COLOR CONFIDENCE PART 3

So the first two posts I made about color confidence gave us some background information on quilting terms and the use of black as an accent in design and quilting. As I said before, I had difficulty relating to the terms, light, medium and dark as it pertains to fabric selection in quilting. I think these terms must have been invented when quilters were really sewing with scraps and leftover clothing, etc. In order to have the quilt look pleasing in the end, they just learned to select fabrics with different values. To me it has little to do with color. If you bought a new black dress and wore it to a dance, would someone say to you,"Oh, that is a beautiful dark dress!" I have always wanted to write a book and so the proposed title of the book that talks about Color Confidence is "FIND FIVE FOR FABRIC FREEDOM'. There are five steps to learning how to select colors and fabrics for your quilts!

Number 1, FIND THE FABRIC

Number 2, Find the Theme

Number 3, Find the neutrals

Number 4, Find the Accent fabrics

Number 5, FInd the Pattern

These five items can be done in any order you wish but lets talk about them as listed.

Finding the fabric might be your first step as quite often, we go into the local quilt shop and we see a fabric that we absolutely fall in love with. Maybe its on sale and you buy what's left on the bolt. Maybe its not paired with something else in the store, you just love it and have to have. Maybe someone gifted it to you. Then it sits on your shelf and you never use it. One of the things that I rarely see talked about in quilting magazines and articles is the print or pattern of the fabric. In interior design you want to start with a focal point in the room and find a focal fabric from which you pull all of the other elements in the room together with it. I had been planning to sew along with http://jacquelynnesteves.com/sewing-quilting/sew-sweet-simplicity-free-block-of-the-month and in the center of the blocks is a 6.5" square that is meant for applique or a focal fabric. I saw this fabric at the LQS and thought how pretty those flowers would be for the center square, fussy cut. It was on sale and the fat quarters were $1.00 so I snatched it up. The is the answer to my number 1 guideline, Find the Fabric.

The next step to finding the fabric is to identify the theme of your fabric. In this case, I would say that this is a modern floral print with a fun transitional vibe. By transitional, it bridges the gap between very tradtional and very modern. It is neither both of these themes. So when I select more fabrics to go with the print, I need to be aware of the theme involved so I don't pick something that doesn't fit. Until next time, have fun playing with your fabrics and identifying the theme. Themes to consider, traditional, modern, fun, flirty, romantic, kid, baby, etc. You know the drill. Carol