It's the litttle joys!!

I love the little joys that just brighten my day...  and one that does it every day with a splash of color is "Design Seeds" blog.  If you subscribe every day you receive a color palette in your blog reader list.  No sales pitch, no hard sell...just inspirational joyous color..

It is a reminder just how exciting and dramatic just subtle changes in color can be...

 These are three recent ones... The bluish purple grapes were especially timely as I've been using those colors on my spider bag.

Picking my color palette

Now that I have the mechanics of making the flowers pretty well sorted in my mind I want to concentrate some now on colors.  I said last post that I wanted muted colors...This palette on the right  is one of the palettes that comes up when I put "Victorian color palette" in Google. It is basically what I want but some blues and more variety in value.

This palette is getting there.  It has some more intense values and a bluish gray/green.

I love it when color palettes come with a picture.  It give you a much better idea how these colors work together.

This one has more colors in it but somehow doesn't give me any inspiration. They just don't seem to work together for me.









I eventually settled on this palette.  It basically only has 4 colors - red, yellow, green and blue.  But there is a wide variety of values in each color going from dark to light.
I will print this (probably several copies) and keep them near my work to use as a guide when I am choosing or dying materials.

 I did run across a few palettes that I added to my color file for future possibilities.  I find that using a color palette as a guide opens up new color combinations for me and also serves a guide for adding just that extra color that brings other colors to life.

I would have NEVER thought of using orange, red, pink and lime green but it works and I might try it someday.

I love all the pastel shades of turquoise and pink but doubt I would have thought to add the brilliant cerise which just makes all the other colors pop.













I love this palette.  It is in my comfort zone completely.  This palette and the water lily before it are from one of my most favorite color sites....  Design  Seeds.  They have a daily blog with new palettes every day and you can type in anything... autumn, spring, floral, seaside, carnival etc. and a palette comes up.  A great site for inspiration.

My very least favorite palette is jewel tones.  I have only used it once as the challenge option when I made my vest and this was as far out of the box I could get. Although I am happy with the vest but I will   never use this palette again. The colors were too bright and intense and actually made me uncomfortable when working on it even though  I did add black to temper the brightness of it.  I certainly stand out in a crowd when wearing it.

Breaking from your comfort zone!

Somehow I started on a series of block composition and am ending with my usual lecture on color....but since I feel strongly about the subject I will proceed.  The majority of people in the US struggle with color....we are not comfortable with color on our bodies, in our homes and in our surroundings. And I am a prime example.  My comfort zone is neutrals and pastels....in fact EVERY room in my house is a shade of beige.    I   make a conscious effort to break out of this comfort zone and if I didn't everything I stitched would be neutral or pastel.

 

I would love to live in a culture that celebrated color in their clothing...

 
or in their surroundings.

 

But I don't and thank to a challenge years ago by Laurie Bergesser I regularly make a concerted effort to emerge from my comfort zone.....and I am ALWAYS   glad when I do as those works are among my favorite.

 

 

So whether you are a person who likes brights OR a neutral and pastel person... the real trick is to pick the colors  are harmonious.  Here are some of the techniques to  use... First look for inspiration... Find a colorful fabric that sings to you and use it as a guide. 

Also look to the color wheel and pick touching colors. This will ensure you that your piece will be harmonious. 

 

I wrote a whole post on "Color Seeds" which I love, love, love and has taken me on some interesting color journeys.  This post and that site should not be missed.  There are options there for  every taste...

 

I often use a color pile before I make my final choices... Put possible choices in a pile.. toss it about several times accessing what doesn't fit..  It's easier to pick them out of a pile then to deal with them later in a block..  If you look at your fabrics in a pile and like them, toss them around a few times  and still like them, they are going to look good on a block no matter what you do... This is the "pile test",

I do mine on a table but   I just noticed on Facebook that Allie posted her pile of fabrics  on the floor.  I think that is a great idea because you get a better perspective.. 

 

Remember I started this posts for stitchers who were unsure about choosing colors to use together... I said there were two "NO FAIL" approaches...  The first was limit your color choices.  

Well the second  "NO FAIL"  approach is just the opposite.... USE EVERY COLOR!!

This block is an excellent example and was stitched by Cathy LaBath... She adores color but had written me repeatedly that she is horrible at picking out colors that harmonize...

Yet to appease her thirst for bright colors she uses them with abandon  making dozens of these scrappy quilts..  They work because of the multitude of colors at random... You cannot fail making one of these quilts and the same approach is true applied to crazy quilting...

She's not comfortable choosing and controlling color but she doesn't let that stop her.. Cathy has her colorful scrappy quilts on her blog.

 

 

And there are those who are masters of color and I always think of them as the girl in this painting.

 

There are lots of them and do look for their work on line and gather samples for inspiration.

 

This delightful painting is by Maria Pace Wynters and I tried in vain to find a print for sale.

 

 

My personal favorite colorist is Allie Aller who not only thinks, dreams and plans in  color with abandon, she also is a master manipulator of color which is a whole another level of skill. She has written a wonderful crazy quilting book. 

 

But  a last  important point ....do not let fear of color harmony keep you from forging ahead.  It certainly doesn't mean that you can't be among the best by NOT leaving your comfort zone.  As a prime example I give you New Zealand's legendary crazy quilter, Jo Newsham.   I must share that Jo is color blind. To compensate she most often stuck to a very limited color palette or a monochromatic selection of threads and fabrics.  These techniques defined her style and should be a great inspiration to anyone struggling with color theory. . You can see here she chose only lavender and soft green.. This limited palette gave her work a  simplicity that ensured all the parts of the needlework would complement each other.

This next six weeks is crazy busy and I may get personal posts up but not block talks which take a lot of time... this one especially because I lost all the photos I gathered for it when there was a power outage.  I will try to pick up a few block talks from the archives and rerun them.  Thanks for dropping by.

Help and inspiration picking your colors....

There are color generation sites where you can insert a photo or fabric and it identifies the color palette.  The problem with these sites is, first, they give you too many colors and it is already a palette that you like.  So if you want to color help or to experiment or be inspired I have the website for you.. Design Seeds.  They're not selling a single thing.. nor will they be a problem with unwanted solicitation.  Two or three times a week they send you 2 palettes. You can enjoy the photos, delete them or do as I do and save the ones you like for future reference. 

Left to my own inclinations everything I stitched would be pastels such as this selection,  They are so soothing and pleasant.
But I don't want to be in a perpetual rut and it is not easy for me to leave my color comfort zone.

For example I would never save this palette as it is too much of a stretch for me.

But I did save this one because I love the pinks and I had never thought of using them with just grays and this palette is definitely in my future.  I have very few grays in my stash and will start saving some now..

But this is my year to "do" orange.  I have a lot of orange and have never, ever, used it..  I am using this palette now because it is so autumn and I will show you later how I used it to select fabrics and thread.

But this is the other "orange" I saved.  It is not very autumn at all. ...very cheery and perky..  I will definitely do this in the  future.  Who knows after these two projects orange may be my favorite color.

I will let you know when I save a palette as it may appeal to someone else.

  You do not even have to choose to have them send you palettes, you can go to their website and wander through their galleries of palettes for inspiration.  I guarantee you will find plenty..  Their site is used by artists and designers primarily but is useful for anyone... And you will find yourself using color combinations you never dreamed of..

I use the color palette swatch as a guide to gather possible fabrics and also as a guide when making a final selections.
Using a palette that you love as a guide will guarantee a harmonious piece when finished...

I do the same when pulling threads and embellishments.  

Here are some examples of very diverse palettes... Any excite you?

My theory on color and color gone WILD!!!!

When it comes to color I tend to be analytical. I love monotones, pastels and subdued earthy colors..and colors I choose are always directly related to my moods. So I'm always fascinated by people who use pure colors and lots of it... The first retreat I went to in Colorado I saw a large piece by Lauri Burgessor and was immediately in love with it and her... It was her endearing "Romance Novel" quilt. This butterfly is one of her latest. Of course she is a superb stitcher but it was her use of color I found especially exciting. She doesn't blog nearly enough but I see that she did today..

Another similar person is Cathy LaBath. Anyone receiving her blocks to work on is aware of her love for color.....all colors and all at the same time. I am convinced there is not a color she doesn't love and use... Her blocks are challenging but always make me smile. I have a "seams only" block that she did for me in my colors which I shall treasure because limiting her palette must have been a challenge for her..

And then there is Allison Aller who I swear I saw skipping in CT. Her love of color is pure joy and if you haven't seen her "Jill's Quilt" she did for a cancer charity you must..

Now my theory is if you could peek inside the heads of such people who use color with such wild abandon that it would be like looking into a kaleidoscope and whirling color would be exploding everywhere in their heads... And since for me color is tied to my moods, I am convinced that these people also have a deep source of inner joy.. I want to thank each and everyone (and those I missed) for adding all the extra color to my life and always making smile...

I love you all.

Color Inspiration

For the April workshops I will have to make several blocks so have been looking for inspiration for color combinations.. And ever since I did Jeanne's purple and orange block I've wanted to explore orange some more...


Well here it is... This is one of my granddaughter Madi's photos she took recently in Morocco. Don't you just love the orange, rusty red, lime and a touch of blue? This combinations will really show off stitching and embellishing.. I will have to buy a piece of vibrant orange silk as I'm absolutely positive there's none in my stash... I also posted about the beads she brought me from Morocco which will go perfectly with this...

During her time going to school in the Netherlands she used every spare moment to travel. The two weeks after her classes ended she whizzed all over Europe all by herself... She is developing a wonderful artistic style with her camera and I'm so proud of her.. Below is a very moving shot of a nomad family... I'm assuming the mother is on the left and looks very young herself... But that baby is LOVED!!!