09/16/2026
I was working on printing patterns the other day, and as I reviewed them, it hit me again—it’s really no surprise that every pattern in my Undersea Creatures series includes a foundational lesson on value.
Value isn't just for traditional pieced quilts; it plays a huge role in every kind of quilting, especially art quilts.
So, let’s talk about value for a minute—and no, I don’t mean what fabric costs per yard these days!
In quilting, value is all about contrast: light, medium, and dark. It’s what gives a design depth, makes a focal point pop, or creates that luminous glow across a piece. But here’s the interesting thing about value: it’s entirely relative.
A medium blue looks dark right next to a cream, but place that exact same blue next to a deep navy, and suddenly it reads as light. The fabric didn’t change at all—its environment did.
Isn't life kind of the same way?
We often compare our current season, our progress, or our creative work to what someone else is doing or where we think we "should" be. But value isn't fixed. What feels like a frustratingly dark patch in a project (or a messy week in real life) often turns out to be the exact high-contrast piece needed to make the rest of the picture shine. Context is everything.
I’ve always wanted to teach art, so sharing these lightbulb moments with you is just part of who I am!
Tell me:
How do you play with value in your projects? Do you stick to safe, close-value palettes, or do you love pushing high contrast?
Where else in life do you see relativity at play?
Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear how contrast works for you, on or off the cutting mat!
Here are pictures of my brand-new Undersea Creatures Jellyfish pattern! I have to sew it down & Quilt it yet.
