Color on my mind

Color inspiration happens everywhere! Sometimes it comes from nature, sometimes it comes from art and sometimes it comes from within one's own mind. These are the colors I was thinking of as I went to sleep last night and they are still with me today. They are kind of fall-ish in a Northern California kind of way. : )

What color is on your mind today?

Color Walk 004

Sometimes when I'm walking, I see something that makes me stop and take a closer look. These color palettes start with a photo I've taken, usually with my phone, and often when I'm out doing ordinary things. Each color swatch is labeled with the coordinating Kona cottons by Robert Kaufman. 

Inspiration is Everywhere

Image from Starbucks

I was standing in line for coffee yesterday (as you do) and out of the corner of my eye I saw this display of coffee beans.  The colors on the packaging were so gorgeous together and I thought they would make a great quilt!  I brought a bag home with me, made a pot of coffee and started pulling fabrics.  What?  Doesn't everyone do that?  : D

The first color I saw and I kept looking at it, was the coral.  I don't have very much coral in my stash, but I started choosing anything that had a hint of that sherbety pinky-orange color.  I have a few new prints from Aneela Hoey's line, Posy, that were perfect.  Luckily I found a couple more that didn't quite match, but played nicely together.

Next I picked out some deep teals.  I was looking for really saturated tones and a variety of motifs.  Arrows, paisleys, fans and of course, pezzy!  

There are a lot of greens in my stash and they range from sour yellow-greens to serene blue-greens.  I was looking for something similar to the leaf in the lower right of the package.  Kind of a citron with a bit of an earthy edge to it.  What would you call that anyways?  Asparagus??

The aquas were easy because I have so many of them.  I held each one up to the teals to help narrow it down.  At the top of the coffee bag is this really pretty soft lemony yellow color.  I almost didn't include it, but I realized that as an accent it really helps the coral, teal and citron colors shine.

These colors are very fresh and summery and they would look good on a white background.  Look at how pretty they also look against the silvery gray of the package.  I added some grays and this pretty stack is as far as I've gotten.  Now I just need to decide what to make.  

Aurifil: Refining My Palette

I received some big new yesterday. My custom Aurifil thread collection was selected as one of the winners over at Lily's Quilts. Yahoo!!  I was very excited, hopping all around the living room, riling up the puppy and causing great confusion with my kids. There were so many beautiful and creative entries!! I never get tired of looking at pretty color combinations.

You have to see the many colorful heads of Alex by Hadley.  Ohmygosh!!

I had a fun creating two very colorful collections, one based on vintage surfer posters

Aurifil #s Top Row: 1158, 4093, 2810, 5005, 2845, 2860, Bottom Row: 2270, 2235, 3920, 4150, 5009, 1130

and one based on the Pantone Spring 2012 palette.

Aurifil #s Top Row: 1104, 2145, 5003, 2515, 2021, 2610, Bottom Row: 2740, 4020, 2882, 5005, 2340, 2630

Then I took a shower and I had an urgent, a-ha moment. What if I did win? What would I actually do with all of those colors? Shouldn't I pick thread that I would go out and buy right now and use for all of my projects?

Aurifil #s Top Row: 2021, Bottom Row: 2000, 2340, 2610, 2630, 2692

Enter "The Workhorse".  These are the thread colors I reach for again and again when quilting. Notice all of the white! I usually use that for piecing and quilting, sometimes grey depending on the project, and every once in a while beige or black.

I panicked a teeny bit because Aurifil is sending me thread based on my selections. You know how choosing colors online can be. Is the white, white? Is the grey, a warm grey or a cool grey?

Luckily, Aurifil is also one of the sponsors for the Zakka Style Sew Along, and I received a color card to play with. As a gut check for myself, I paired up my thread workhorses against my fabric workhorses (I buy these by the bolt when I can). Let's take a look...

1) Bella White, 2) Bella Snow, 3) Kona Coal, 4) Essex Grey

Aurifil #2024 and Bella White by Moda

Aurifil # 2310 and Bella Snow by Moda

Aurifil #2630 and Kona Coal by Robert Kaufman

Aurifil #2606 and Essex in Grey by Robert Kaufman

My palette was reworked and refined.  Here are my thread color choices, final answer. : )  Thank you so so much to Katy, Lynne and of course Mr. Aurifil himself, Alex!!