Quilting and color, a topic that can cause anxiety with new quilters.
Confession, it causes anxiety in me as well! I have pulled fabrics for a quilt thinking that they would work well together, only to find that they most definitely did not.
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Have you ever asked these questions:
How do I get the right colors from such an array of choices? How do I know what will work together and what won't? How do I keep the pattern from disappearing when choosing colors? What if I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of learning color theory and strategy (which I think is a good hole to go down when you have the time) and I just need to get this baby/wedding/birthday/graduation quilt done?
There are a few tools that you can use to help you pick out your colors.
1) You can buy kits. While they may seem expensive, you will most likely spend the same amount of money when choosing your own colors, if not more if the colors don't work well together in the end.
2) If you have a Local Quilt Shop (LQS) I highly recommend building a relationship with the owners/employees. They usually have a great eye for color.
3) You can buy fabric bundles.
4) You can use the reliable color wheel. I have these:
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| Color Wheel Set |
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| Color Harmony Wheel |
5) If you use Pinterest you can make a board for Color Inspiration. You can see mine HERE.
6) I found this online tool that let's you put in the color you want to use and then it will generate a color pallet for you! Find it at mycolor.space Don't worry that it asks for the HEX code (the 6 [or more] numbers given to colors), if you click on that button you will be able to pick your color.
I think part of the reason color is so difficult is that, not only are we are surrounded by color, but color can also evoke strong emotions within us. We are pulled towards some colors and pushed away by others. So while we may want the instant gratification of an easy answer (raising my own hand high here), I would definitely encourage quilters to do some color learning. You can find so many YouTube videos out there that do teach color theory and the art of choosing colors. I also found that Domestica has a page with links to seven free color theory tutorials. You can find that HERE.
What have you found to be helpful when choosing colors for your quilts? Share below, I'd love to learn with you!
Go make something extraordinary!
Jen
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