Santa Fe

One of the more popular get-to-know-someone questions is “What is your favorite color?”. This simple query is in fact quite loaded because your answer signifies a great deal about you as a person. Colors have qualities akin to personality traits, just as colors are also associated with certain emotions. And often our favorite color is deeply associated with something in nature, i.e. yellow = sunshine, blue = water and red = flowers. As anyone who has tried to pick out a paint color lately knows, the breadth of tones and hues is immense, so to say your favorite color is orange could mean either hunter blaze or a subdued peachy shade. Within individual colors are hundreds (or more) distinct shades with very different intensities and connotations.

Color is also deeply personal and imbued with strong preferences. All of us probably know someone who has a “signature color”, and that predilection is a part of their identity. We all have different reasons, some deep and others simple, for why we we are drawn to a particular color. And when you spend a lot of time among quilters (an inherently color obsessed group) and/or artists, you understand just how personal colors can be. I remember fondly a funny experience I had with a group of quilty friends over a color. To set the scene, a chatty bunch of us were helping a dear friend LeeAnn count inventory at her fabulous quilt shop Stitch and there was a cacophony of commentary about the fabrics. Suddenly all chatter ceased when one friend gasped (loudly) in horror at a bolt of fabric and said, “UGH, who in their right mind would buy this hideous color?!” and then displayed the offender for all to see. I immediately devolved into a fit of laughter and tears at her reaction because one day prior, I had purchased 4 yards of said fabric. What is one woman’s lichen (me) is another’s cat vomit (Suzi). Yep, color is very personal.

The study of color, aka color theory, is a very intense subject and too rigorous for me at this stage of my quilting career. However, as a college trained anthropologist, I am constantly seeking to expand my knowledge on the history and cultural facets of colors. What I love to learn about is how color was originally derived and what it signifies. If geeking out on color history is also your jam, two excellent books I’ve enjoyed are Color – The Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay and The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair. (I’m always seeking book suggestions/learning opportunities, so pretty please send any recommendations my way.)

As a maker, I am always pondering color and seeking inspiration from what is around me, even the simplest things like the veggies in my daily salad. I am a person who is both very sensitive to particular colors and very connected to nature, therefore what you see in my quilts begins with this foundation. More often than not, my methodology for a quilt’s palette is my desire to create a specific vibe, selecting colors with my intuition as my guide. This decision making may sound very vague and woo woo, but I don’t know how else to articulate my process. I also strongly consider what colors or theme will fit the quilt recipient. Over the last couple of years, the fabrics in my quilts have been sourced primarily from scraps and my stash, which has led to unexpected color choices I may not have made in a store. By limiting myself, I have expanded creatively. Huh, funny how that works.

According to a brief online search, and my personal experience with the question posed at the beginning of this missive, blue is the most popular color in the world. How strange it must be for the color blue to be so popular, and also a synonym for melancholy. To be both analogous with the ocean and sky, yet also the musical genre created out of hardship and struggle. Blue is my favorite color of sky (especially that distinct shade that seems to only exist in New Mexico) but also the feeling I get around 4 p.m. every Sunday. Blue, you are so damn complex! Santa Fe the quilt is made entirely out of different blue fabrics in my stash. Using one color in a quilt (or a painting) is not popular, but because there is so much variation within blue, the blanket appears more colorful than it sounds. You know that brain trickery when you think about a particular color, you see it everywhere, like when waiting for a friend in a black car, suddenly all you see are black cars? Well, once I embarked upon this quilt, I spied several pics of other all-blue quilts on ye olde social media. Whoa, look at me (potentially) on trend!

This quilt was made for a beloved relative, and my absolute favorite person named Dave, who most days can be found having adventures outdoors. He has a bumper sticker that reads “My life is your vacation” and man if that isn’t the truth. Dave has always been someone I look up to and I sure do miss grabbing a coffee/beer and laughing with him. My inspiration for the design was to showcase all blue fabrics, while also emulating something in nature. In the February 2023 edition of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, I spied an intriguing block made from half-square triangles. (Thank you for my subscription, Lisa!) Instead of adding sashing between the blocks like the published pattern, I smooshed the blocks together to create these strong lines which remind me of an abstract mountain range — perfect for a mountain loving uncle. I also really love how the shibori prints create movement within the design. Because I only used fabrics available in my cabinet, I utilized the addition of borders to make a quilt the size of a lounging human. The quilt is finished with hand stitching in blue Perle cotton. Hand stitching continues to be my go-to soothing practice and a great way to decompress. I do see the irony in the fact that my relaxing activity involves repeatedly stabbing fabric with a needle. Hey, we all do what we gotta do.

For those who read this blog regularly, you may notice musicians repeated in my quilts and tunes. (And thank you always for the continued support!) Eilen Jewell has made several Quiltunes appearances, for good reason because she is phenomenal. I remember the first time I heard Eilen on Radio Boise, through the faint signal in my far eastern Oregon living room. I was immediately smitten with her music and that adoration has only strengthened over time. Now making a quilt out of all blue fabrics presents one with a plethora of musical opportunities such as any of the gazillion songs with blue in the title, or of course, that entire genre of music. However this quilt is for a man who adores the open landscapes of the Western U.S., which Eilen’s lyrics also depict. Santa Fe the damn good song is about the train line, not the capital of New Mexico. Santa Fe the quilt is for someone who lived there and shared his love of that city with me. Santa Fe the city is a magical place where you can spend all day looking at unbelievable art and feast on literal wonders such as chile relleno omelets and savory stuffed sopapillas smothered “Christmas style” in red and green chile. More of that in life, please.

So how do I answer the question initially posed at the beginning of this post? Well, to say that my favorite color is green isn’t exact enough. When I’m asked this, I do not provide a succinct answer, but instead describe the places where it is found. My favorite color of green is that damp, mossy shade found in Iceland (or Ireland) and in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. It can also be found in the Southern US because it emanates humidity and growth. “My” color pops without being egregious; it is a balance of subtle and strong. This shade leans more toward yellow than blue. When I find this particular green in fabric, you can bet I buy a bunch of it. If you’ve seen my quilts, you’ve seen this color. I love to pair it with jet black, a rusty orange (its compliment on the color wheel I’ve learned), or an aubergine purple. If you’ve seen my clothes, you’ve seen this color. This hue is earthy, funky, fun, soft and calming — all the same traits I aspire to. Color is very personal.

Albums listened to: Eilen Jewell Lettters from Sinners and Strangers, Gypsy, Live at the Narrows, Queen of the Minor Key, Sundown over Ghost Town, Boundary County, Down Hearted Blues; Nirvana Nevermind; James McMurtry The Horses and the Hounds; Hurray for the Riff Raff Navigator; Gillian Welch Soul Journey; Radiohead In Rainbows; Rising Appalachia The Sails of Self; Lead Belly The Definitive Lead Belly and one absolutely badass Black Mold covers show.