Welcome to the May QuiltInk Challenge! This month, we’re diving into the art of ombré quilting with a vibrant palette inspired by Amber Elliott’s book, Quilts in Modern Color: Creating Ombré Palettes. Amber’s work is all about harnessing the beauty of gradient color transitions to create stunning, modern quilts. Her book offers quilters the tools to craft harmonious color gradients, and we’re so excited to showcase this technique in our challenge!
Before we jump into the May Challenge details, let’s take a moment to celebrate our April winner! With a burst of spooky creativity, quilters embraced the Halloween palette from the Hey Betty Boo quilt by Ann of Crafty Moose Quilts. Congratulations to our winner, [Name] (to be announced!), who will receive a festive 17 FQ bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics plus the PDF pattern of Hey Betty Boo! Thanks to everyone who participated and brought Ann’s playful Halloween vibe to life in QuiltInk!
Now, let’s dive into this month’s challenge where you’ll have the chance to win a fabulous prize and create your own spooktacular quilt!
THE PALETTE
For this Challenge, from QuiltInk, we have created a palette of 30 carefully selected fabrics from Confetti Cottons Solids collection by Riley Blake Designs to allow participants to explore endless ombré mock-ups for patterns hosted in QuiltInk. From monochromatic gradients to vibrant transitions across different hues, this palette offers a wide range of possibilities. Whether you’re looking to experiment with subtle color shifts or bold contrasts, this palette gives you the flexibility to bring your quilting designs to life with the stunning results of ombré coloring. I can’t wait to see what you create with these gorgeous colors!
THE BOOK
Quilts in Modern Color: Creating Ombré Palettes is a comprehensive guide that explores the process of building ombré color palettes for quilting. Amber Elliott presents 14 projects—10 full-size quilts and 4 smaller projects—designed to teach quilters how to select and arrange colors to achieve striking gradient effects. Through insightful explanations of color theory and step-by-step instructions, Amber makes it easy to create stunning ombré quilts, even if you’re new to the technique.
Amber also provides tips on using the color wheel to create harmonious combinations, giving quilters the confidence to explore ombré in their designs.
The winner of the QuiltInk May Challenge will receive a copy of Quilts in Modern Color: Creating Ombré Palettes by Amber Elliott, sent directly to them!
I absolutely loved reading this book!—it’s a wonderful resource for quilters who want to deepen their understanding of color. I had a great time learning new techniques and discovering fresh perspectives on working with color in quilting. It’s definitely one of those books that inspires me to try one of the wonderful projects in it, and I look forward to finding time to make one in the future!
THE AUTHOR
Amber Elliott is the modern quilt designer behind Alderwood Studio. With a background in software engineering, she transitioned into full-time quilt pattern design and education. Her style blends organic elements with geometric motifs, resulting in contemporary quilts that beautifully complement modern home decor. Amber lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two children.
She runs The Modern Makes Membership, a vibrant community for crafters who love modern quilting. Members enjoy skill-building, unique, and exclusive projects each month—perfect for growing your creativity alongside others who share your passion.
Amber also leads The Pattern Writing Academy, a comprehensive course that helps aspiring designers turn their ideas into fully launched quilt patterns. She walks you through low-cost software tools (no expensive Adobe subscriptions needed!) and covers everything from design to publication.
Amber is also one of the designers on QuiltInk, and you can explore and color all her beautiful quilt patterns directly on the platform!
Want to know more about Amber? Don’t miss the Designer Spotlight interview we published last year—it’s full of insight and inspiration!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
PRIZE!
🎁 One lucky winner will receive a copy of Amber Elliott’s book, Quilts in Modern Color: Creating Ombré Palettes, sent directly to them!
Let’s celebrate creativity, color, and quilting together! Explore the world of ombré quilting with Amber’s expert guidance and participate in this month’s challenge. I can’t wait to see all the incredible ombré mock-ups you create!
Here are some examples of quilt patterns mock-ups using the Let’s Ombré! palette in QuiltInk! The possibilites are endless!
Patterns featured are (click to color):
1. Sunny Blooms by In the Light Quilts
2. Winter Solstice by Alderwood Studio
Remember by clicking on the gift icon in the QuitlInk Wall you will be able to see all the mock-ups for the Challenge alive.
Curious about how to find the palette to participate. Follow these steps and start coloring!!
Here you can see a detailed list of the fabrics in the Let’s Ombré! palette from Confetti Cottons by Riley Blake Designs
We can’t wait to see all your mock-ups!
Happy coloring and quilting to you all!