The right choice of color would always create an advantage with the sewer.
A color wheel is the best place to start when determining a color palette.  The wheel can be divided in multiple ways, creating lots of diverse pattern options. To create a homogenous, streamlined design, stick with monochromatic colors (the same hue with different tones, tints, and shades) or analogous colors (neighbors on the color wheel), divided into warm and cool: warm colors are red, orange, and yellow; and cool colors are green, blue, and purple. Play around with other relationships on the color wheel – sticking to primary colors or secondary colors, or working with complementary colors, can lend vibrancy and energy to your design.
A monochromatic design, sticking to a single hue in multiple tones (adding gray), tints (adding white), and shades (adding black) can often produce a dull look. Make sure that the brightness of your fabrics is varied. A good trick for determining brightness is taking a black and white photo of your fabric.
Starting from scratch can be overwhelming. As an alternate option, start with a patterned fabric that you love and identify the color scheme. In the figure above, the pinks and purples of the bold pattern on the left are repeated in the simpler patterns to the right. If you introduce new colors, make sure that they are harmonious with the predominate colors. For example, green and black, harmonious with pink and purple, are accent colors appearing in those fabrics.
Still overwhelmed? Think of a theme for your project! Holidays, seasons, sports, and activities can help you determine the perfect color scheme for your project. Here are some ideas:
- A beach bag in the complementary yellows and blues of sand and sea
- A quilt for cold football games in school colors
- A trick-or-treat bag in Halloween black, orange, and purple
- A fall picnic blanket in red, orange, and yellow
- A tree skirt in holiday white and blue, Christmas red and green, or New Year’s metallics
As always, don’t forget to finish up that piece with your very own personalized labels!
