Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Ice-cream Tones

Ice-cream Tones color scheme by Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Helping you find amazing colours for your next quilt. 

Welcome back to Colour Inspiration Tuesday! And an extra warm welcome to you if you have arrived here via the Stitched in Color blog and have joined us at Clever Chameleon for the first time. Here we explore colours with patchwork and quilting specifically in mind, although the colours also work for any other creative project you might be planning of course. This week we are going to have a bumper week. Today we will explore ice-cream tones, later in the week I am planning to investigate the colours of buried pineapples, cocktails at dusk and flamingoes in the swimming pool! Intrigued? I hope so!

This week we are approaching the exploration of our quilt colours just a little bit differently to usual. Because we are joining in the Stitched in Color’s Summer Crush mosaic contest! Yay!!

Not too long ago I discovered the absolutely beautiful Stitched in Color blog. It resonated with me immediately, especially the colour mosaics you can find here. Rachel writes: “Slow down a minute, my friend, and ponder with me in color.” What a wonderful sentiment. Ever since discovering her page, I have been waiting for a chance to join in the mosaic fun.

One of the reasons why I am so keen to link in with the mosaic contests is because it takes what we do here at Clever Chameleon – choosing a photo, generating colour schemes (or mood boards), and thinking about their uses in a quilt – and moves it into the world of real fabrics. A bit like I did with Jewel Tone Triangles a while back. Today, the fabrics in question are the pretties of the luscious Quilt Sandwich Fabrics shop on Etsy. It makes us work within the confines of what is available today, from one source. This is a helpful skill to practice!

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Ice-cream Tones

So, back to the matter at hand. Like every other colour palette so far, I have started with an interesting photo from Unsplash.com. This week I focussed on summer-themed photos, and came up with a small short-list of candidates (the contest allows two uploads per participant). To kick us off, we are going to look at ice-cream. Not many things yell summer louder than ice-cream, right?!

The “Ice-cream Tones” colour scheme is yellow, pink and brown. It evokes thoughts of hot days, cold treats and berry flavours. I emphasised the darker pink in my mood board because my favourite summer treat is a frozen yoghurt from the Copenhagen Ice-creamery, which has a dark berry puree swirled through! Delicious!

I would recommend using the dark brown colour as a contrast highlight. Just enough to make the yellows and pinks really shine. I would also add a lot of white to a quilt in these colours, to preserve the clean, light brightness of summer days. 

What to create with the Ice-cream Tones colour palette?

Lately, at this point in each post, I have been adding a visual quilt idea or two for you, based around the colours in  the day’s colour palette. But that’s where this week is different. Today we will be matching fabrics to our colour palette instead. You can do this with any colour palette and your favourite online fabric store, anytime. Great, isn’t it?!

Firstly, I went through the fabrics on offer at Quilt Sandwich Fabrics, the contest’s sponsors. Here are the fabrics that I initially pulled out. 

Ice-cream Tones fabrics first pass
My first pass at selecting Ice-cream Tones fabrics from Quilt Sandwich Fabrics

Now, the rules of this contest say I have to narrow the selection down to just 9. Which nine would I most like to make a quilt with?! 

Here is my process…..

How I chose nine fabrics for an Ice-cream Tones project

My eye was caught by this fabric first – Direction in Yellow, an arrow print on a yellow background, from the Tropical Paradise collection by Josephine Kimberling for Blend Fabrics. 

Not only did it capture the colours of the Ice-cream tones palettes, but it also introduced purples for deep summer sunsets, and aquas and blues from the beach and the sky. All things that very much make up summer here in coastal Australia.

To make sure the aqua, blue and purple sit well in my collection I added 2 more prints that use these colours. The bike sign print (From the Ride collection designed by Julia Rothman) was a seriously good find! My hubby and I and the kids cycle a lot, all year round, but especially in summer. And then the feathers (From the Tsuru collection by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Cloud 9 Fabric). I added this fabric because I love it, and because no summer walk around our local wetlands is complete without collecting feathers.

The next step was to make sure there is enough dark contrast and larger scale print in my collection. So I added the pink daisies on the brown background (Daisies and stems in lilac, magenta, olive and lime on a brown background. Designed by Tula Pink for the Acacia collection by Free Spirit Fabrics). Daisies are definitely very summer.

Ice-cream Tones colour scheme from Clever ChameleonI then went back to my colour scheme and emphasised the main colours with small scale print fabrics. Two pinks and two yellows of different colour values. To finish the collection I added a medium scale medallion print that has both pink and yellows as its main colours. It was designed by Keri Beyer for the Dream A Little Dream With Me collection by In The Beginning Fabrics. The circles remind me of the summer sun, but dreams also seem appropriate for summer.

This is what I ended up with. I hope you like it.

Ice-cream Tones colour scheme fabric selection by Clever Chameleon
This is my final selection of fabrics for my Summer Crush Mosaic: Ice-cream and Sunshine

Ice-cream tones color scheme from Clever Chameleon

What about the backing?

Well it’s not part of the contest, but I saw this little gem along the way. And I can say I would love to have this on the back. It is just too cute!!! And all the right colours too. It is covered in bright houses with a happy attitude and is from Timeless Treasures.

Back to some quick Colour Inspiration Tuesday formalities….

12 color schemes to try on your creative projectsSome information if you are new here today…..

Recently I put together our first colour scheme review. For a good introduction to Colour Inspiration Tuesday, you can find 12 colour palettes all together here.

Last week we looked at classic blues and greens in the Another World Blue colour palette. We also explored what the Cat on a Wall quilt pattern would look like if we used these colours instead of the Sunset Wall palette.

Follow the links to find out what we’ve been up to. And subscribe to emails to keep up to speed from now on!

Credit

Today’s photo of yummy ice-cream is from Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a collection of free, high resolution, “do what you want with” photos. Credit is not required, but I love to give credit where credit is due, and 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 Ian Dooley via Unsplash. Be sure to check out his collection of photos on Unsplash.com.
ian dooley

Clever Chameleon logo in brownFor 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 Ian’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.

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Another World Blue

Another World Blue color scheme by Clever ChameleonColour Inspiration Tuesday: a free resource of colour combinations to try on your quilts.

It’s Tuesday again already! This week we have a colour combination of blues with a touch of green. Cool and calm, these colours suggest a vastness and stillness that is bigger than than our comprehension. You can use this colour scheme, “Another World Blue”, to bring calmness to your favourite space.

Another World Blue color scheme by Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Another World Blue

The “Another World Blue” colour palette is midnight blue, navy, royal blue, aqua, turquoise and bright and light sky blues. The greens in this palette are heavily biased towards the blue spectrum, allowing it to feel like a monochrome colourway while adding depth, interest and a slightly softer quality to the palette.

Just for fun, I have coloured last week’s cat on a wall quilt design in this week’s Another World Blue colours. Notice the change in mood?!

Cat on a wall quilt design in two colour palettes
Cat on a Wall Quilt design in original Sunset Wall scheme colours and in Another World Blue scheme colours.

But maybe you want to get rid of the green tinges?

Another World Blue daughter colour scheme from Clever Chameleon

Of course, I always have to play with a colour scheme to see what other ideas it holds. If you ignore the greens in this photo (and the purple-tinted blue), you get a beautiful, clean-looking blue monochrome palette. See what happens just by concentrating on a different portion of the photograph?! This is much crisper.

Autumn Splendour colour scheme from Clever ChameleonOr you could try something completely different and start a project to use during fall….. Try Autumn Splendour for a new take on fall colours.

Or find the first 12 Clever Chameleon quilt colour palettes in one place here.

Credit

Today’s photo of majestic nature in blues is from Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a collection of free, high resolution, “do what you want with” photos. Credit is not required, but I love to give credit where credit is due, and 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 Jonatan Pie via Unsplash. Be sure to check out his collection of photos on Unsplash.
Jonatan Pie

Clever Chameleon LogoFor 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 Jonatan’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.

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!

clever chameleon logo

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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.