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April 2020: GHOST BLOCKS - It's all about Contrast

Greetings All When we start teaching a beginners patchwork class we spend a deal of time impressing on the students the need for good contrast in order to make their blocks work. We encourage them to explore contrast in colour, in shade, in tone, in plains and in patterns. Without enough contrast quilts are in danger of looking like so much 'porridge' from a distance - in other words; indeterminate sameness with no focal point.

That said there are times when you might consciously choose to make part, or all, of a quilt with very little contrast.When you understand the rules you can break them by choice! There are various reasons for opting for low contrast; you might want to throw the emphasis on another area of your piece, you might like a design to fade as if in the distance or you might just like low contrast. My eye was first caught my the concept when I saw one of the QuiltCon 2017 Winners 'Madonna' by Brittany Bowen Burton a detail of which is shown below left. This immediately made me think of 'ghost' blocks and repeating a design in low contrast so that those blocks almost disappear. This is a technique I have used several times in designs of my own and I still love it.

So here is our round up of all things ghostly that we've found floating around on the internet - perhaps this might give you the inspiration to try a bit of low contrast in fabric, colour or texture. During the current crises we feel it is very important that the physical distancing measures we all need to adhere to don't lead to social isolation. To this end we have set up a facebook group: Modern Art Quilters Sew Along so you can show us what you have been working on, to get a bit of conversation going and to keep us all sane and grounded while we're all... well... grounded! You will also find some more eye candy on this month's dedicated Pinterest Board HERE

AitchBee and HH

Contact us direct on newsletter@modernartquilters.co.uk


Detail of MADONNA by Brittany Bowen Burton with ghost blocks in the top right hand corner
One of my versions of ghost blocks BAMBOOZLED Block of the Month Programme


Color Play COLOR PLAY by Victoria Findlay Wolfe: this is a perfect example of fading colours and the colour values actually reversing towards the edges of the quilt.

We found this on the website of CURATED QUILTS which has got to be, in our opinion, the best magazine around at the moment for Modern Quilts. It is an American publication, but they are not at all parochial and regularly feature quilts from all over the world. It isn't cheap and there are two reasons for this, apart from being shipped in from the States, there are NO ADVERTS in it which is extremely refreshing!
Detail of RED STICKS by Lynne Tyler: In the border of this quilt (just outside that delicious, skinny, black and white strip) you can see where Lynne has make low contrast crosses that almost disappear entirely.

This link will take you to Lynne's blog The Patchery Menagerie. We always find interesting things on this blog - well worth a read
Detail of EIDOS: The ghost blocks in this quilt are textural and are formed purely by clever quilting which echos the shapes made by the piecing.

We would credit the original designer and/or maker of this super piece, which we always like to do, but I can't find any reference to them. Anyway, whoever you are, we love it!

This was the QuiltCon 2016 Giveaway quilt and the link takes you to the Modern Quilt Guild's website where you can still buy the pattern as a download. Be aware - this is an American site so the prices are in Dollars!
Detail of OHIO SNOWBALL by Christine Perrigo: the feeling of transparency is amazing - these stars look like they are floating just above the quilt!

This was the worthy winner of Outstanding Modern Quilt category at the 2019 American Quilters Conference and Show 'The Road to California'



Detail of ICY WATERS by Carol of Niche Creative Studios: you really get the feeling of ice shards as this design fades into the top left hand corner

This is a workshop that Carol is running in August this year - I would love to go, but sadly it is in Los Angeles! However have a look at the complete version of this, and the brightly coloured version they also show on the class listing - just stunning.




Detail of SNOW WONKY a charity quilt made by the Edinburgh (UK) Modern Quilt Guild: this quilt, which uses the ghost blocks idea to fade cleverly from colour to colour, was exhibited at QuiltCon 2019 - what an achievement!

The link takes you to the Craft Industry Alliance website where you can see the whole quilt in all its glory




Detail of UNCHAINED MELODY by Jackie Benedetti: the fading blocks of this 'Jack's Chain' quilt are partly pieced in low contrast fabrics and partly formed by the quilting itself.

This appears on a round up of Modern Quilts from 2018 on the Full Circle Studio website. I would recommend that you have a look, not only are there several examples of quilts with 'ghostly' blocks, but there are some super Modern quilts on display. Enjoy!



Detail of ARTICHOKES by Sylvia Schaefer: The subtle colours in the top-most block of this quilt make it fade beautifully into the background.

Found on the Creative Whimsy Blog which, in this entry, shines a spotlight on Sylvia and her work as a Modern Quilter and Pattern Designer. Lots of lovely quilts to see here.



I have always like Jen Kingswell's GYPSY WIFE design, I think it is one of the best sampler quilts on the market combining different sized blocks in a clever and unusual way. This low contrast version by Linda M. of the blog The Pieceful Kingdom fits perfectly with this month's theme.

Just one of the images on our 'Not Fade Away' Pinterest board
I hope you can see this image! It is a ghost image called CREAM SPIRAL by Helen Howes.

This particularly low contrast version of Helen's spiral design has been created by using various techniques to produce different textures. In addition, by densely quilting the background, the spiral itself becomes almost three dimensional.


Details from two versions of RATTLE by AitchBee: although we have shown here that low contrast doesn't necessary mean pale colours, Oakshott's Scandinavia range makes beautiful low contrast quilts in pale colours. This sample shows how the change of colour values changes the whole look of a block.

Free downloadable pattern from those lovely people at OAKSHOTT FABRICS. Click on the picture and scroll down through lots of lovely patterns - some free some not










Detail from HEAD TO THE MOUNTAIN by Bradie Sparrow

This was designed by Bradie at Sparrow Quilt Co. as a stash busting quilt to use up strips and squares she had accumulated over the years. We love the very modern way she has been playing with scale as well as the mountains fading into the distance.

Bradie has now released it as a FREE PATTERN in PDF format which can be accessed by following the links from her website



Well we did say 'all things ghostly' so here's a bit of fun from the POLKADOT CHAIR blog: Ghost block tutorial!



I made a quilt last year called NEGATIVE SPACE - some of you might have seen it in the Modern Category at Festival of Quilts 2019. Although the overall image was created with high contrast, the design on each individual block was in such low contrast as to be almost invisible.

Although I have never written a pattern for this quilt, most of the blocks were improv and the instructions for these are freely available on the internet. This one is Modern Crosses and is available on the MQGB website (click on the picture left and scroll down to number 9) along with lots of other nice ideas
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