Adventures in Design: Line

“Lines of Text,” 9” x 7.5”, made by Pam Geisel June 2013

The first design element we worked with was “Line.”

In her book “Adventures in Design,” Joen Wolfrom says that Line is “the element that provides the simplest, most effective way to make your design possible.” It can define a shape, direction, or movement.

One of the assignments in the book was to take photos of images that illustrate vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. We had tickets to a Cincinnati Reds game so we went down early and I took photos of downtown that I thought emphasized this concept.

I was especially interested in this photo: the vertical lines of the fountain spray and in the buildings in the background, plus the diagonal lines of the tiles in the foreground of the fountain.

I decided I wanted a literal interpretation of the design element so I played with the concept “Lines of Text” and cut fabric that had words on it to use as the diagonal lines made by the tile.

Along with raw edge appliqué, a technique I used in this quilt was couching white yarn to the background to make the water spray.

Since this was the first quilt of the series, it determined the fabrics that I’d use for the background for all the other quilts, and it turns out I had just enough of to make all six. I also decided I’d use the fabric with words on it in all of the quilts.

Tomorrow...Adventures in Design: Color 

More about this quilt and the Adventure in Design series