Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Sunset Wall

Sunset Wall colour scheme from Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: a free resource of colour combinations to try on your quilts.

Hi – Welcome to another Colour Inspiration Tuesday! Today I have chosen a photo that is really already a quilt idea…. I bet you can see where this is going!

Today’s colour palette was inspired by a photo that is so warm that you can almost feel the reflected heat radiating off the beautiful solid brick wall. Today we are exploring these colours in the palette “Sunset Wall”.

Sunset Wall color scheme by Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Sunset Wall

The “Sunset Wall” colour palette is light lavender, salmon, rose, rust red, orange, dusky purple and dark eggplant. Of course, the bricks are already in a easy to piece layout – either with the light “mortar” sashing, or without. 

Sunset Wall quilt layout
A simple rendition of Sunset Wall to give a simple quilt design.

This is a very easy design to customise, Add more rows or width of bricks to make the quilt exactly the size you want. Use scraps or yardage to make the bricks. Piece them randomly or according to the layout you want. The less precisely you sew the mortar strips between the bricks, the more rustic your wall will become. Great for a beginner!

Full sunset wall palette
Adding extra colours to the Sunset Wall palette adds depth.

I used the “Sunset Wall” colour scheme plus two related colours to design my wall quilt. These were an extra mid-value rose pink and a light orange. Here is my full colour range.

You can also decorate this quilt with appliqué. I was thinking to design a climbing plant or hollyhocks onto mine, when my hubby said it needed a cat on the top.

And for once he is right! hahahaha. So a cat is what it got! I like it. I mustn’t make it though, I am still working on the Jewel Tone Diamonds quilt.

Sunset Wall quilt design with cat appliqué
Added some fun to Sunset Wall with a cat!

What would you do with the Sunset Wall colour palette on a quilt? Let me know in the comments below!

These colours too bright? Try using the same colour combination, but in their tones or shades.

Muted Sunset Wall colour palette by Clever Chameleon
Slightly muted Sunset Wall colour palette

Sometimes fabric availability will dictate which shades of colours you can use. Other times you have more luxury of choice. If you are not a “brights” kind of person you might prefer to use a slightly greyed version of this colour palette. This trick works for other colour schemes as well.

If Sunset Wall does not take your fancy, there is a growing number of colour inspirations here on Clever Chameleon. Why not check out this post, which shows you the latest dozen colour palettes all in one spot?

Today’s Photo Credit

Today’s stock photo is from Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a collection of free, high resolution, “do what you want with” photos. If you would like to also use this lovely photo, it was provided by Michal Grosicki via Unsplash for license-free usage. Find more of Michal’s photos here:
Michał Grosicki

Clever Chameleon logoDon’t miss a post – follow along by subscribing to this blog. Or follow Clever Chameleon Quilt Colour Inspiration on Pinterest and pin your favourite colour palettes to try later. 

P.S. For your convenience, I have placed all the Unsplash photos from Colour Inspiration Tuesdays in one place. Find them easily for free in my Colour Inspiration Collection.

Colour Inspiration Tuesday turns 10 (weeks)!!

Clever Chameleon Colour Inspiration Tuesday Collection ITen Weeks of Colour Inspiration Tuesday: the Quilt Story chapter that was started almost by accident!

What started as a side project has morphed into a regular part of the Clever Chameleon week! Ten weeks ago I published the first Colour Inspiration Tuesday with the intention of occasionally playing with colour combinations I might like to use in quilts. However, it turns out that making colour palettes can be a bit addictive for someone who loves colour. I have found that it is easy to end up with at least one idea a week. So, Colour Inspiration Tuesday has quickly become a weekly post. 

Not only that, but the last few weeks I have found myself contemplating more deeply the possibilities of each colour scheme in quilt design. How would I use these colours and for whom? This has led to Colour Inspiration Tuesday now currently including one or more sketches of simple quilt layouts that use these colours. No patterns yet, so don’t get too hopeful. But they are visualisations of where I would start if I was using these colour schemes to design a quilt. Can you see the escalating pattern here?

Jewel tone Diamonds quilt idea from Clever Chameleon

Aurora Green blooming nine patch quilt layout idea from Clever Chameleon

Frosty Berries colour scheme - modern quilt layout example

Frosty Berries color scheme - masculine quilt layout example

Frosty Berries colour scheme - flower appliqué quilt layout example

Frosty Berries color scheme - flower appliqué with leaves quilt layout example

Maybe patterns will follow?!

One of these colour schemes (Jewel Tone Triangles) has led to a real quilt that I am in the process of putting together. You can read about the process so far in this post: Jewel Tone Diamonds Quilt.

To access the colour palettes of Colour Inspiration Tuesday available so far, click on the thumbnails below.

Cookies and Cream color scheme from Clever ChameleonAurora Green color palette from Clever Chameleon Jewel Tone Diamonds color scheme from Clever Chameleon Frosty Berries colour scheme from Clever Chameleon Jewel Tone Triangles color scheme from Clever Chameleon Red-Eye Flight colour scheme from Clever Chameleon Autumn Splendour color scheme from Clever Chameleon Knot Dramatic color scheme from Clever Chameleon Lily Pad Glow colour scheme from Clever Chameleon Purple Tulip color scheme from Clever Chameleon Blue Fox colour scheme from Clever Chameleon Butterfly Loves Red color scheme from Clever Chameleon

Follow along and be the first with the free inspiration!

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Colour Inspiration Tuesday is also easily accessible through Pinterest. Follow my Understanding Color for Quilts board for regular quilt colour inspiration.

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Frosty Berries

Frosty Berries color scheme from Clever ChameleonColour Inspiration Tuesday: a free resource of colour combinations to try on your quilts.

Welcome back to Colour Inspiration Tuesday. Here in Adelaide we are well into winter. We haven’t had near enough rain this year, but today is definitely plenty cold, grey and gloomy enough. What better way to warm up the mood and brighten the day a little than to add a little red?!  So, here is the Frosty Berries winter palette with red for warmth and spectacular effect against icy greys. Enjoy!

Frosty Berries color palette by Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Frosty Berries

The “Frosty Berries” colour palette includes four shades of grey, ranging from dark grey to a cold, lightly greyed blue. These are paired with three magnificent shades of berry red.

I can equally imagine this colour palette being used in strongly masculine geometric quits, bold modern quilts and stunning appliqué designs. This colour palette is very versatile for anyone who likes the combination of cool neutrals or black & white with red. Just vary the amount of red versus the grey. I’m sure you can find your perfect ratio!

Here are some quick and diverse ideas using the Frosty Berries colour scheme.

Frosty Berries colour scheme - modern quilt layout example
A modern Frosty Berries quilt layout favouring the greys

 

Frosty Berries colour scheme - masculine quilt layout example
A masculine Frosty Berries quilt layout favouring the reds
Frosty Berries colour scheme - flower appliqué quilt layout example
An appliqué flowers Frosty Berries quilt layout
Frosty Berries colour scheme - flower appliqué with leaves quilt layout example
And obviously the same, but with leaves in the mid-red colour

Colour Inspiration Tuesday collection 1Not celebrating winter today?

Well, today is pretty exciting because Frosty Berries is the 10th official post in the Clever Chameleon Colour Inspiration Tuesday Series, and the 12th colour scheme to be found among the Clever Chameleon blog posts. So I have put together a post of all the Clever Chameleon colour palettes so far. Have a look and see if anything takes your fancy today! Time to get your imagination on for a new quilt project!

Credit

Today’s photo of Frosty Berries is from Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a collection of free, high resolution, “do what you want with” photos. No credit is demanded, but I love to give credit where credit is due. I am always grateful to people who contribute to open source communities. So I would like you to know that this lovely photo was provided by Maria Mekht via Unsplash. Be sure to check out her collection of photos on Unsplash.
Maria Mekht

For colour inspiration for your quilts in your inbox weekly follow along by subscribing to this blog. Or follow Clever Chameleon Quilt Colour Inspiration on Pinterest and pin your favourite colour palettes to try later. 

P.S. If you would like to use Maria’s photo or another Colour Inspiration Tuesday photo for your own projects, you can easily find all the Unsplash photos from Colour Inspiration Tuesday in one place for free in my Colour Inspiration Collection.

The Tentmakers of Cairo and other Quilt Fun

Tentmakers of Cairo coverIt’s been one huge celebration of quilting in Adelaide! Festival of Quilts and Quilt Encounter Week, including a visit from the Tentmakers of Cairo.

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

This past week was one of the biggest in the calendar of the Quilter’s Guild of South Australia. The State Guild Quilt Show and the guild’s annual live-in quilting retreat’s 25th anniversary, back-to-back. I am not sure why it was organised this way this year. Festival of Quilts has been in November in the past. Perhaps it was to give country quilters a chance to participate in both in one trip? Or maybe it was to capitalise on the Tentmakers of Cairo? Anyway, a great week for quilters, and an exhausting week for organisers – I take my hat of to you all!

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Today’s blog highlight is definitely the Tentmakers of Cairo coming to town. But first, a quick look at the South Australian Festival of Quilts.

Festival of Quilts, Adelaide 2017

I would love to tell you more about the Festival of Quilts. But photos were allowed only on the proviso that they are for personal use only. So there is only limited interesting news I can tell. I can tell you that the quality of the quilts is very high and still rising.

If you would like to see the winning quilts in each category from the Festival of Quilts. you can access pictures via the Quilters’ Guild of SA here.

My personal FOQ happiness

I can show you what I entered into this year’s show. This is the first time I have entered, and I was very excited to receive a ribbon! Judges commendation!!

Celebrate SA quilt by Dione Gardner-Stephen at 2017 FOQ
My quilt entry for the “South Australia – Ocean to Outback” challenge category. It is called “Celebrate SA”.

The brief for the quilt challenge was to make a quilt of 55cm square or 55x110cm on the theme “South Australia – Ocean to Outback”. I abstractly portrayed some of the highlights of our state with a happy pelican imposed over the top. Pelicans are not particularly numerous here, but they ubiquitous. You see them on the coast, in the wetlands at the end of my street in suburbia, on the River Murray, and in the salt lakes of the outback. And they travel all over the state at will. Anyway, more on this quilt another time – today I really want to get to the Tentmakers of Cairo exhibition.

But just before I do….. To top off the joy at getting a ribbon, I also just found out that the whole collection of challenge quilts is invited to Brisbane to be a Special Exhibition at The Mad Quilters’ Gathering in August. What fun! Sorry – I am a bit excited by all this! 

Dandelion Wishes re-visit

Quilt guild project: Modern quilt jigsaw
Quilt guild project: Modern quilt jigsaw.

Remember my Dandelion Wishes Appliqué Mini Quilt? If not, you can find the tutorial for it here. I now know much more about the project that I made this for, as promised.

This project is going to run for nearly a year, and everyone is invited to make an unbound mini quilt of size 40x60cm. They will be trimmed to puzzle shapes and be sold as a fundraiser. Unsold pieces will become part of a special travelling exhibition. Apparently there are prizes up for grabs for guild members who participate. I will keep you up to date about this project as it progresses.

So, finally.! We’re here. Introducing the…..

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Quilt Encounter participants were very fortunate to have two Tentmakers of Cairo, Essam Aly and Hosam Hanafy visiting and presenting at their retreat. The exhibition was also open to the public, which is where I come in. Photos were welcome, and I want to share with you the colour and happiness of these works of art.

There were lots of beautiful medallion-style designs.

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

These appliqués are done almost exclusively by men. There was one piece that was done by one of the craftsmen’s sister. I am pretty sure it is the one in the photo directly above. But this is apparently not typical. Also, each family from the Tentmakers has its own designs, and copying other family’s designs is forbidden.

There were also panel designs, which remind me (probably not surprisingly) of Arabian carved door panels.

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

My Favourites from the Tentmakers of Cairo

The last “category” of quilts I want to show you is my favourite. It is the pictorial appliqués.

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017

These pieces were called “quilts”, but what they really are is appliquéd wallhangings. They are lined on the back with canvas and they are bound, but there is no third layer inside, and there is no quilting. Just beautiful appliqué and hand embroidery. The work is needle turn appliqué, and the men are extremely adept – they are fast and use massive scissors to trim their work as they go with great confidence. If you ever get a chance to see them in action, it is definitely worth it. It will definitely Colour Your Mood for the better and Brighten Your World.

I’m glad we went early in the day to this. A lot of these pieces were sold and out the door by the time we left!

Clever Chameleon logo yellow

Finally, I will leave you with some shots of the detail in the pictorial appliqués. I hope you appreciate some of the humour and colour that is embodied in these works. Enjoy!

 

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Tentmakers of Cairo at Quilt Encounter 2017, detail

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Aurora Green

Aurora Green color scheme from Clever ChameleonColour Inspiration Tuesday: a free resource of colour combinations to try on your quilts.

Welcome to our first Monochrome Colour Inspiration Tuesday! I have noticed that quilters quite like monochrome or very nearly monochrome colour schemes.  And of these, green quilts are very popular. Among my Pinterest quilt inspiration boards I have one called Monochrome and Analogous Colour Quilts. And on this board it is typically the green quilt pins that receive the most attention. Green is a soothing colour, it is a great choice for a quilt.

To make an interesting monochrome quilt you need to pay attention to the colour value range. If there is not enough colour value contrast, a monochrome quilt will not have much visual interest. So, let’s look at a photo with a great green colour range: Aurora Green.

Aurora Green color palette by Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Aurora Green

The “Aurora Green” colour palette isa range of seven greens – from pale yellow green through to a green so dark it is nearly black.

This colour range is sufficient to capture the glow of this beautiful photo in luminescent quilt designs such as Blooming Nine-Patch or Light in the Valley. See?

Simple Blooming Nine-Patch Layout using the Aurora Green colour scheme.
Simple Blooming Nine-Patch Layout using the Aurora Green colour scheme.

It also covers enough green colour values to make a geometric quilt with good clean lines of contrast between the design elements. Here is one fabulous example of a quilt that uses a similar colour palette to do just that. Hop over and take a look at this lovely blog post by Pie Lady Quilts.

link to Pie Lady Quilts

You can also check out my carefully curated Green Quilts Pinterest Board for more inspiration on how to use green in a stunning quilt.

One final idea: add a little pink and/or yellow as highlights to this colour scheme to make a fresh garden colour quilt. Play with these colours until they resonate for you!

Not into Green? Fair enough….

Blue Fox color scheme from Clever ChameleonRed-eye Flight color scheme from Clever ChameleonWhy not try some of the other colour palettes in the growing Clever Chameleon collection? Some popular colour schemes at the moment are Red-Eye Flight from a fortnight ago, and a calming blue and red-brown colour scheme called Blue Fox

Credit

Today’s very green photo is from Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a collection of free, high resolution, “do what you want with” credit-free photos. I am grateful to people who contribute to open source communities, so I would like you to know that this lovely photo was provided by Jan Erik Waider. Visit Jan’s photo collection here:
Jan Erik Waider

Clever Chameleon logo in greenFor colour and layout inspiration for your quilts in your inbox weekly follow along by subscribing to this blog. Or follow Clever Chameleon Quilt Colour Inspiration on Pinterest and pin your favourite colour palettes to try later. 

P.S. If you would like to use Jan’s photo or another Colour Inspiration Tuesday photo for your own projects, you can easily find all the Unsplash photos from Colour Inspiration Tuesday in one place for free in my Colour Inspiration Collection.