We all know that choosing colors for quilts is one of the most difficult parts of making a quilt.  You would think that it would be full of fun, and it would be really easy.

Maybe it’s because there are some perceived “right” and “wrong” combinations that were told to us by some art or quilt teacher along the way.

If you are anything like I am, that is surely the case.

I was told not to put colors together that were opposite each other on the color wheel.  That meant that I avoided putting blue and orange together; red and green never showed up next to each other (except at Christmas); and yellow and purple were taboo.

The thing is, even using the Ives Color Wheel that we looked at yesterday I still was stuck with not using certain color combinations in my quilts.

Then during our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation with Joen Wolfrom, she talked about using photographs to choose the colors for our quilts.

Her point is that we can look to nature to figure out what colors “go” together.  After all, who is going to argue with Mother Nature?

Once I began looking at photographs, I discovered that there were really very few taboos – if any at all.

If you have ever seen a poinsettia or a rose, you’ll recognize that green and red look beautiful together.

Many sunsets and sunrises have blue and orange vibrating right next to each other, creating a dynamic and beautiful view.

And one of the most beautiful irises is a deep purple with bright yellow streaming from the center.

Using nature as a guide for choosing colors in your quilts offers some interesting opportunities as well as security – knowing that the color combinations you use show up in nature.

By collecting your favorite photographs – either by topic or simply by color – you will be able to choose a photograph to fit your mood, and create a quilt that will reflect your inner thoughts.

If you are in a bright, cheery mood, choose a photograph of a colorful flower garden drenched with sunshine.

If you are more somber, choose a photograph with a darker sky and shadows – possibly one that was taken late in the day after the bright colors of the sunset.

With nature, most anything goes.  And with photographs, you can put your fabrics right next to the picture to match the colors.

To learn more about how this technique works and how you can use it in your quilting, visit:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/1506-photo-color-quilt.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny