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The beautiful colors of the Rainbow Collection‘It was love at first sight’
I remember it like it was yesterday. It must have been in 1978. In a book store my eye fell on a quilting magazine and it was love at first sight. “I tried to find the fabrics myself. In the end it took me two years before my first quilt was finished.” |
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It was years ago and I just started designing my collection. I won the Color Trophy twice at the OEQC in the Netherlands, and that was an eye opener for me. The bright and vivid colors were a joy for the eye. Since the first years of BeColourful, I have enjoyed working with the beautiful, lively colours of the Rainbow Collection. The colours of this collection consist of 24 colours that gradually merge into one another, creating a beautiful Rainbow effect.
In the meantime I have made countless designs in these colours and my inspiration is far from gone.
In the meantime I have made countless designs in these colours and my inspiration is far from gone.
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I love designing quilts. And I love to work with colors. The first quilts I had made were in soft pastels. The first one was in lovely blue and pink and white. The second one was all pink in different shades.
Because there were no quilt shops in the Netherlands at that time, I bought myself some cottons and small tins of dye, and with my moms pans I dyed the white cotton in some gorgeous pinks for my next project. By the way, my mom was not amused because all her pans were pink after I was finished.. After that project there were a few more bed quilts for my mom and dad, my sister, my nieces and nephew and of course for myself. It was after a few years I decided to add some colors and bright fabrics to my designs. And how I liked that! I entered a Quilt Show and won the Color Trophy award. And the same next year. That was an eye opener. People liked my quilts and the way I used colors in the traditional designs. I was asked to make a pattern, and another one and so on.. And then there was Anthology Fabrics. And together with Anthology we build up this bright and colorful collection of gorgeous Rainbow batiks. |
Joy
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A few of the quilts made with the Rainbow Collection fabrics. For more inspiration visit the Rainbow Collection page
Enchanting Stars
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Allegra
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Fanciful Flight
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Infinity
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I love the bright colors in this collection. They always gives me that happy feeling because every color is different. You can use your own stash and select the 24 colors that you need. But you can also use a color card with the 24 rainbow colors from Anthology Fabrics.
Be bright and go for one of these 'paint by number' Rainbow patterns. You will see how easy they are. If you have knowledge of paper piecing, you can make these beautiful quilts.
Be bright and go for one of these 'paint by number' Rainbow patterns. You will see how easy they are. If you have knowledge of paper piecing, you can make these beautiful quilts.
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A story in "Het Nederlands Dagblad" (a Christian Dutch newspaper) about the European quilting championship set the ball rolling. “My dad sent a picture of one of my quilts (Joy) to the European championship, three days before the closing date. I won the ‘Trophy for colour’. It was overwhelming. People started asking me about the design for the quilt, because they wanted to make it themselves. That is when it all started.”
I started by visiting quilting stores in the Netherlands to show my quilts and designs. This business was going pretty well.
But at one point my brother asked me: ‘what do you want to achieve?’ I realized that I actually wanted to go to the US with my work, the land where quilting originated.
Together with my brother I started thinking about how to realize this. We send one of my designs to a big and renowned supplier of quilting fabrics "Hancock’s of Paducah". Already the next day we got a reply: “We want to have you patterns!” They placed an order for 400 designs. I started copying the designs right away with help from my family. When more and more orders keep coming in, I decided that I have to manage it more professionally.
Now my patterns are being sold all over the world.
Each year I travel to the US to give workshops, give lectures and show my work at exhibitions. I realize that what I do is unique and special. It's not given to everyone to do the job you love to do. But as I always say: “I received my talents from God. When I introduce myself at the start of a workshop I tell people this. I am not a preacher, but I hope I can make people think about it. I want to give people happiness through my work and worship God in my own way.”
I started by visiting quilting stores in the Netherlands to show my quilts and designs. This business was going pretty well.
But at one point my brother asked me: ‘what do you want to achieve?’ I realized that I actually wanted to go to the US with my work, the land where quilting originated.
Together with my brother I started thinking about how to realize this. We send one of my designs to a big and renowned supplier of quilting fabrics "Hancock’s of Paducah". Already the next day we got a reply: “We want to have you patterns!” They placed an order for 400 designs. I started copying the designs right away with help from my family. When more and more orders keep coming in, I decided that I have to manage it more professionally.
Now my patterns are being sold all over the world.
Each year I travel to the US to give workshops, give lectures and show my work at exhibitions. I realize that what I do is unique and special. It's not given to everyone to do the job you love to do. But as I always say: “I received my talents from God. When I introduce myself at the start of a workshop I tell people this. I am not a preacher, but I hope I can make people think about it. I want to give people happiness through my work and worship God in my own way.”
All designs, patterns, images and text are © 2004-2023 copyright BeColourful; by Jacqueline de Jonge. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without written consent.