Color theory, but make it a quilt

The gallery wall needed another piece of art.

Fortunately, I had a rainbow in my sewing studio.

I have collected Kona solids for years—decades, really—so there was no shortage of color to choose from. Pulling fabrics for this project was probably my favorite part. There is something very satisfying about watching a pile of individual colors turn into a full rainbow.

A neatly organized shelf in a cabinet displaying folded fabric in various colors, including blue, purple, green, yellow, pink, and white.

A colorful stack of folded fabric in various shades, including green, yellow, blue, purple, pink, and orange, arranged neatly on a light surface.

Once I had the fabrics arranged, I started piecing the color wheel together. With this much color, I wanted the piecing itself to stay clean and simple and let the progression of colors do all the work.

A close-up view of a sewing machine with colorful fabric pieces pinned together, showing various sewing pins secured around the edges.

A vibrant fabric color wheel composed of layered fabric pieces in various shades, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, pinned onto a white surface.

Before quilting, I marked the top with my never fail water soluble blue making pen.

A color wheel composed of various color segments, arranged in a circular pattern, on a light-colored background with blue lines for guidance. A blue pen and white correction pen are placed adjacent to the wheel.

Then pin basted all three layers together. Working on multiple projects at a time, I finally ordered more safety pins for basting. I love these and should never run short again! And they are an American made product!

A color wheel illustration featuring various color segments arranged in a circular pattern, placed on a lined paper surface with a blue pen and a white eraser nearby.

A close-up of a colorful fabric color wheel, showcasing various shades sewn into a quilted pattern with safety pins holding sections together.

I decided to machine quilt, every 1/2″, four 90 degree angle lines, sectioning the quilt into quarters and working out to each corner. It was a lot of quilting for a 30” square piece, but I love the texture it added without competing with all that color.

And once I started, there was really no turning back.

A colorful quilt featuring a circular gradient color wheel in the center, surrounded by white fabric with safety pins attached for quilting preparation.

The two four-year-old twins love to help in the sewing studio. One was lint rolling my latest project while the other was “vacuuming” the floor.

A smiling child is crouching on the floor, using a yellow roller to paint a colorful circular pattern on a white quilted fabric. The design features a spectrum of colors arranged in a circular layout.

A young child is sitting on the floor in a living room, rolling a small yellow paint roller over a colorful blanket with a circular design. The child is holding a stuffed animal in one arm and focused on the task.

Then, in true sewing-room fashion, my serger broke a thread.

Rather than stop and rethread the whole thing, I decided the serger could simply become an expensive trimming machine.

No thread needed. 😂

Close-up of a quilted fabric showing a textured white surface and a colorful yellow section.

Close-up of a quilted fabric with a zigzag pattern and a blue marking on a cream background.

I wanted the finished piece to feel like art, not simply a little quilt hanging on the wall. Instead of adding a traditional binding, I finished the edges with facing strips. From the front, the edge disappears completely, leaving nothing to interrupt the color wheel or the clean square shape.

Close-up view of a quilted fabric edge featuring a visible seam and contrasting colors.

Then I stretched the finished quilt over a 1 1/2” deep gallery canvas and stapled it securely to the back. The depth of the canvas brings the quilt away from the wall just enough to give it dimension and a finished gallery-piece presence.

A close-up view of the back of an unframed canvas, showing the wooden stretcher bars and the stitching along the edges, with visible creases and a slight tear.

It is a small finishing detail, but it makes a huge difference. No visible binding, no floppy edges—and, most importantly, no oversized-pot-holder effect. 😂

Now it looks exactly the way I hoped it would: a quilt, but also a piece of art.

My husband has been after me since we finished my studio to get something on this wall.

I took my time deciding what I wanted there and eventually turned the space into a gallery wall. Once that decision was made, I was just as deliberate about what I added to it. I didn’t want to fill the wall simply for the sake of filling it.

This particular spot needed color—and a Colorwheel quilt felt exactly right for a quilting studio.

A creative workspace featuring a color wheel quilt on the wall, along with decorative circle signs and colorful art pieces. A countertop displays various fabric pieces, while storage drawers and baskets are organized below.

I love that this piece is made from fabrics that have been living in my studio for years. Some of these colors have been used in quilts long since finished and gifted, while others were little scraps and leftovers waiting for their turn.

Now they all get to live together on the wall.

And really, what could be more appropriate for a sewing studio than a piece of art made from fabric, thread, and nearly every color of the rainbow?

Color wheel quilt featuring a vibrant arrangement of colors in circular segments on a textured white background.

Colorwheel

30″ square

Machine pieced and quilted 1/2″ apart

Finished with facing strips and mounted on a 1 1/2” gallery canvas

quilted using this batting

framed on this canvas

pattern by On Williams Street

Apparently Peter was right. The wall did need something.