Quilter’s Options in Choosing Colors – Color Saturation

The intensity or brightness of the color is called saturation. Colors deep in saturation are rich in color and considered bold.  Opaque colors are colors that you can not see through.  Translucent are colors that are thought to shine, but also may be more see through if you are dealing with paints on fabric, which we will not be painting in this book.  Pastels are lighter in saturation.  Each have their own place and season.  We often think of Winter as being bold and thus like the darker colors, where Spring we like our pastel quilts out.

As we know from grammar school, primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. All other colors are created from these three colors.  Secondary colors are colors are formed mixing the primary colors together. Orange is created when you mix yellow and red, purple is created when you mix red and blue and green is created from blue and yellow.

As we may or may not know from make-up, there are cool and warm colors.  Some people find themselves always attracted to warm or cool colors and some change with the season.  Blues are known as cool colors as well as greens, pinks and purples.  Warm colors are your reds, yellows and oranges.  You may want to consider a quilt with the same design for your warmer months and a quilt for your cooler months.  Your blacks, browns, beiges and olives are your neutral colors and can be accented with your pillows in cools or warms to perk them up or add flare to make a simple change.    For an exciting harmony of color, use opposite colors on the color wheel. The temperature is automatically balanced since one will always be cool and the other warm.

Fabrics today come in a multitude of choices and it is often nice to throw some patterns in with your solids for a completely new appeal.  You have to make your quilts in the colors that appeal to you.  Keep in mind where your quilt will be used or placed.  Do you need to change anything else in the room or will it complement or better yet, the items you currently have will they complement your new masterpiece?