If you’re like me, you tend to purchase fabric and/or make quilts with the same colours. For me, those colours are green and blue. I just gravitate towards those colours and it helps that they work well together, being on the same side of the colour wheel.

I always have to push myself to work with other colours. My least favourite colours are orange, yellow and brown. Read on for suggestions of how you can reach beyond your favourite colours and step outside your colour comfort zone.

How to Step Outside your Colour Comfort Zone in Quilting

Choose a Pattern that Includes Different Colours

a lone star quilt made with pastel colours of pink, baby blue, yellow and medium blue. The text says Choose a Pattern

The easiest way to move outside your colour comfort zone is by choosing a pattern that calls for colours that you wouldn’t normally use. For instance, if red and green are not normal colours for you, choosing a Christmas-themed quilt would be a good choice.

By choosing a pattern that already has a defined colour theme, you can gently push yourself out of your comfort zone. You could choose a different colour palette for the project, but that would defeat the goal of the project.

Colour of the Month Blocks

a two tone purple Lemoyne Star quilt block

In 2024, I am creating Colour of the Month Blocks. I randomly chose a colour and assigned it to each month. In October, I chose orange and I plan to make a pumpkin block for the season. However, I have pushed myself to work with yellow and brown which I don’t like. Check out my results.

A brown acorn quilt block with text that says Brown COTM

A yellow improv pieced quilt block with the text, Yellow COTM

Learn Colour Theory

A great way to increase your comfort in working with colours that don’t naturally call to you is by learning a little about Colour Theory. There are tons of books on the subject out there and I found this great article: https://shop.decoart.com/blog/color-theory-basics-the-color-wheel/

Start Small

Instead of jumping into a quilt, why not start to experiment with colour on something a bit smaller like a table runner or a wall hanging? This way, you can move a bit outside of your comfort zone and not have to commit to a full size quilt project.

Overcome Fear of Failure

I get it, fear of failure and perfection are huge hurdles in quilting for some people, myself included. However, taking baby steps to push yourself outside of your colour comfort zone will help you get past your colour mindset. One step at a time and one project at a time.

My Final Thoughts

These are my top tips on how to step outside your colour comfort zone in quilting. I hope this gave you some good ideas. I know it is a challenge, but continually making projects with the same colours is boring.

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