Jennifer Sampou - Ombré Quilts: 6 Colorful Projects

Publisher: Amy Barrett-Daffin

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Acquisitions Editor: Roxane Cerda

Managing/Developmental Editor: Liz Aneloski

Technical Editor: Debbie Rodgers

Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek

Production Coordinator: Zinnia Heinzmann

Production Editor: Jennifer Warren

Illustrator: Valyrie Gillum

Photo Assistant: Rachel Holmes

Style photography by Jennifer Sampou unless otherwise noted; instructional photography by Kelly Burgoyne and Rachel Holmes of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted

Fabric-swatch photography courtesy of Robert Kaufman Fabrics

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

To my family, from the roots up:

Mom and Dad, youve always been my North Star.

My siblings, XOXO. Lucky me!

My husband, you are the most ombr of hombres. Forever and always.

My boysDad and I are so blessed to share this remarkable journey with you three.

Acknowledgments

Ombr Quilts would not be possible without the team effort of so many people, both listed and unlisted. For that collaboration and effort, I am deeply grateful.

Thanks to my C&T Publishing family for all the hard work and making it fun: Liz Aneloski, Amy Barrett-Daffin, Kelly Burgoyne, Tristan Gallagher (always and forever!), Zinnia Heinzmann, April Mostek, Debbie Rodgers, Gailen Runge, and Jennifer Warren. Nothing like a deadline to keep the BERNINA humming!

Thank you to my feisty, cheerful mother-in-law and shop owner, Carolie Hensley, for supporting me and my career since day one and buying all my fabrics.

My gratitude to my lifelong friend Amanda Houston, artist extraordinaire, whos artistic beauty knows no bounds.

Marcella Austenfeld, I cherish our friendship and the undeniable fact that you are the fork to my salad.

My appreciation to the Robert Kaufman family for bringing my fabric designs to marketwith a special shout-out to Ken Kaufman, Jane Wilkings, and Sarah Grubb for saying, Yes! to SKY collection, working through every color combination of SKY, and providing all the fabric way early to make these quilts.

To the Hello Stitch crew, who support our network of makers and quilters via your studio and services.

My sincere thanks to designers Vanessa Christenson, Nicole Daksiewicz, and Malka Dubrawsky, as well as Hoffman Fabrics.

It takes a bee! I am grateful for talented makers Jenny Lyon, Jocelyn Marzan, Ashleigh Pevey, Kristen Takakuwa, color maven Joen Wolfrom, and Jess Zeigler. Without your assistance, I would have never finished this book nor had as much fun doing it!

Finally, I have to again acknowledge my husband, Todd Hensley, for the hours and hours of patient help. You are the peanut butter to my jelly.

Introduction

For my thirtieth year of being a professional designer, I decided to write a quilt book in conjunction with designing a line of fabric by picking a favorite topic: Ombr. This style is all the rage, and it has made its way into every visual industry from hair to wallpaper. Its here to stay. As a trend lover, I have enjoyed watching this wave crescendo, and our very own quilt industry has begun to embrace ombr fabrics, which is so inspirational!

Hand dyers have always offered up their version of gradient dip-dyed beauties. With digital printing, our printing possibilities and fabric color options have exploded. Its evident from internet searches of ombr fabrics that we are the recipients of such gorgeous gradations of color and texture. So dig in with me! I have designed some very approachable designs with stunning effects. Learn how to use these prints and come to trust me when I say they will delight you (even if you dont know exactly how to use them when you begin). Its time to embrace the rich variations of these fabrics we have at our fingertips. Go on cut into, play around with, and sew that stack you have been petting; ombr fabrics make the most delicious quilts. I have set up the projects starting with a gorgeous table topper and an easy precut yellow quilt sure to light your ombr fire!

Photo by Todd Hensley

Ombr Fabrics

A Thousand Colors at Your Fingertips

WHAT IS AN OMBR?

Ombr is the French word for color that is shaded or graduated in tone or hue. It historically referred to fashion clothing, like a silk gown that has a rich rose hem and gradually lightens to a pale pink bodice. There are endless variations of how ombr fabrics can be painted, screen-printed, dipped, or colored. Further, the technique can vary from superfine blending to bold and textural gradation. As long as the final outcome results in a change in value and/or color, drawing your eye through a shaded effect, it is considered an ombr.

Quilters have successfully created ombr quilts by piecing entire color families of cotton solids together or by using hand-dyed ombr fabrics. Now we can print hundreds of colors in one yard of fabric; use a grouping of these ombrs and you have a thousand colors at your fingertips!

Ombrs popularity and reinventions have cycled once again and we currently see fresh, modern interpretations. One thing is for sure: Ombrs are eye-catching, gorgeous, and often mimic nature, whether its the inside of a seashell; the shading of a flower petal; a distant, layered mountain range; or the grandeur of a dawn sky.

Note Synonyms for Ombr:Graduated color blends, variegated, color gradient, color progression, tie-dye, dip-dye, painted blend, blended, rainbow, transitional color, and more! For the purpose of clarity, I will use the word ombr throughout this book.

Photo by Ruth Black/Shutterstock.com

Photo by Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

Shimmer On fabric by Jennifer Sampou for Robert Kaufman Fabrics

1. Photo by Jennifer Sampou

2. Modern Handcraft Hexie Quilt, by Nicole Daksiewicz

Photo by Nicole Daksiewicz

3. Lilac Quilt, by Malka Dubrawsky

Photo by Annie Winsett

4. Photo by Photographee.eu/Shutterstock.com

WHY I LOVE OMBR FABRICS

When I show my work, the quilts often elicit oohs and aahs from the audience; they want to know my process and the secrets of what makes a gorgeous quilt. Capturing light is not necessarily a conscious goal quilters identify when they set out to sew a quilt. It tends to be a discussion and a thought map about color and pattern. However, over the past several years, many of the quilts I have made begin with my primary intention to capture light, reflect light, or bounce lights and darks around on a quilt. This in turn creates glow, depth, richness, and contrast. It helps move your eye around the quilt, creating interest and harmony. But it all boils down to light, or the lack of it, which is another way of defining value.