orange, green, blue, and purple. Now, go to Canva’s interactive color wheel, choose orange, and set your color combination to tetradic. Now look at the suggestions. Are they similar to the colors in the fat quarter bundle? Nifty, huh?

The color theory video defines the term value as the lightness or darkness of a color. The lighter a color–or higher the value–the closer it is to white; the darker a color–or lower the value–the closer it is to black. If all the fabrics in a quilt had the same color value, none of the fabrics would stand out from the others. Very pale pastel prints on a white background would read white from a distance. Very dark color prints on a black background would read black because there is not enough difference in the value of the colors for the eye to tell the difference. Contrasting values create drama.

Two-color quilts play with color value. Take a look at the Disappearing Hourglass 3 Quilt. This quilt requires two bundles of Bella Solids Layer Cake–one white and one black. These color values are extreme opposites; you can’t choose greater contrast than black and white. Look at the Jacob’s Ladder Remix Quilt. The model quilt was sewn with gold and white Bella Solids Charm Packs. Gold has a higher color value than black; in other words, it is closer to white than black. Now look at Spring Walk. The model quilt for this pattern is done in baby blue and white. Baby blue has an even higher value than gold. Although these three are two-color quilts, they each have distinctive moods created by their color values. Imagine these quilts in different colors of Moda Bella Solids fabric. Admiral Blue? Red? Pink? Yellow? Robin’s Egg Blue? What would you think about any of these colors with a black or Steel background rather than white? 

Consider Be Brave–one of Moda Bella Solids quilt patterns. This baby quilt requires solid fabric by the yard, a couple fat quarters, and some scraps. It features an aqua blue momma and baby whale swimming on a pale blue background. We see green seaweed and pops of small yellow fish, but this color scheme is monochromatic. The color values are similar. The effect is soothing rather than exciting–very different from the two-color quilts we considered above.

Contrast also comes into play when we use prints in our quilts. If everything in the quilt is busy, the eye has no place to rest. Solid fabric provides a contrast to patterned fabric. The patterned fabric is probably carrying the design of the quilt, so the solids help the design stand out. Solids are the supporting actors that help prints carry the leading role.

Bella Solids by Moda can help you create contrast in color value because there are so many hues from which to choose. They also make quilting easy by producing Bella Solids in a wide variety of precuts including Bella Solids Jelly Rolls and Honey Buns. Using the Bella Solids Color Chart, which contains swatches of every color of Bella Solids fabric, you can find the perfect Moda Bella Solids color to coordinate with your prints. Maybe white isn’t the perfect background color for your print; you need a pale blue with a high color value. You can find almost any color you need–and many of them in precuts–among the Moda Bella Solids fabrics offered at Missouri Star.