The color in the patchwork

Workshop topic: Contemporary hand sewing
Languages: French flag
Nb of students: 15

It is the most important element in a patchwork quilt, because it is what the eye perceives first.
But it’s also the one that often causes problems: we don’t always know how to combine our fabrics.
The good news is that color can be learned!

The purpose of this workshop is not to change your taste for this or that color (we say “taste and colors”) but to study simple rules based on the balance of colors between them, also called objective harmony.

The exercises carried out on the concepts of value, intensity, contrast and harmony will familiarize you with all the colors of the color wheel.
You will discover several directions to associate your fabrics and you will enrich your palette to compose much more easily your next patchworks (traditional or contemporary).

Exercises with glued fabrics, sewing steps.

List of supplies
  • pins
  • fabric scissors
  • paper scissors
  • glue stick
  • template material
  • eraser
  • paper pencil
  • colored pencils
  • white paper
  • drawing book
  • ballpoint pen
  • small garbage bag
Required supplies
  • chalk for dark fabrics
  • Name tag with your name
  • optional: tweezers
Fabrics to bring + lengh
  • Fabrics: small yardages are sufficient and textures can be varied (cotton, wool, synthetic, upholstery etc.). Bring plains and prints in the following 12 colors: yellow, yellow-orange, orange, red-orange, red, red-purple, purple, blue-purple, blue, blue-green, green, green-yellow. You need light, medium, dark (example in red: pink and burgundy) and bright and dark fabrics. Also bring neutral fabrics: white, off-white, black, gray ... Also bring your swatches and scrap bag. If you don't have all the colors don't worry! I'll bring some, and often the trainees exchange small pieces.
Kit
+ Content

The teacher

Cosabeth Parriaud discovered American quilts at a very young age when she lived in San Francisco
Her passion for traditional and contemporary quilting and her insatiable curiosity has guided her in many directions over the years,

Known for her work on color and transparency, her quilts have participated in the most important exhibitions in France and abroad: the Carrefour (where she won the grand prize in 2002), Quilt expo, the Quilt National, the Heidelberg Triennial, Artextures, the Aiguille en fête and Création Savoir Faire fairs...

She creates numerous projects for specialized magazines and fabric editors, and has been passionate about upcycling and recycled fabrics for several years.

Cosabeth has been teaching various subjects on patchwork in France and abroad since the mid-1980s.

Her latest book "Le Patchwork" published by Marabout was released in October 2022.
Concerned with the transmission, it is a book to initiate yourself...or to improve your skills!