Afterthought

When I saw the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge announced, I looked back, and was surprised I had no mini quilts that would work for submission. So while the scraps from my Pantone Quilt Challenge project were still on the cutting table, I decided to see if I could whip something up real quick. Talk about some fun sewing!

For the quilt front, I created a block design mixing both striped segments and solids. I laid out pieces and rearranged them until I was happy with the layout, and then it was a quick sew to make it into a top, about 18.5" square.

I happily realized I might have enough to piece a quilt back, and that was equally enjoyable.

A quilted grid felt the right choice again, and this time I used just one thread - Aurifil 50wt thread in 1103 [burgundy]. It's such a rich color and quite possibly my current favorite.

There were just enough Pure Solids Dragonfruit and Kona Rich Red scraps to do a quasi matched binding.

Gotta say, it felt mighty good to pull a mini quilt (18" square finished) including the quiltback and binding from the scraps of my Pantone project.What a reward to have just two short strips left to add to the scrap basket. Plus that quick, spontaneous kind of creating is like a breath of fresh air. 

Submitting to the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge in The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show.

Linking up with the Pantone Quilt Challenge Linkup, Mini/Wall category.

AFTERTHOUGHT

by Debbie Jeske, 2023

18" x 18"USA

Verve

It's been a few months since I explored options for a near Viva Magenta match, but when the Pantone Quilt Challenge 2023 hosted by Sarah @saroy and Elizabeth @elizabethkray was announced, I took time to curate a bundle that I actually wanted to work with. Initial inspiration came from a beverage coaster, but after that, my interpretation was very loose. 

My beginning fabrics included:

• Painter's Palette Raspberry
• Kona Silver
• Pure Solids Dragonfruit
• Ruby Plaid from Entwine by Giucy Giuce
• AG Kaleidoscope Solids in Strawberry

I created a variety of pieced stripes to start, and eventually they morphed into angled sections. Kona Coal had quickly been added to the mix for some needed contrast. And then Kona Rich Red seemed a fun add when it came time for the final layout.

For a quilt back, I found the perfect print in my stash - an urban classics piece by Nancy Mahoney for P&B Textiles. It wasn't quite wide enough, so I simply added a strip of Kona Ash to bring it to size.

An angled grid was super fun to quilt, and I used Aurifil 50wt threads in both 1103 [burgundy] and 2250 [red], though the difference isn't that noticeable in photos. The burgundy was used in both directions in the upper left quadrant, and the red in the rest of the quilt. So the upper left quadrant is quilted in all burgundy, the lower right in all red, and the remaining quadrants were a combination. 

Matched binding seemed an obvious choice for this one, which I am naming "Verve." It measures 32.5" x 35", which means it fits in the Quilts category of the Pantone Quilt Challenge. I'm very happy to have experimented with the Pantone Color of the Year for the 12th year(!) and am so glad that Sarah and Elizabeth hosted the challenge. Looking forward to seeing what others have made!

Linking up with the Pantone Quilt Challenge Linkup.

VERVE

by Debbie Jeske, 2023

32.5" x 35"

USA

Linking up with Meadow Mist Designs' Favorite Finish Monthly Linkup.

Pantone Quilt Challenge Inspiration and Progress

They say inspiration is everywhere. So it's not weird at all to get quilt inspiration from a drink coaster, right? I saw a quilt in this right off months ago and finally am planning to use it as my initial inspiration for the Pantone Quilt Challenge 2023.

AND I've chosen my fabrics to start (L-R):

• Painter's Palette Raspberry
• Kona Silver
• Pure Solids Dragonfruit
• Ruby Plaid from Entwine by Giucy Giuce
• AG Kaleidoscope Solids in Strawberry

I began my Viva Magenta project by making some striped slabs, with no end vision YET. 

I DID decide to add Kona Coal to my original palette though, and will use less Kona Silver going forward. So there's that, plus I've been cutting the pieced strips into angled sections. Anything more than that remains to be seen.

I confess I'm jumping around between projects lately, but I have oodles of fabric strips cut out and ready to sew, so hoping to see progress on this one soon.

My Viva Magenta

Keeping with tradition, I set out to see if I could find a reasonably close fabric match to this year's Pantone Color of the Year, Viva Magenta. With Sarah @saroy and Elizabeth @elizabethkray co-hosting the 2023 Pantone Quilt Challenge, I definetely had plenty of incentive. But let's just say this year is proving to be one of the most difficult ones yet!

Here were my candidates (L-R): 

Essex Crimson 

Peppered Cotton Garnet 

Alison Glass' Kaleidoscope Strawberry 

Kona Wine 

Kona Crush

Kona Pomegranate

Pure Solids Dragonfruit

Cotton Couture Fuchsia

Painter's Palette Raspberry

Note that the first three - Essex, Peppered Cotton, and Kaleidoscope - were ordered purely as different substrate options to quilter's cotton, which I sometimes enjoy including in a project like this. Ordered purely due to the color they appeared on screen when ordering and/or their name, none are even close matches to Viva Magenta. But the Kaleidoscope especially could prove to be an interesting contrast to include. We'll see.

So that left the six solids shown below with the official Pantone color card, in the same order as the photo above. Thanks again to my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness for ordering the swatch cards for us. We really enjoy having the actual swatch to compare to.

From the fabric I had in my stash as I was beginning my 'research,' Kona Wine was the closest, even though it was definitely darker.

In my opinion, Kona Crush - the Kona Color of the Year - wasn't even close.

The rest of the fabrics, I ordered. I consulted Sarah's blog post and Steph's @stephskardal mobile app “A Quilty Solid” (before the latest update) before choosing some possible fabric options. In my mind, three of the fabrics I chose were obviously way too pink to be considered a close match: (L-R) Kona Pomegranate, Cotton Couture Fuchsia, and Painter's Palette Raspberry.

That left Pure Solids Dragonfruit, which Rachel and I think is the best match from this group of fabrics. And yes, I took them all to Rachel for her to confirm what I thought I was seeing.

We actually thought that the trio below - Kona Wine, Pure Solids Dragonfruit, and Kaleidoscope Strawberry - might be nice to use together. But I'll see once I come up with a plan.

I'm curious to see what other folks doing the challenge choose as their Viva Magenta. Unless someone shares that they have found a very close match, I don't epect to order any more fabric options at this point. It's not an exact science, of course, but it's been fun to explore just the same.

Viva Magenta

It's here! The Pantone Color of the Year 2023 was announced last night. Meet Viva Magenta!

From Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute: "Pantone’s Color of The Year, Viva Magenta 18-1750, vibrates with vim and vigor. It is a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength. Viva Magenta is brave and fearless, and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.

This year’s Color of The Year is powerful and empowering. It is a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying, and a boundaryless shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement. PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life and rebellious spirit. It is a color that is audacious, full of wit and inclusive of all.

In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real. PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.

Rooted in the primordial, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta reconnects us to original matter. Invoking the forces of nature, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta galvanizes our spirit, helping us to build our inner strength."

Wow! There's obviously so much thought and meaning behind the choices of these colors. If you've been following for a while, you probably know that sometime in 2023, I'll take the opportunity to find a close fabric match to Viva Magenta and create a quilted project, just to challenge myself. 

Keeping with tradition, this will be my 12th(!) year creating with the Pantone COTY. Just for fun, here's a review of my previous Pantone-inspired creations....

:: Very Peri 2022 :: "Red Cross Meets Very Peri"

:: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating 2021 :: "Some Like It Medium"

:: Classic Blue 2020 :: "Utterly Blue"

:: Living Coral 2019 :: "Timeless"

:: Ultra Violet 2018 :: "Grape Fizzy"

:: Greenery 2017 :: "Evergreenery"

:: Rose Quartz and Serenity 2016 :: "Pantone Meets Bias Tape"

:: Marsala 2015 :: "Sizzling"

:: Radiant Orchid 2014 :: "Radiancy"

:: Emerald 2013 :: "An Emerald Table"

:: Tangerine Tango 2012 :: "Tangerisk"

So what do you think about Viva Magenta? Personally, I kind of love it! Any chance you'll be playing with it in the new year?