Quilting Techniques: Repetition and Dominance

Designing your own quilts can be a lot of fun, especially if you have some good tools to work with. We're gonna talk a little bit about the principles of design, and two of those principles are the use of repetition and dominance. Repetition means to use a design element over and over again to have consistency in the design. And then, dominance or emphasis means that you have one area that is getting more attention than the other areas. Here in this quilt, we use both repetition and dominance.

We're repeating colors over and over again to begin with. And here in this center of the quilt, we're repeating the triangular shape and the way it comes together to form a square. It's repeated over and over. We have two sides that are somewhat identical to each other even though the flowers are in different positions. They become more dominant than the center even though this is in the center position, which is usually where dominance is found.

They're more dominant because they're simply more interesting, and the interesting areas usually draw the attention. We have some curves here in the piecing, and we have straight lines here in the piecing. We've repeated those straight lines out here in the border. We've repeated the shape of the leaves in the quilting that mimic the leaves that are in the applique. And then, the curve of the vine is repeated from the border out here to the inside of the quilt.

So we have lots of repetition and we have great dominance or emphasis on the outside edges of the quilt. Now, this next quilt also uses repetition and dominance. We have three sections that are very similar to each other. They all contain a circle here, here, and here. They all contain a square here, here, and here.

They all contain a square here, here, and here. And they're all set inside a large rectangle. The last element is the leaves, and we have theses leaves that are stamped on here, and we pulled those leaves down to the bottom. And here on the bottom of the quilt, they show up really well and they become the dominant feature. The emphasis is definitely on the leaves.

The repeat is the shapes. So they're done over and over again, also the color. All four colors are present in each of the blocks. So the emphasis again, or the dominance, is the leaves. The repetition is using those leaves over and over again, the shapes over and over again, and the colors over and over again so that we have a quilt that has a really nice flow to it.

This next quilt is filled with circles. We have small circles along the bottom, and each one's slightly different, medium-sized circles along the right side, which we've cut apart to add more visual interest. And then, we have our large circle right here on the upper left, and it is definitely the dominant circle. We've repeated color throughout. It's an analogous colorway, going from violet all the way to yellow green, but this is definitely our area of emphasis or dominance, and we have a really nice effect by repeating those circles over and over again.

Now, let me show you this other quilt. Here in this quilt, I've used dominance and repetition also, beginning in the center square here. I've used a block that's called the Rocky Road Through Kansas, and I've repeated it four times and used the lightest value in the whole quilt here in the center to really draw your attention. I've repeated this block in the border, and that border circles the entire quilt. I've also repeated the colors.

The colors that you find here in the star tips are the same colors that are in the rocky road, or the Trip Around the World section, and both of these sets of color came from this main print. So we have lots of dominance and lots of repetition in this quilt. These are both important principles when you're designing your own quilts. It's what keeps the viewer interested in the work. So try to remember them the next time you sit down and begin your own quilted journey.