Today, I’d like to share another project from my book, Intentional Piecing. I firmly feel that not all intentional piecing needs to be fussy cutting. Sometimes, color placement alone can be a very intentional process and a gradient is one of those times. I have used a color gradient in a number of projects and truly love them for their graphic appeal. One of my favorites is this Ombre Vibes quilt I made–shown here in the mini version.

(Free tutorial for Ombre Vibes lap quilt can be found here.) But it isn’t always easy to find a large number of graduated steps of color so I design this project, Ramp It Up, to include just three shades–one light, one medium and one dark. It’s totally doable and has a great graphic impact.

I would like to thank my friend, Alyson, for being my model here. You know you have found a true friend when she willingly poses on a rock with a quilt with people looking at us like we are a little crazy! I love this shot though and it seems to be one of the favorites from the book. The wind was kind to flip back the corner and show a bit of the backing too.

I quilted in straight lines using a few shades of Aurifil for added interest. I guess my quilting threads were part of the gradient!

This project is not paper pieced. It’s made of strips and easily pieced. The book includes some tips to keep those rows nice and straight!