Fun with Colour Wheels

My local quilt guild is lucky enough to have a wonderful quilter who designs a mystery quilt project for us each year for the last few years.  I have decided to join in on this year's mystery, but to challenge myself to use the colour wheel theory to help me with colour choices. 

I am working with split complementary colours (which I'll reveal in my next post).  By using colour theory, I've assembled a palette of colours that I never would have put together before myself.  The fun I've had with colour wheel is something I've even been asked to share with one additional quilters guild as well as my local one.

I like to use three websites to help me with colour theory:

The first is a paint site - Dulux paints (Dulux Colour Wheel - This is Dulux's Australia site, but I prefer it over the Canadian version for this topic).   In it, they introduce some basic colour theory with descriptions of Monochromatic, Complementary, Split Complementary, Contrasting and Triadic descriptions and why you might want to consider one over the other.  If you have never worked with colour theory, this is a good place to start.

The better site (but warning, you can spend time on it) is the Canva colour wheel.

With the Canva site, you don't need an account in order to use the colour wheel.  Select your first colour by moving the larger white circle to somewhere on the colour wheel, and then select from the drop-down menu as to which combination you would like.  You can also use the small white circle on the outer ring of the large colour wheel to be able to select the exact shade and tone.

Now if you really want to get inspired with different combinations of colours, one place to look is Design-Seeds.com.  While Design-Seeds site provides inspiration primarily aimed at decorating projects, they all put swatches of colours together that you might not have thought of before and give you some inspiration in your colour selections. 

I would love to hear about your colour choices - both actual choices and what references do you use to pick your colours and stretch your creative boundaries. I hope you check these links and get inspired to try something new.

Welcome October!

 A new month means a new chance to set goals.  COVID-19 has had one positive effect for me - time to quilt.  I've found a renewed energy in my quilting and it helps that a group of quilting friends who normally meet monthly to quilt together have set up daily Skype calls where we chat, encourage, and keep each other company.  It is a casual affair.  If you can't make it one day, or one week, not to worry.  The group inspires each other with the projects we work on as individuals.  I am so blessed to have these ladies in my life.

Once again, I'm going to try to complete the One Monthly Goal challenge from Elm Street Quilts.  In this case, I'm trying to complete my Loon Mystery quilt.

Wish me luck!  If you want to know about this challenge, go to https://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2020/10/one-monthly-goal-october.html

When "Frolic" takes on a whole new meaning

 I think of the day that will come in the future when I can look back on this quilt and think about what fun it was and how satisfying it was.  Today is not that day.

"Frolic" is a Bonnie Hunter Mystery and somewhere along the way, I took a wrong turn.  There are two main blocks you are instructed to build, with alternating tones of light and dark blue.  You needed to create 25 of these blocks to make the center of the quilt.  Somehow, in my head, I'm sure I did the math right, but I ended up with 10 of one and 15 of the other.  Have you ever been left scratching your head when you make up blocks, wondering how you went wrong?

To complicate matters, the light blue had been exhausted in making these 25 blocks.  Time to become best friends with my seam ripper.  5 blocks torn apart and re-assembled in full and partial blocks.  The good news is the ripping is done and the assembly is back in gear.  I am back to feeling optimistic about this project and looking forward to the day this portion is completed.  So while I return to the assembly process, let me leave you with this snapshot of the first half of the center completed.

COVID-19 Update

How the world has changed in the last 9 months!  One day we will look back and wonder at having come through a global pandemic, at least, I hope that day comes for all of us.

Like many quilters, I've been diverted into mask production.  I have not been as prolific as many, but I have made over a dozen already with more cut and ready to sew.  Rather than focusing on my sewing in pictures, I thought I would share something I found in the news.

The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario is curating a museum exhibit of masks.  Not only are these masks reflective of our collective battle with COVID-19, but they also are a story of the changing social times we are also witnessing.

If you have a moment, I encourage you to check this link out:  Chronicling the pandemic through masks

Stay Safe!