Block of the Week – Block 3

Hi everyone! Welcome back to my Block of the Week. We’re already at block 3! I hope you are finding time to make these blocks. If not, be sure to print out the patterns for later. Here are the blog posts for the previous blocks of the week: Block 1 and Block 2. I’m also going to review some color theory tips in this post that should help you pick colors for these blocks while you are pawing through your scraps. So on to the fun!

Block #3 – Flying Dutchman

This block uses one of my favorite units to make: the flying geese.

You will definitely be an expert at making flying geese by the time you are done with this block! Find the pattern for this block here: Block of the Week – Block 3. For this block, I wanted to use some warm colors and kind of create a “warm to hot” look by going from gold to red. So this is where my information on choosing color will come in handy!

A Little Color Theory

It’s really not too complicated. Especially if you have access to a color wheel. You can find color wheels at craft stores or online. Mine is a little cardboard wheel that actually came with a booklet explaining the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors along with how to mix and match them. Here’s my wheel:

Notice how if you were to use the colors from the same square, they blend together but there’s not much contrast. Add in lighter versions of the same color and you can achieve more contrast. Here’s a demonstration with some stacks of fabrics:

In the photo on the left, there is not much contrast because all the fabrics are darker shades. Now on the right, I pulled out the dark blue and dark green and replaced them with lighter versions. Makes a big difference!

Besides considering the lightness and darkness of a fabric to create contrast, you can also create contrast and interest in a quilt block by using colors on different parts of the color wheel. For example, I chose a purple fabric and paired it with a green one. These colors are close to opposite each other on the wheel:

Notice how there is more contrast between purple and green than there was between purple and dark blue. Now look what happens when we move to a lighter green:

Even more contrast! Purple and green are both considered cool colors. So now, let’s switch out that green with a warm color like red and then go lighter with pink.

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This next photo shows stacks of fabric going from cool to warm in each stack and then, from left to right, light to dark.

You could make a pretty interesting block if, for example, you pulled the green from stack 1, the orange from stack 2 and the blue from stack 3. Here you go:

So are you ready to make this week’s block?  Leave a comment below and be entered into the drawing for my pattern, Scrappy North Stars.

This pattern will give you a lot of practice with flying geese and playing with color. The drawing will be on Monday, May 11th so you have plenty of time to enter!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne