Inspiration Quilt Palette

Colour inspiration can be derived from anything in the world around us! 
This flight of beer samples inspired the palette of the week!
I've been saying for a few years now...

The colour wheel isn't as effective or useful as many quilters think it is for choosing quilt fabrics!  Forget everything most people 'teach' you about colour! Learning colour theory isn't as good as your lived experience with colour. 

3 important colour facts for quilters:

  1. Using colour effectively is a skill best learned through practice and it takes years to gain confidence and knowledge with respect to contrast and pattern.
  2. Contrast is the most important factor when choosing quilt fabrics and colours
  3. Any colours can work well in a quilt there are no rules, that's why colour wheels are pointless for quilters. The pattern you choose and the fabric placement within it, will be the factor that helps to make difficult palettes work. 
I know that last one is difficult to comprehend! Any colours?! Yes any colours can work in a quilt. 
Let's dive a little deeper...
When I say using colour is best learned through practice that doesn't mean you have to waste fabric making quilts you think are awful until you learn to use colour effectively! 
No fabric need be wasted! 
That's exactly why colour study is effective. Analyse the world around you, look at the way nature and humanity use colour. What catches your eye? What colours do you love together? 
Practice fabric pulls to imagine quilts in colorways you would love to try! Not every fabric pull has to be for a quilt, sometimes it can be just for fun and a learning experience. 
I have some FREE colour study resources available on my website to help! 
Here's a few patterns using this week's palette:
Adding a white background fabric is perfect!

But the simple 3 colour palette can work really well too! 
Look at how the change in dominant colour affects how the fabrics work together! That is why the pattern you choose and the fabric placement within the pattern makes a big difference in effective colour use. 

Play with colour. You will learn more with every single moment spent in pursuit of colour knowledge. 


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