2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Radiant Orchid

I'm very excited to finally have an entry for the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge and want to thank

 Adrienne and Anne  for all their work in organizing this fun event. along with the talented judges and many generous sponsors.  It's so exciting to see what everyone else has been creating with Radiant Orchid.  Best of luck to all the entrants!

My entry falls under the category of "Just the Top" ( I'm so thankful that this category exists!).  To be honest, I sketched and played around with several design ideas before I found one that "clicked". 

 Presenting, "Paint the Town"....

Paint the Town  - featuring the Calgary Tower located in downtown Calgary, Alberta.

My design features a small portion of the skyline of the city of Calgary, Alberta, where I currently live.  I was inspired to use all of the Kona purples available, to sew "paint chips" and then cut the shape of the skyline from them.  It was a wonderful way to play with graduating values.

See that slice of darker purple on the fullest part of the Calgary tower?  It took a little math and careful planning to accomplish, but the effect was worth it!

The lighting in this photo of the "paint chips" is most true to the actually colours.  It seems that depending on the lighting, the purples can either look more pink or more blue.

Pictured above-  the "paint chips" after piecing and below is the photo of the applique I made from them.

Bringing it all together, is the background mix of low volume fabrics.  I wanted the outline of the buildings to contrast with the sky (which is why the darkest values are at the top) and I also thought it would be more interesting to have the background comprised of prints to play off the solids used for the paint chips.

This pale sky also seems to embody the nearly year round prospect of snow which is a part of living so high in elevation and so close to the Rocky Mountains.

 

Coincidentally, our sky happens to be just this colour as we are in the midst of a Spring snowstorm. ;o)

 

I even braved our colder temperatures to take a few outdoor shots (trying to time my shots between the gusts of wind). ;o)

Paint the Town resting on fresh snow!

Viewed in natural lighting, you can get a better comparison of the range of those Kona solids.

"Paint the Town" - top measures 35" wide by 32.5" high

 This challenge pushed me to use a colour that was virtually non-existent in my stash (that has obviously changed! ;o) and  it has shown me that sometimes simple lines are all that's needed in a design. 

Thanks so much for stopping by to take a look at my entry for the Challenge and letting me share a bit of my process with you.  Enjoy the rest of the entries!

I'm linking my entry here.