bearisgray

And perhaps with the units next to it.

Jo Anne B.

Yes, 2- E(excellent) for the long armers work(tension, smoothness of backing).
The rest were VG(Very good)
Positive comments; "great use of florals'
She liked my my choice of using a pieced binding.
She liked the variegated thread used in the topstitching
Piece work was VG despite not all my seams were accurate.
Visual Impact: VG
Binding needed to be consistent(some places were not as full).
I am not unhappy.
I can truthfully say; I'd make this quilt all over again.

QuiltE

A great review overall ... well done!
I'm impressed with the amount of comments you were given.
So many, say so little ... sometimes next to none ... this is great!

I know you are not unhappy ... but sometimes comments like this without real explanations,
can ruin the experience. Don't let this one ruin it for you and continue on for greater things to come!

Rff1010

Search YouTube "just get it done quilts" she has a wonderful series of post about color (or colour -she's Canadian) including value and saturation. Highly recomend.

Blondie~

I wish I could pick out florals as well as you do. I too love scrappy, but get overwhelmed & lost choosing when it comes to flowers.

ktbb

The important thing is that you like the quilt. Regarding value and the opinion of others, another perspective is how you place the blocks - are you consistent throughout = even with scrappy quilts there can be variations in value that either add to or take away from the enjoyment of the quilt. Looking at the black and white version here, there are two areas that can highlight this - I love the placement of the light center next to the dark center in row three = it makes both blocks "visible" not only do they contrast with each other, but the centers of the block contrast with the borders on the block. In the bottom of the picture there are three blocks - the first one that is mostly cut off has vary little variation between the center and the border and it also blends (is equal to) the value of the one next to it so that the individual blocks merge with each other. A question to ask is whether you want individual blocks to stand out even tho its scrappy or do you want them all to blend?

sewbizgirl

Since you asked for help learning value, I offer these ideas. When one fabric seems to melt into the one beside it, (or surrounding it, in the case of your ‘square in square’ design), then there is not enough contrast in value. It obscures the pattern and makes the quilt more boring than it would be with adequate contrast. You do not have to have high contrast, just enough so your pattern shows up. When some of your blocks have high contrast and others have almost no contrast, it is visually confusing. I think that is what the judge meant by “value issues”.

There is is an easier and quicker way to see value/contrast in your quilt than taking the black and white photo: Just squint. Look at the work with squinted eyes and the values become readily apparent. You can’t see details, just the pure darks and lights. I was taught to squint at my work by a brilliant art teacher in high school, with regards to drawing. Been squinting at my work ever since. It never fails to give you a good ‘read’ on your darks and lights and how they are working together.

Iceblossom

There are books specifically about color theory both in quilting and art in general. I was lucky enough to have had an elective in college about History through Art which had an excellent text book (the only college book I kept) as well as basic art classes in high school, and then there were always crafts and Camp Fire Girls and things like that to expose me to concepts.

I've mentioned before that the book Scrap Quilts by Judy Martin really changed my approach to quilting, now pretty much everything I do is scrappy. We've evolved a bit past the cutting directions, but the discussion in there as well as the pictures of "controlled" scrappy are still good stuff.

Another book I've kept in my reference section is The Magical Effects of Color by Joen Wolfrom. It is about color as it relates to quilting not about re-creating projects.

Sort of related to that, if you've never made a color wheel there are projects and directions and it can be a good learning experience you don't get by just viewing a color wheel. Here's a good site about color wheels for quilters, she also has a good discussion on value among others:
https://shannon-brinkley.com/blogs/s...he-color-wheel

Another book in my reference collection is Symmetry: A Design System for Quiltmakers by Ruth B. McDowell. Not at all about value or contrast but a very good and clear explanation about symmetry. While it may seem rather abstract I use concepts I got from the book when I'm arranging scrap blocks and I consider it valuable as a reference even though I've never made any of the projects.

All three books are older, easily available on Amazon or used book stores or maybe even your local library.

my-ty

There is excellent information in this discussion. I have learned so much by reading your comments and going to the suggested links. I will be using my new knowledge whenever I am picking fabrics for a quilt. Thank you to all of you.

tuckyquilter

I think the quilt is lovely. It's how a scrappy quilt should look. It appears to me that the center blocks are color coded to the strips around them. Sometimes I will do the Black/White photo to see how it looks. Remember, if YOU are happy then that's all that matters. Judges bring their bias into the room, we all have it. Like you said, it was started as a learning experience. You WON.
E.N.D means Effort Never Dies