Choosing a colour palette for your quilt projects can seem daunting, however it doesn’t have to be that way. The more you quilt, the more you gain confidence in your colour choices.
Stop Worrying About the Colour Wheel: Simple Colour Confidence for Quilters
I am not an artist. In fact, I cannot draw at all. As a result, I wasn’t exposed to the Colour Wheel in art class like many of you were. The Colour Wheel stresses a lot of quilters out, myself included. However, there are a few key concepts that will help you choose your quilt palettes with ease, and we’re not even talking about primary colours.
The Basics (Tint, Tones and Shades)
These colours create a feeling of depth in your quilts.
Variations in Blue
Main Colour: Pure blue
Tint: Light blue (white added to the pure blue)
Tone: Dusty blue (gray added to the pure blue)
Shade: Dark blue (black added to the pure blue)
In order to create variation in your quilts, make sure to include some light, medium and dark fabrics of your main colour(s).
High Contrast (Lights and Darks)
Value is how light or dark a colour is.
In order to make a design stand out, place a light fabric next to a very dark fabric. This contrast makes it very easy to see the pieces in the block.
In order to make a design blend in, place two fabrics of the same value (light, dark, or medium) next to each other. This way, the design does not stand out as much.
If you want to find out how well your fabric palette works together, take a black and white photo of it. This way, if you are looking for contrast, those fabrics should jump out.
The Neutrals
An easy way to make medium and dark fabrics shine is to add neutrals to your colour palette.
Gray & Black
These colours add sophistication to your palette. Black can make every other colour appear brighter and/or richer, while grey can cool down your palette.
White & Cream
These colours add lightness to a quilt design and bring contrast. Use them when you want your main colours to be the star.
Browns & Tans
They add warmth to a quilt. They work well to tame down an overly bright palette.
Colour Confidence Checklist
Take a look at your colour palette and ask yourself these questions:
- Do I have a mix of light, medium and dark fabrics?
- Do I have different versions of my main colour e.g. light, medium, dark?
- Do I need to add a neutral(s) to balance the palette out?
Your answers will help you decide what to do next.
The Quilting Alternative
If, after reading this you are still uneasy about colour, that is totally ok. I understand, as I was you all those years ago.
So, for now, you may want to consider purchasing quilt kits or precuts as opposed to choosing yardage off of the bolt. By choosing a kit or precuts, you know that the colours work well together. There is far less stress this way.
As you continue to make projects, take a look at this article again and see if you feel a little more confident to make your own colour choices. This is exactly how I became Colour Confident. You got this.
My Final Thoughts
I hope you found value in Stop Worrying About the Colour Wheel: Simple Colour Confidence for Quilters. Becoming Colour Confident involves some trial and error and likely a seam ripper. That’s ok, because this is how you learn.
Make sure you bookmark this article so you can revisit it in the future.
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