a thought on CHEVRON PATTERNS

Image by: Joss&Main

 By: Joni Parker & Steffanie Seiler

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A Chevron is a simple geometrical figure, an inverted V-shaped pattern that is generally repeated. Common places to find chevrons are on military and police uniforms and on coats of arms/insignia.  The pattern has become a staple for web design, home decor and fashion design, as it always leaves a powerful impression. It's an edgy choice, but with the right colors and tone it can be quite relaxing.

If you choose the right colors and placement for a chevron design, you can evoke that wavy, undulating, relaxed feeling that lies beneath this design.  Of course, you could also choose to go all out with creating a bold look using this pattern. You could pair the Chevron stripes with horizontal and vertical stripes for some serious texture and visual dimension on your project.

Image by: Dreaming of June

This look is certainly one that beckons you to play around!  If Chevrons seem scary, don't commit to incorporating it into your design completely; maybe try some of these thoughts.

• Matting a photo
• Cut out the V’s (along the stripe) and use as a border
• Use as a substitute for Ric-Rac
• Use as background and tone it down with inks/paints/sprays/mists
• Cut the V pattern (against the stripe) and use it as an arrow or directional element 

 Take some time and think about incorporating this trendy, fun and stylish pattern onto your next

work of her{art} and please be sure to share your finished project with us.

 

Joss&Main

 

 

 

 

Be sure to LIKE us on facebook.. share your thoughts and layout there too! We really want to hear from you and what you THINK is important to us!  PLEASE become a part of our facebook page!

Now let's see what the Thoughtful Girls came up with!

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Goofy Layout by: Sally --- click to see larger image

Sally’s thought:  I love the new trend of using chevrons whether in a fabric, home decor or even in scrapping!  When I see chevrons, I always associate them with fun and happiness.  They just make me happy!  Besides the "fun" factor, I have also found chevrons to be a great embellishment for boy layouts. I scrap a lot of masculine layouts and sometimes get stuck in a rut when it comes time to embellish. When I saw this "thought" I was thrilled!  I knew my layout needed to be about a fun day/time, and what is more fun than Disney?  Once the Disney decision was made, I chose several colors of paper using smaller prints to play off the colors associated with Goofy.  I created my own big chevrons I chose a black background so the brighter colors would pop more.  I staggered the chevrons a little bit to try to help keep the eye moving and to avoid having the bottom of the layout appear heavy.  I also created a smaller chevron to help create balance on this layout.  I topped it off with a few buttons and some misting to give my layout a finished look.

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Memory Layout by: Andrea --- click to see larger image

Andrea’s thought:  I love chevrons! I think they are a great addition to scrapbooking as well as in the fashion world. Often, I use patterned paper that has chevrons, or use a spray ink with a chevron mask. However, this time I wanted to create my own chevron out of patterned paper. It was time consuming for me, but the final product was totally worth it. I used the two handmade chevron strips to ground my photo on the top and bottom and to add some more pink into the layout. 

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Love this Photo of You Layout by: Heather --- click to see larger image

Heather’s thought: I love using chevrons in my scrapping, especially since they are one of the hot trends right now! I do not have a chevron die cut, so I decided to combine several chevron printed papers. I began by sketching my layout, and used the large circles as focal points. I used the lighter chevron print (yellow) for the large circle and the bolder pink chevron design for one of the smaller circles. I chose a line of paper that has a lot of doodles and bright colors. The paper inspired me to add many of my own doodles. After I finished the page, I thought the chevron design needed to be a little more prominent on the page and doodled some large chevron designs on the background and added some glitter to give some of the chevrons a nice finished appearance.

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time to ride Layout by: Amanda --- click to see larger image

Amanda’s thought:  Chevrons are incredibly trendy right now.  They communicate many different things, nearly all of which with a very strong emphasis.  I feel that I need to be careful in my use of chevrons because to me, the effect can be a little bit dizzying.  I also like to be a little cautious with chevrons because I do not want to look back at my albums and say “chevrons, that was so 2012”.  However, when I want to create a page that conveys movement, they are a great option!  In this page, I used a large but simple chevron pattern.  I kept it controlled by making it just a vertical border that my photos were mounted on.  The movement of the carnival ride felt very appropriate with the movement of the chevrons, as well as the excitement of my kiddos on the ride.  To communicate movement, excitement or business, few elements convey that with more strength than the chevron.  So embrace the chevron and what it can do for you.

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Happiness Layout by Beth --- click to see larger image

Beth’s thought: It took me a while to embrace the chevron trend. The bright graphic pattern was intimidating! After experimenting, I have discovered I like chevron patterns  in small doses. This multicolored chevron worked perfectly to create movement on my layout. It directs the eye upward and adds just the right amount of pattern and not overwhelm the layout. It also adds a graphic pop of color, which I love. So do not be afraid to try chevrons on your next layout!

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The Ramp by: Joni --- click to see larger image

Joni’s thought:  I love the chevron pattern since I have a very active little boy and the bold energetic pattern just fits his personality to a T (or maybe a V..lol!).  On this layout, I decided to use the big bold chevron with the kraft color as my background paper and then some smaller chevron with more color to emphasize my photo.  I love how the chevron pattern shows movement, energy and the “up and down” effect that matches my son going up and down on his ramp…on his bike & skateboard.  I also tilted my photos in a manner that further reinforces the V shape.  I’m not one to use a lot of embellishments, so having a strong pattern that has a big impact is a great asset to my scrappy style!!

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Rain or Shine by: Steffanie --- click to see larger image

Steffanie’s thought: When the chevron motif first came out, I cannot say that I was all too excited about it.  However, like many trends, I have gradually warmed up to it.  For my layout, I really wanted to use the chevron in a way that conveyed movement or direction. To do this, I turned the chevron on its side to capitalize on the imbedded arrows in the design.  The photo is of myself and my running partner and how we are a determined pair...not willing to let a little Oregon sunshine stand in the way of getting out for a run.  I further highlighted one row of chevrons pointing toward my photo (and right under the title) with a clear glaze pen.  The effect is subtle but reinforces the meaning I was trying to convey.  Movement and direction...running toward better health!   

 

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We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the chevron pattern... answer any questions you may have on our facebook page.. come on over and be sure to play along and post your work of He{art} here -- soon you will be able to have a blinkie and be highlighted at t*t*d --more on that later!  For now we are excited to see your work!

Blessings

e

Comments

[Ashley Horton]

Love me some chevrons!! Awesome work Ladies!! :)

[Laura Mooney]

These all turned out just awesome!

[Melissa Johnson]

Great thoughts! I love chevron. There's no linky though to link up our projects...

[Erika Hayes]

Sorry Melissa I am having some technical difficulties with Mr. Linky I think I have gotten them all worked out so now you can link away! Thanks for stopping by.. you have any thoughts on chevrons? do you love them hate them..

[Steffanie S]

Fabulous layouts, Ladies! Loved reading your thoughts as well!

[Kelly R.]

love these works of heart! great use of chevron-ing!! I just made up that word!!:) love the team's take on this technique!! awesome work ladies!

[Beth Hallgren]

So awesome that we each came up with a different way to utilize chevrons! Nice work ladies :)

[csewy]

Great layouts using the chevron patterns...thanks for the super inspiration!

[Ellen Schlagel]

Great ideas and beautiful layouts ladies! I just bought some chevron papers and have been a little scared to use them but now I'm inspired to jump in and use them. Thanks ladies!

[Laurie]

Thanks for the fabulous challenges ladies. I keep having trouble posting - so here's mine:
http://clubcreatingkeepsakes.com/media/p/979946.aspx

[Stephanie DiSabato]

I love the chevron patterns!

[Angela A]

Love me a good chevron pattern! Thanks for the thoughts on this fun design! I had a fun time getting my chevron paper out!