What you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask!

Hello Friends.   Happy Easter.  It has been a wet day for the bunny.  A real rainy Easter weekend here in my neck of the woods. This week we saw the return of the deer, who like to graze in the front yard and soon will be eating my asparagus. The sand hill cranes are back and I am sure a plethora of other critters that have not yet wandered into the yard.  Despite what the calendar may say, I find Easter always marks the beginning of spring for me.  I put the winter quilts away and pull out the bright ones.  My wardrobe changes as I begin to wear some brighter blues and peach type colours.  Over all, it marks for me a feeling of light and airiness. 

Last week I started you on an exploratory adventure into deciphering colour terminology.  So let continue with a few more definitions

Our journey begins this week with “Analogous” colours.  These are 1, 2 or 3 neighbouring colours from each side of a selected colour. 

Complementary colours are two colours that lie opposite one another on the colour wheel.  This is probably the most common and widely used colour scheme.

Next up, we have “Split-Complementary”.  Here we combine both complementary and analogous colour schemes.  Your selected colour may be the centre colour in the analogous colour plan and accompanied by a complementary colour.  In quilting, I like to refer to this complementary colour as an accent colour. 

Lastly, is the “Triadic” colour scheme.  This colour scheme finds its partners lying equal distance from each other on the colour wheel. 

Oh Goodness!  How is one supposed to know all this?   Well, that is exactly why I like the 3-in-1 colour tool.  As I mentioned in last weeks’ post, this quilter’s colour helper takes that worry away and gives you all you need to know about making those colour choices for your next quilt.  That my friends is just skimming the surface, but hey with a good tool, a few friends and a well informed quilt shop, you will find colour choices easier then you think.

Well now, that was fun!  As you mosey along in your days, make note of some of the bill boards, cloths and just about anything, including all that, that Mother Nature offers.  What colour combinations do you see when you're going along with your day.  Have your camera handy – you never know when a colour scheme tickles your fancy!

I am on the road again, for the next few weeks, as I am teaching out and about in Northern Ontario.  I will post when I get back but please follow me on Facebook and Instagram where I will keep in touch with all the goings on.

Thanks for dropping by.  Until next time, stay safe, watch for deer, and maybe buy some pencil crayons.  

We're talking about colour

Hello Friends.  .  Since getting back from Holidays in February, time has been on hyper-speed.  But that is just how things go sometimes.  While I was away I was able to do some extra reading and research.

 I stumbled upon a decorating article that tied into quilting.  My internet exploring lead me to the “Colour of the Year”.   Brakes on!  Colour of the year! Is this something that I should make note of?

I quilt in colours that speak to me at the moment.  Sometimes it is tied directly to the pattern that I plan to do and sometimes it the season or just my mood that day.  I can honestly say that I have never given trends any thought when choosing colours for my quilts. This year I vowed not to use green.  You see, I love green. When in doubt – I pick green.  Well wouldn’t you know it, this years’ colour is GREEN! LOL

As quilters, we often get stuck in colour ruts.  Much like piecing where the layout is familiar and comfortable or the piecing does not require a learning curve.

Most quilters have a favourite colour that speaks to them.  It is a colour that they gravitate to when choosing colours for a new quilt.  It is important to explore new colour ways.  Just like new designs and layouts, it opens the creative mind to the possibilities of a new palate.  “But where do I start”? This is a question I am asked a lot.  This fear occurs because many quilters do not feel confident when choosing colours.  I can see you nodding your head now as you read this.  

As you go through your day, lets say walking through the grocery store or perhaps the mall, observe the colours around you.  The mixtures of lemons and oranges next to the apples and bananas.  Or perhaps a rack of new spring t-shirts on display in front of a store. Colour combinations that speak to you and make you say, “I would of never thought of that”. 

You can start to take pictures with those fancy phones we all seem to have so that you can refer to them later. I like to take pictures of flowers in the summer.  I put them as a slide show on my screen saver as a kind of catalyst for new inspiration, especially in the winter when our landscape is a mixture of whites, greys and black. 

It is hard to think of new colour combinations when we have a stash to use in a colour way that is tried and true.  But limiting ourselves does not allow for growth and adventure. It’s always fun to see where a little push may bring us.

Speaking of new layouts and colour ways, I would like to share a few photos of completed quilts from the Storm at Sea workshop that took place in early November. Thank you so much for sending along photos of your quilts.    

Thanks for dropping by.  Until next time, stay safe, quilt with a new colour, and watch the snow melt.