This is a Zoom event.
The zoom link will be emailed to registered participants a few days before.
21 January 2026 ZOOM
CHRISTINE BARNES
Color! Color! Color!
Luster! Luminosity! Transparency!
1) Being “good with color” is more about practice than talent! This program begins with a look at the three color characteristics common to all quilts and garments: value, temperature, and intensity. These terms sound academic, yet they, as much as color itself, are the key to making great quilts. Learn how to use the color wheel to create fresh, unexpected color combinations. See how color affects texture and pattern. Images of quilts from nationally known quilters are followed by my quilts and a digital mini fashion show of wearables.
2) Put simply, “magic fabrics” give a quilt light and vitality. Some suggest light coming from below the surface (luminosity) or bouncing across the surface (luster). Others imply that see-through colors overlap to create new color mixtures (transparency). They typically display variations in value—light areas among darker areas, or light-to-dark gradations—and they often contain warm colors. A digital trunk show of fabrics, quilts, and wearables brings the concepts to life.
BIO My quilting life began when I was eight or nine, with a doll quilt made on my crank Singer sewing machine. I asked my grandmother what was inside a quilt, and she said “cotton.” I stuffed my little quilt with cotton balls—and wondered why it was lumpy.
Fast forward through teenage years happily spent sewing clothes. Degrees in Design and Journalism segued into a full-time job for Sunset Publishing. In 1980 I wrote Quilting, Patchwork & Appliqué, a best seller, thanks to the input from renowned quilter Roberta Horton. I went on to write books on soft furnishings, decorating, and remodeling. I loved my job.
Later, as a free-lance writer, I was assigned to write a chapter on color for another Sunset book. Through exercises and observation, my uncle, an artist in Mendocino, taught me how color works—and ignited a lifelong love of color.
That chapter laid the foundation for two books on color theory for quilters, plus articles for quilt magazines and decades of teaching. My main takeaway? There are classic color concepts—and they work. Whether it’s choosing fabrics for a new quilt, fixing one that’s not working, or attempting an effect like transparency, it all boils down to the basics. What may look like magic is grounded in classic color theory.
Retired from traveling to teach, I do lectures and classes via Zoom. I feel so fortunate to live a life that connects me to quilts and quilt makers worldwide. And now, my best creative time is spent in my light-filled sewing room, where I am always happy.
Click here to learn more about Christine Barnes
Business meeting generally starts at 6pm, arrive earlier for sign-in, refreshments and socializing, with any lecture generally at 7pm.
Guests are always welcome, there is a guest fee, $10, which can be credited toward membership – click HERE for more information.
Our Hospitality team provides coffee and tea along with some cookies at guild meetings.
Please bring your own mug or water bottle.
Member contributions of home-baked treats or other simple snacks are always welcome!