Friday, April 18, 2014

Value Proposition Quilt Along - Introduction and Block 1

Welcome to my second quilt along (QAL), Value Proposition.  Colour is an important design element but value is the first thing the eye sees.  Value is the relative lightness of one colour compared to another. It is important when making a quilt because it can make the difference between a good quilt and a great quilt. I called this QAL Value Proposition because we are going to focus on value and hopefully make some great quilts! Colour is important but look for value first! The quilt is made of 18 blocks and 4 filler blocks. A new pattern will be published every two weeks.


The blocks are made from 1" hexagons. You can find hexagon paper templates for printing and English paper piecing instructions under the tab English Paper Piecing Instructions & Hexagon Fun. The Value Proposition hexagon quilt top will measure 61" by 71" before the borders are added when a triple path is used.

You will need to construct a path to separate the blocks. I wrote about the role of the path that separates the blocks on April 13, 2014 and about fabric selection for the path on  April 16, 2014. If you are an experienced hexie maker you won't need my help making the path but for those of you who are new to hexies I will write about how I construction the path on Apriil 25, 2014.

I love colour and I know you do to. As much as I try to work with colours that aren't in my comfort zone I always end up with the colours I love and that I have in my stash. The quilts made I've made with these colours tend to be my most successful quilts. I want you to love your quilt so use the fabrics you love and have in your stash! If you run short of a fabric add a second (or third) fabric that is a same or similar colour and value. Every two weeks I will share a new block. I'll share three tools to help you make your block: Value Proposition Map, Value Proposition Recipe and My Block.

The Value Proposition Map is your guide to value placement (i.e. where the dark, medium and light hexagons will go in the block). At the top of each Map will be a value key so you can see the relative values used. In Block 1 there is a light, two mediums and one dark. Where there is a dark hexagon in the block, this is where you should use your darkest fabric.  "Dark" doesn't mean you have to use black, dark brown or navy; it just means that this should be the darkest fabric in the block when compared to the other fabrics.The same is true with the mediums and lights.

HELPFUL TIP: Most of us have loads of lights and mediums in our stash and relatively few darks. When selecting fabrics for your block it will be much easier if you start with your dark fabrics and then add the mediums and lights.

The Value Recipe  will tell you how many of each value you should cut and where they will be placed in the block. The block stars with a center hexagon which be identified as "Center". "Round" 1" is made of six hexagons that surround the center. "Round 2" is made of 12 hexagons that surround Round 1. "Round 3" is made of 18 hexagons that surround Round 2.

My Block will be a black & white photo of the block I made so you can see what I did and how I used my scraps. I don't want to influence you with my colour choices!


Value Proposition Map for Block 1



Value Recipe for Block 1
UPDATED: I used three different medium fabrics in my block, one medium-dark and light fabric. I've labelled the mediums and the medium-dark on the Map to show the placement.

  *  Cut 7 Medium #1 (1 for Center and 6 for Round 2 identified as A on Map)
  *  Cut 6 Medium #2 (For Round 1 identified as B on Map)
   * Cut 6 Dark-medium (for Round 2 identified as C)
   * Cut 6 Medium #3  (for Round 3 identified as B) NOTE: If you don't want to use a third medium you can
      repeat one of the other two mediums
   * Cut 12 Light (for Round 3) NOTE: If you look at the picture below you will see that I used a variety of         lights

My Block
This is my block! Notice I've used multiple light prints in Round 3.  The recipe calls for 12 light hexagons so I cut 4 from three different fabrics. I stitched them in pairs and each pair was on the opposite side. You could use a single fabric or multiple fabric! Stripes were used in Round 3 to add interest.


I've set up a FLICKR Value Proposition Quilt Along page where you can post pictures of your quit blocks and also see what others are doing!

A new block will be published every two weeks. The next block will be available on Friday, May 2, 2014. If you have questions please feel free to ask and I'll answer them in my next post!

Have fun and get sewing!
Karen H

21 comments:

  1. Thanks for doing this Karen! I was going to resist as I don't need another project lol! but I love a good mystery so I might play along :)

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    1. You are very welcome and I'm just as happy if all you do is read along!

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  2. My brain is confused and maybe because I like to know what I am doing,but on the other hand I like a mystery too. I see that the background is all hexagons too are we to make those too? How much fabric for the background 1.25 m? Sorry for my questions. Hugs Dumb Bunny lol

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    1. Cute Bunny! Thank you for the good questions! In the photograph of my block you do see the path. For now all that is being made is the block in the map. It is a center hexagon with three rows of hexagons around it. Next Friday I'll write about making and attaching the path to the blocks!

      As for the path fabric if you decide to have a single row of hexagons separating the blocks then all you need is 1.25M of fabric. However I designed the quilt with a triple path (three rows of hexagons separating the blocks) which means you will need 1.25M of fabric for the middle of the path and 2.25M for the outside edges of the path.

      Sorry for any confusion. I'm here if you have any questions!

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  3. Oh Karen, I am so tempted! I will need a hand project soon and I have always wanted to make a quilt like this. Thanks so much for your expertise!

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    1. You are very welcome Deb! It is great fun to share with others and I hope you'll enjoy reading along if not sewing along with me!

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  4. I'm confused. I think I see three mediums? In the mock-up, it looks like round three has lights and darks, but your block seems to have lights and mediums. Also, in your recipe, you mention medium twice -- shouldn't one of them be dark? I think I see where you're going, but I'd like to have clarification before I get to cutting. Thanks! (BTW, I had been planning to just read your posts, but seeing this one -- and my confusion -- makes me think I really should make one and work on my own sense of value.)

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    1. You are right! I've updated the diagrams and published an update on April 20th! Thanks for catching that!

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  5. Er, I meant in your recipe *for round two* you mention medium twice, etc. ...

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  6. Decided to have a go - it's is much harder than I expected to judge the value, I am resorting to photographing the fabrics and then converting them to grey shades. But like Judy I think you meant six darks for round two?

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    1. I wanted to send you an email but you are a no reply blogger! :-( I've updated this post with the correction. I've also made the Map a little clearer. I published a picture of the block (in colour) on my April 19 post. In future I will publish colour pictures of the block I made to help you out!

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  7. Hi Karen,
    I think I will join in . Must I decide today for path?
    And I use different fabrics in each block, but the color is the same? I will sew with blue , so I must have 4 blue groups for this block ?
    I hope you understand my english.
    Grit from Germany

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    1. You don't need to decide on the path. In fact you could wait until all of the blocks are made if you want. A quilt made of many blues will be very pretty. You can use different blues in each block if you like!

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  8. So since the pace appears to be relaxed and I'm about at the end of the current EPP I have going, I'm going to work along with you. But I'm also questioning if the 6 mediums for round 2 should be dark -- that's how it looks in your "map"

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  9. Karen I don't remember whether the hexagons of the different blocks are made of the same colours or not? must each block be different or not?
    happy Easter to you and your family

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    1. This is a scrap quilt so you can use different fabrics in each or you can use different fabrics but repeat a few of the fabrics so that the quilt has a more controlled appearance. That is what I did - I used many different fabrics but I repeated a few of them in several blocks.

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  10. are there going to be allot of different blocks? or do they repeat themselves in the quilt

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    1. There will be 18 full blocks in the quilt and four partial blocks for the filler bits on the sides. Each block will be different. If there is one that doesn't appeal, you could repeat a block that you did like but change the colours and values OR you could design your own block!

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  11. I was hesitant to begin yet another hexie project but I think I am in...once I finally am able to choose a color theme. I'll go scrappy but I like to know what "direction" I'm going, if you know what I mean. I hope you will continue to post the BW and colored versions of your blocks. Both of them will help this very indecisive hexiologist pick fabrics :)

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  12. Ok, just did block one. Love it. Just need to post picture. If I can fine out how. Please keep them coming. Thanks so much for your hard work.

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