Complete instructions for Breath of Spring appear in Quiltmaker Jan/Feb ’09 (No. 125). If you cannot find this issue at your local quilt shop, order back issues on our site.
Crayola crayon colors used:
• White - entire pitcher, handle and base
• Tumbleweed (beige) - shading on handle, inside rim/lip, top portion of scalloped base and top portion of pitcher body
• Goldenrod and Gold - shading on scalloped bottom rim of base and top scalloped rim of pitcher
• Periwinkle - lightly shade bottom portion of pitcher
• Salmon - small roses on bottom portion of pitcher
• Spring Green and Olive Green - large rose leaves, filling in lightly between the flowers and between the flowers and pitcher top
• Cornflower (pale blue) - shaded forget-me-nots
• Periwinkle - all other forget-me-nots
• Purple Mountain’s Majesty (pale purple) - top/back petals on pansies
• Wisteria (pale red-violet) - center pansy petals
• Dandelion (yellow) - bottom pansy petals
Coloring Tips
• Color lightly – you can always add more, but it’s nearly impossible to remove or lighten. The heat setting will not remove excess color so use a light hand.
• When blending colors, start with the lighter color, and then shade with the darker.
• When coloring with white, put it on rather heavily. Most of it will disappear entirely when heat-set. The white is used mainly to soften and blend the shading colors added on top of it. A dry cotton swab can also help blend colors and soften the edges.
• Leave a little bit of the background fabric untinted. It will add highlights to the design and help different elements in the design look 3-dimensional.
• Mistakes can be removed using a baking soda paste and a cotton swab. Avoid using soda-based laundry detergent on finished stitchery, as it will remove crayon.
• Anything (a thread, lint, crumb, etc.) under the fabric when coloring will show up dark. Make sure your work surface and the back of your fabric are clean.
