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PAULA NADELSTERN'S DESIGNER SECRETS
The following tips are excerpted from Paula's glorious book Kaleidoscopes & Quilts (C&T Publishing, 1996). Although Paula is talking about designing kaleidoscope quilts, her principles apply to any type of quilt design.
Unlocking quilter's block . . .
Everyone involved in creative work has experienced that uncomfortable period when she stares, clueless, at an empty canvas, a blank page, an unruly pile of fabric. Sudden solutions are instances to appreciate, but since we can't explain how an idea "appears out of the blue," we can't rely on spontaneous insights or serendipity to rescue us in the nick of time.
The best way to overcome quilter's block is to do something. Doing something, even if you have no clear direction in mind, stimulates the thought processes. The idea is to visually brainstorm. Let your mind wander freely, unrestrained, uncensored, and alert to what might develop. Play with the idea, letting it guide you to a unique solution. Brainstorming, by nature, may lead to some strange pathways. However, as complex as creativity seems, in the final analysis a successful design can begin with one simple idea.
Ask people you consider artistic what they consciously do to stimulate the creative process. Some will mention making quick "roughs" or sketches. Turning neatly stacked fabrics into textile mud pies seems to be my way of doodling. My viewpoint ping-pongs between eye-catching, chance combinations. A cloth peeks out, igniting a relationship with the stuff over there, which prods my memory of something I know is in here somewhere, but wait, maybe this . . . or this . . . hey, maybe both will work instead.
Gazing into kaleidoscopes is my research. When my attention is caught by a particularly effective image, I stop to figure out how this was achieved. My intention isn't to reproduce it exactly. Instead, my goal is to develop a personal vocabulary that describes the radiant yet transient relationships between colors in a scope's interior. This will help me translate these serendipitous displays into fabric for all my future quilts, whether kaleidoscopic in design or not. Leaf through the color photos in any quilt book, in any book of art. When something catches your eye, explore the element that hooks you.
Engage in conscious acts of design intervention. When you're trying to decide "where to go from here," you are looking for a creative solution to a visual problem. Although there is no strict list of "do's and don'ts," there are lots of basic design standbys to consider that will jump-start the brainstorming juices.
Start with the graph paper diagram. Let your mind wander around the network of lines, unhampered by color. It can suggest ways to elaborate on already existing themes or visually connect patches that aren't necessarily next to each other. Sometimes interrupt, other times continue, the prevailing pattern. For example, when most of the shapes are horizontal, throw in a couple of vertical ones. Designing the kaleidoscope is a developmental process. It evolves gradually, becoming larger, fuller, richer.
The relative values of the patches in the design will arrange themselves into areas of sharp and mild contrast. This will happen in spite of you, so don't agonize too much. It's a useful device when you're trying to decide "where to go from here." Check out the background color of adjacent patches. When the color that functions as the ground connects to similar hues, seamlines will be disguised, while the printed elements appear to advance and float on the fabric. Try on the option of a comparable value or temperate deviation in the next patch, for a gentle transition.
Or, zap this junction with a strong, abrupt contrast, disconnecting the tranquil flow and introducing a new element. Remember: the eye is drawn to sharp contrasts. A valuable use of dark and light contrast is to create an accent or visual emphasis. High dark and light contrast instantly grab our attention. So by planning high contrast in one area and subdued contrast in adjacent patches, you can predict that an accent is in the making.
An alternate way to achieve dramatic impact is by introducing black. Black makes adjacent colors seem rich and clear. Slip in a single striking element, or intersperse several black patches. In "Kaleidoscopic X: Water from the Moon" (see detail, below), it seems as if a whole cloth of black sits behind the lacy network of patches, peeking through here and there. Actually, the openwork effect is due to the many instances of strip-pieced shapes of black.
Ask yourself, is it a good time to throw in a zinger? Remember, a pinch of something unexpected becomes a symmetrical sprinkle when it is peppered identically throughout the design. A motif that seems unrelated in a single pie-slice sector (the basic component of a kaleidoscope design) is often responsible for achieving visual rhythm.
Fabrics that look like they landed from different planets often unite in flawless connections, usually because an incidental doodad from one makes an unexpected link with the middle of a motif in the other. Instead of looking at the whole pattern of your fabrics, notice the individual elements. You will probably discover more relationships than you can use.
Choosing a quilt backing . . .
My regard for quilt backing has evolved from an attitude shaped more by frugality than design to its current status as an integral part of the design package. This is where I indulge my romantic notion that good things come in beautifully wrapped packages.
Picking the backing fabric deserves more than an afterthought. It is not just another step toward finishing the quilt. The backing collaborates with the quilt top in a relationship that affects the visual impact. It has to seem as though some connection beyond mere chance has brought them together. Compatibility isn't achieved by settling for something bland. I want a fling with a fabulous fabric that commands a presence in its own right. After all, the backing's personality sets the stage for the grand unveiling.
I always choose a print fabric rather than a solid, preferably a striking all-over nondirectional printed with a generous dose of terrific color that looks great from close up and far away. Is that so much to ask? My stitches are better off camouflaged than displayed for the world to see. The mommy in me usually adds her two cents and cautions that maybe it won't show as much dirt.
The choice of a cotton fabric for the quilt backing is comforting. I am experienced enough to know that I don't have to go looking for trouble. My quilts are a field of seams. I fight off the seduction of tightly woven fabrics dyed with rich, vibrant colors. They sabotage my quilting stitch by acting like barricades against the needle.
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