Transparendo Sewalong - Week One

Hi everyone and thanks for joining today. I am really excited to start sharing our sewalong posts with you. Over the next 15 weeks, Verena from einfach bunt Quilts and I would like to setup a supporting community with tips and tricks and well as soon good old fashioned quilting fun with our Transparendo Sewalong (#transaprendosal). Are you looking forward to it? We are too! This week's hashtag is #transparendosalw1 for Week One. Please sign up for our newsletters to keep on top of the sewalong.

The Pattern Book

Today is our first week of the sewalong. If you don't have the pattern, you can order from my Etsy webshop - Transparendo The Transparency Sampler Quilt from Karen Ackva - Etsy.de. If you live in Germany, you can also pick up some great coordinated fabrics packs especially curated by Verena for the sewalong - einfach bunt Quilts. We highly encourage you to get the book! There a lot of helpful ideas listed including coloring pages to color your own design.

Digital Alternative

If you don't want to purchase the softcover version of the book, you can pick up the digital version split into 15 sections. After purchasing the sewalong subscription pattern, look forward to receiving one section (15 sections in total) each week for the duration of the sewalong. It is a fun way to know exactly what to be working on for the next seven days. Receive a new assignment each week!

Post your progress on Instagram with the hashtags: #transparendosal and the week -  #transparendosalw1 for your chance to be entered into a drawing. If you don't have instagram, you can send me a photo with your fabric selection at 72 dpi with a resolution of 800 pixels or less. The following Sunday, one lucky recipient will be chosen at random. Our sewalong is open internationally, so get out those sewing machines ladies (and gents)!

The first week, we have a set of Taylor Seville Magic Pins, 1 x Fork Pins and 1 x Extra-ong Pins sponsored by Steidl & Becker (Wholesale Distributor) 

and a fabric pack sponsored by Verena at einfach bunt Quilts. 

This week we would like to talk about your fabric selection. The original pattern uses a two-colorway selection of pinks and grays in a range of light, medium and dark as shown below. You can pick a two-colorway, monochromatic or simple use the differences in color value to make your design. Read more about that in the Transparendo book.  

Let's take a look at the final quilt to get a quick overview of the blocks and how the interaction of color works and enhances the transparency effect.

You should have adequate amounts of contrast in color value to achieve the block transparency effects. This is achieved through the light, medium and dark fabrics as well as a contrast in color. Read all about that in the Transparency book. 

Color Mockups for Inspiration

I worked on some examples, designed in EQ8 of the final quilt to inspire you with your own fabric selection. 

Ruby Bright uses Ruby Tuesday fabrics from Moda.  

This quilt uses a springy color palette that is fresh and friendly.

Transparendo Bold uses Decorum by Basic Grey for Moda.

This illustrates a very masculine feel and still successfully shows transparency.

Electrified uses solids from Northcott Fabrics.

This color palette is wild and wacky, fresh and dynamic.

Orange Smash is another quilt designed with Northcott Fabrics Solids.

This quilt reminds me of autumn with the orange leaves and Carolina blue sky.

Dark Green Linens from Stof Fabrics makes for a 

subtle yet warm and cozy winter quilt using the Transparendo pattern.

  

Prune Passion also uses linens from Stof Fabrics.

This quilt would fit into any time of year with spirited colors and dark contrast.

Blue and Green Linen Textures from Makower is a great collection to work with.

The richness of blue and green together is one of the most widely used color schemes in quilts.

Scrap Bin Love is what I found in my stash.

I added a few fabrics from a local quilting shop to supplement.

Scrap Bin Love produced a great color combination for this quilt. It demonstrates that you don't have to use solids or even tone-on-tone fabrics to produce the transparency effect. Solids will enhance the look, but by choosing printed fabrics, a more traditional feeling is created. Isn't that how quilting started out? Quilting uses geometrical shapes and overlaps to create quilt blocks. 

I hope you have more ideas of how to pull together a fabric selection from the above quilts designed with EQ8, my preferred quilt design software. 

The wonderful folks at the Electric Quilt Company are sponsoring our Finale Prize of one full version of EQ8 at the end of the sewalong Week 15. To enter your finished quilt top with all blocks and borders, photograph and forward to me or post on Instagram. If you would like to purchase the program, we have a PROMOTIONAL CODE to receive 25% off the software. Enter EASYPATCHWORK25 at checkout. If you live outside of the US, you will be sent a physical item in the mail. After you receive the package, you will be informed how to download and install the software on your system. Please follow the Electric Quilt Company on Instagram and subscribe to their newsletter for other great deals. 

Now it's time for you to think about what fabrics you will use in the Transparendo Sewalong. Take a photo and post for all of us to see on Instagram or send to me info@easypatchwork.de with a resolution of 72 dpi no larger than 800 pixels. The giveaway is open internationally. Good Luck to all. Thanks for joining us!

Preview

Next week we will be working on Block One - Love Birds.