Color Choices

WHAT COLOR FABRICS DO YOU WANT TO USE IN YOUR QUILT?

Color gives us our first impression of a quilt.  Often we have our own favorite colors and color patterns that we stick to when we make any quilt or when we are in the quilt store choosing new fabrics.  Choosing a new color combination with or without design and prints can add improvement to a seemingly plain bedroom, wall or couch throw.  A new shade or a completely new color scheme can completely transform a look from winter to spring, spring to summer, and emotional outlook.  All types of style and design revolve around color choice.  Color theory is important to get the feel you want and to blend well in a quilt to appeal to your audience.

Using a color wheel may help in the beginning planning for any quilt.  Understanding color combinations and what looks best and what doesn’t is not easy for all of us.  To be great at anything, you first have to know the rules.  Then you can branch off and do what works best for you.  Understanding how your chosen colors fits into everyone else’s concept of color may build your confidence in your own choice of colors for your quilt.

We have different emotional responses to different colors.  The color yellow gives us lively and happy images such as  sunshine, dandelions,  corn on the cob and sunflowers to name a few.  Orange is stimulating and depicts earthy images.  Orange reminds us of juicy oranges, peaches, carrots, autumn leaves and wildflowers.  The color red is often thought of as power.  Red gives us the feeling of excitement, passion and dangerous images like fire, roses, apples, traffic signals and so on.  Everyone likes purple.  Violet gives us regal and grand images.  We picture flowers such as irises, majestic scenery such as mountains while drinking wine and surrounded by velvet.  Colors make us feel as well as see sometimes.  Blue gives us soothing and airy images such as sky, sea, blueberries and forget-me-nots to name a few.  Green makes us think of tranquil and hopeful images like trees, grass, spring leaves and nature.

Hue is a color in the color’s purest form. Tint is when you add white to your hue.  Shade is when you add black to your hue.

Value is very important in quilt making. It can be the single most important factor in the success of a design.  Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. Value can also be used to create depth or a three dimensional appearance. Value is easy to determine with a single color. Example: light blue – medium blue – dark blue.

Tips to determine Value:

* Squinting shuts out light and allows you to see value without seeing the color.

* Standing a distance away from the fabric helps to eliminate differences in pattern and make the value more distinctive.

* Photocopying the fabric in black and white changes all color to black and gray to make value differences obvious.