Why Value Is Important

When we choose our fabrics for a project we generally think about color. We find that one perfect fabric and build around it with others that compliment it. But color isn't the only thing to consider. We also need to think about the value of those fabrics. In other words is there enough contrast within the lights, mediums and darks to make the actual block design work?

One of my "must haves" since I started quilting is a Value Finder. I actually have two of them, a red and a green. In my case they are pieces of acrylic.

C&T Publishing has the Ultimate 3-in-1 Tool. It is in its 3rd Edition. Not only does it have the value finders, it also has swatches (like paint chips) that show the lights through the darks within the different color ranges.

Here's how it works. I use the red one for warm colors and the green for cool colors. Think of nature. Things like fire are warm and things like grass and water are cool. You audition your fabrics by looking through the colored "glass." You will notice that some fabrics appear lighter and some appear darker. That is all you see - the contrast between lights and darks. The color is removed; you just see the shading.

Here are four different fabrics.

These are what I would consider to be cool colors for the most part. The print is yellow/orange so that could be considered warm. However the other colors within the design and the companions are all cool colors.

This is what they look like through the green value finder. It actually isn't this bright but it is hard to photograph through the value finder.

Notice the contrast between the fabrics? There is even a slight difference between the dark blue fabric on the top left and the purple one next to it.

Here's what sparked this post. I recently finished two table runners. They are from the same design. I chose my fabrics for the first one and thought they would work well (I didn't use my Value Finder, I just assumed). They were all batiks. What I didn't take into consideration was that one of the fabrics ranged from a light medium to a medium value. The "Star Points" are all pieced. When I put the center block together, some of the points, especially the top right and the one next to it, blended into the background because it was too close in value to my background fabric. That one little part of the fabric just didn't have enough contrast. You'll see it on the left side of the table runner too in that first point. I actually stopped working on it after making the center block because it didn't have the desired effect. But I loved the fabrics and the colors so I ended up finishing it later.

My last post was about Machine Quilting. The project in that one was the second table runner from this same design. This picture was taken before I did the quilting.  

In this variation you can really see the star points. I used the same fabrics but lightened the background and it worked. I also changed the center fabric (because the original one wasn't available any more but that's a topic for another post). As you can see if you look at both of them together, the value (contrast between the light, medium and dark) can make a big difference in the success of a project. 

I still like the first version. It is very pretty and the colors are very rich. But as far as getting the desired effect, the bottom one achieved the look I was going for. Here it is all finished on my table.

Happy Quilting,

Carol