Write 31 Days: Everyday Quilt Inspiration

Vanuatu Décor color scheme by Clever Chameleon

Welcome to 31 Days of Finding Quilt Inspiration in the Everyday

The Write 31 Days Blog Challenge, Day 1

Surprise! It’s only Sunday and I’m baaaack…..

I was reading the Days Filled with Joy blog earlier today, and Joy said she was not going to do her usual Finishing Stitches linky for October, because she was joining in the Write 31 Days Challenge. And I went: “What’s the Write 31 Days Challenge?”, and clicked on that link…..

So, it turns out, it is a one-month challenge to blog daily. Now, I have no intention of becoming a long term once-a-day blogger. Or I’d get no sewing done at all. And I’m pretty sure you also don’t need that much of me in your inbox either! (Please forgive me for a month! 🙂 ) But it so just happens that I am away from my sewing machine for half of October, and I have an idea that would be fun to try for a little while. Also, I do tend to write long posts and it would be good to practice “less is more” occasionally.

So, I have made an impromptu and perhaps rash decision to join the Write 31 Days challenge. I am currently in Vanuatu for work, and the internet here varies from fine to appalling and back again without warning, so I am not even sure if this is possible. But I will try. I may have to write offline some days and post in batches as the internet allows. The main complication is that it starts Today! And as I draft this I am not signed up and I have no internet……

My Write 31 Day Topic: Everyday Quilt Inspiration

Anyway, my Write 31 Days series will be about finding quilt design/colour inspiration around us in the everyday. Today it is colours.. But it might be shapes, themes, motifs on other days…. wherever the imagination goes. This should actually be quite fun. And I think it is a good flip-side to Colour Inspiration Tuesday. I use professional photos for Colour Inspiration Tuesday because I can make pretty pins and headers out of them. And I do love them. But I can’t/don’t take photos like those. However, there is no reason why the photography skills I do have can’t be enough to convey the quilt/colour ideas that I often see around me. And there is no reason why you can’t use your happy snaps and incidental casual observations for inspiration either…. So let’s explore finding quilt/craft inspiration in real life for a month! I hope you’ll join me.

Finding Quilt Inspiration in the Everyday: Day 1

Red, Teal and Brown: décor inspiration

Vanuatu Décor color scheme from Clever Chameleon Because today’s post is being created at rather short notice (and I will be hoping for internet later to upload this), I am going to start my 31 everyday quilt design series in familiar territory. With a colour board. Today’s inspiration colours are red, teal-blue, coffee, dark chocolate and off-white. Teal and red are complimentary colours (opposite positions on the colour wheel), so look good together with or without the addition of neutrals.

Everyday quilt inspiration in rented accomodation — Tip 1: find everyday colour inspiration in rented accomodation furnishings

Today’s photo is a snap of the décor in our bedroom in the rented concrete block house we are living in in Port Vila. It is a modest house, comfortable and designed to be lived in rather than holidayed in. One of the things I appreciate most about our accommodation is that the play areas are designed so that children behaving reasonably can safely roam and play without constant supervision. No pools or waterfront or other inherently deadly areas.

Décor is a very good place to look for everyday quilt inspiration, especially colour. There are often professional influences in décor choices, even if it only within the fabric prints. In paying attention here, you are using someone else’s knowledge and experience to help guide your own design process. That’s called working smarter!

Why was I inspired by this décor?

I was struck by these particular décor colours because only days before we got here, I posted about using red and teal with black and white for my next quilt design that will be part of the Splash of Color quilt-along. That post was called Hot Chocolate and you can find it here. Today’s colour board is going straight to my ideas folder for when I get around to designing my Vanuatu quilt for the Splash of Color quilt-along!

So there you have it….. my first everyday quilt inspiration post for the Write 31 Days challenge! Hope to see you again tomorrow!

Have you got décor around you that inspires a quilt you would love? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. Links to the posts in my 31 everyday quilt inspiration ideas series will appear here as they are published.

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate color scheme by Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: delicious colour combinations to try on your quilts.

Hello! Happy Colour Inspiration Tuesday! Did you have a chance to try out the Strawberry Vines quilting motifs inspired by last week’s colour board? I haven’t found anymore time to play further with Strawberry Vines as yet. But do you know what goes well with strawberries? Chocolate. Hot Chocolate to be precise. Mmmmm.

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Hot Chocolate

The “Hot Chocolate” colour palette is dark red, red-orange, greyed-teal, off white, and warm shades of grey through to almost black. These colours are a really close match for the Jaffas and Cream charity quilt I blogged recently. You can find out a lot more about that quilt here.

Quilt with Hot Chocolate color scheme — The dark brown, red, red-orange, off white, and greyed teal can all be found in the fabric choices of Jaffas and Cream.

What will I do with this colour scheme? You know there is likely something, right? Well, to tell you that story, first I need to tell you this story …..

The colour scheme that nearly never was

Frosty Berries color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Frosty Berries colour palette

I started the Hot Chocolate colour scheme for last week’s colour inspiration slot. But then I realised that it wasn’t very different from the Frosty Berries colour scheme we had two months ago. And that it also bore a fair resemblance to the warmer colour scheme Red-Eye Flight that we explored three months ago.

Red-Eye Flight color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Red-Eye Flight colour scheme

So, I set Hot Chocolate aside and started over with the Strawberries Vines post instead. I had no intention of resurrecting Hot Chocolate this week either, but then something happened. A good something.

I was drifting around the quilting part of the internet, as I do (a lot). And I discovered that Myra at Busy Hands Quilting is starting a fresh quilt along called Splash of Color. And I have taken the bait. Possibly the line and sinker too. The aim of the quilt along in question is to produce a black and white quilt with colour highlights.

Splash of Color Quilt Along

Now, I have to confess, I don’t do quilt alongs. I don’t do crowds. I don’t do other people’s patterns without a really, really good reason. Let’s be real here – I don’t even do my Handi Quilter homework til the due date! I get distracted. I end up with UFOs and inferiority complexes and all the other baggage that social media can trap you with. But I think this quilt along will suit me, and I’m actually pretty excited.

Why? Because:
– it covers a quilt theme that I have wanted to try ever since I borrowed a certain book several years ago from my local library. That book was “Quilting in Black and White” by House of White Birches. (I have actually borrowed it several times). Many of the quilts in this book are black and white with colour highlights, and the effect continues to appeal to me.
– I have a Pinterest board dedicated to black and white quilts (with or without colour highlights) because I have always believed that some day I will get around to making such a quilt. It has over 300 pins on it. That is not a casual relationship!
– I have two black and white fabrics I specifically want to use. My husband bought them for me as a gift from one of his work trips. They are probably not what I would have chosen. But one should never discourage gifts of fabric! 🙂 And now they are exactly what I need. Yeah!

Black and white fabrics from Vanuatu — Black and white/grey scale fabrics from Vanuatu

– And, probably the clincher…. there is no pattern for this quilt along, the only boundaries are the colours and the timing. So I can create, and emotionally invest, and wander around this quilt theme all I like. Awesome!

So, back to my Colour Inspiration Tuesday/quilt along idea…..

I always thought my future one-day black and white with a splash of colour quilt would be black, white and brilliant blue. Or black, white and rainbow. But it is going to be black, white and red.

Because I realise that I must really like this combo. “Hot Chocolate” is the third colour scheme in this general genera, out of less than 30 colour palettes. And I had another photo lined up in my ideas folder that would have resulted in a fourth (don’t worry, I am NOT doing a fourth). So clearly I am attracted to this graphic colour combination.

black, red and white photo of a puffin — This ultra cute puffin was also begging to be a colour board!

There is also a measure of expediency in my choice. I have a great big piece of red fabric, also purchased by my husband, that is the same print as one of the aforementioned black fabrics. It will be perfect for the backing. Easy.

Here are my fabrics. I will probably have to add to them. (Oh, that’s so unfortunate…. hahahaha). My rainbow batik stash is sooooo wrong for this.

Fabrics from Vanuatu — My three fabrics to work with

I am hoping I will be able to find some other fabrics to match when we go to Vanuatu soon, which is where these first three came from. I also am hoping that the finished product will be a lovely souvenir of our family trip. And an encouragement to hubby to keep bringing that fabric home. (Hello dearest – just checking whether you actually read this.) And a couch protector… my black and white quilting friend with a red collar is playing havoc with the furniture :(.

Cat on Bugs in my Garden Quilt — Who me? Guilty as charged, Mr.

I am going to do a black and white background, and for my splash of colour, I am going to appliqué a red turtle on top. There might also be a hint of teal. The turtle will be inspired by the turtles on the fabric. I hope it will be eye-catching, just like the photos for my mood boards.

Turtle fabric from Vanuatu — I intend to design a turtle appliqué in this genera

Want to join the Splash of Color quilt along but terrified by the open-ended nature of the requirements?

Try my Pinterest Board above for over 300 ideas of black and white quilts with colour, or B&W quilts that could easily have colour added to them. Or get your hands on a copy of either Quilting in Black and White by House of White Birches or the quilt along’s theme book: Splash of Color: A Rainbow of Brilliant Black-and-White Quilts by Jackie Kunkel.

Today’s Photo Credit

Finishing up with the formalities….. Today’s stock photos are from Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a collection of free, high resolution, “do what you want with” photos. These photos are gifted freely and without demand for recognition, but I like to thank people who live so generously. So, if you would like to also use the hot chocolate photo, it is provided by Jennifer Pallian via Unsplash. The puffin photo is by Ray Hennessy. Click on the badges below to explore Jennifer’s or Ray’s other photos.
Jennifer Pallian
Ray Hennessy

Red Clever Chameleon logo I hope you will join in the quilt along. And keep an eye on this blog to keep me accountable….. even leave an encouraging message or two. Comments make my day and I do try to respond asap. If you are joining in the quilt along, let me know and I’ll visit your creations too.

Happy Quilting!

P.S. Don’t forget about the Fabric with Art blog hop. It is coming up really soon!

Art with Fabric blog hop @ tweloquilting.blogspot.com

P.P.S. Linking up with Love Laugh Quilt, Freemotion by the River, Crazy Mom Quilts.

August 22, 2017January 19, 2024

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Pink Chalice

Pink Chalice color scheme by Clever Chameleon

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

Hello! Happy Colour Inspiration Tuesday! Did you enjoy the fabric mosaic ideas last week? I think we should do that more often! But today we return to a more normal Tuesday formula….. and we have a magnificent red and green colour palette up for discussion. Let’s chat about the colours in “Pink Chalice”, a colour palette inspired by beautiful crisp pink Calla Lilies.

Red and blue-green look so vivid together because they are complementary colours. This means that they are opposite each other in position on the colour wheel. The brain likes complementary colours, and most people react favourably to these colour combinations. However, red and green also have a strong cultural significance in communities that celebrate a Western style Christmas. So, it can sometimes be tricky to use these colours without accidentally giving your project a christmasy feel. This problem is likely not consistently an issue across all cultures, but it certainly is in mine.

Pink Chalice color scheme from Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Pink Chalice

The “Pink Chalice” colour palette is old rose, dusky pink, powder pink, tan, forest green, deep forest green and green to the point of black. Let’s call it midnight green! I really like these colours together with white for a fresh feeling quilt. If I needed more colours other than the standard 7 of Colour Inspiration Tuesday, I would add another green, another red-pink and another neutral.

I haven’t mocked up my own quilt with these colours because I already know of one that I would make if I was going down this path. I really love this half-square triangles quilt by Teri Townley at the Hummingbird Thread blog.

Half-square triangles quilt by Teri Townley

I have collected a few pictures of red and green quilts that I think could be used anytime, not just Christmas. Not that I have anything against Christmas, I just think red and green should be seen other times too! Visit my Pinterest board Red and Green Quilts for more ideas. Follow me on Pinterest….. I have a Christmas board too.

What would you do with these colours? I’d love to hear your thoughts on your perfect green and red quilt combination. Even if it is Christmasy! Drop us a comment below and share your creativity with everyone.

Don’t need green and red today, Christmas or otherwise?

Have you been following along with Colour Inspiration Tuesday for all the colour combinations and quilt ideas you’ll only find here?

If not you can get a quick overview of the colour combinations we have been exploring lately in this review post.

You can also get moving on your fall projects with the Autumn Splendour colour palette. Halloween and Thanksgiving are only just around the corner now, at least in regards to crafting something that will be finished in time to use!

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. These photo’s are gifted freely and without demand, but I like to thank people who live so generously. So, if you would like to also use this lovely photo, it was provided by Ethan Robertson via Unsplash. Click on the badge below to explore Ethan’s other photos.
Ethan Robertson

Clever Chameleon logo in light green Don’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.

August 18, 2017January 19, 2024

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Hazy Days

Colour Inspiration Tuesday(ish): More free colour resources for inspiring your quilts

Welcome to the last post in our Summer Crush Colour Inspiration “Week of Tuesdays”! I hope you have enjoyed exploring how to turn colour mood boards into fabric collections from your favourite fabric store. I certainly have!

Hazy Days colour scheme from Clever Chameleon — Hazy Days colour scheme

Today, as promised, I am exploring not one but two summer photos that I like from Unsplash.com. The first colour board, called “Hazy Days”, captures perfectly the feel of a relentlessly hot day on the beach. What could be more summery than a lifeguard on duty? The second board I am calling “Blood Orange and Mint”. This board comes from a photo of iced water with citrus and mint. It makes me think of refreshing cool drinks and good company, watching a balmy summer evening darken into dusk.

Blood Orange and Mint color scheme from Clever Chameleon

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Blood Orange and Mint & Hazy Days.

The reason why I have grouped these two photos and their colour palettes into one post is because they are quite related, and have given me very similar end mosaics. Both colour schemes consist of at least one blue, green, turquoise, red-orange and brown colour each. Not the same shades and ratios of each hue, but most definitely representatives from the same set of colour families. Who would have thought? Certainly not I. When I chose these two photos, I was definitely not expecting similar outcomes.

The Blood Orange and Mint Fabric Mosaic

Thanks to Stitched in Color, this week there has been a fun opportunity to use the fabrics available at Quilt Sandwich Fabrics’ Etsy shop to create a collection of nine fabrics that you think capture the theme “Summer Crush”. If you haven’t participated already, there is still time until the 21st August.

Blood Orange and Mint color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Blood orange and Mint colour scheme

To express the colours that I have pulled out of the beverages photograph, I chose the following fabrics. Most of them I chose predominately on colour, but there are a few that I think match the Summer Crush theme in subject as well. Specifically, along the bottom row we have dandelions; a zigzag print that is reminiscent of ocean waves; and …. cameras. Cameras, holidays and summer really are inseparable thoughts, aren’t they?!

The Hazy Days Fabric Mosaic

To capture the colours and feel of the Hazy Days colour palette, I chose tan stripes to represent the colours of the sand. Turned on its side, this fabric could also represent the ripples that form on the beach.

I chose a fabric of graphic squares with a fanned pattern to reflect the spokes of the shade umbrella in the photo. I also emphasised the life saver’s buoy with two fabrics featuring circles and a third with a vivid orange lattice.

The red-orange and turquoise small-print fabrics were chosen to complete the colour way and provide contrast in scale and complexity. Of course, the blue and aqua wave fabric had to be included to represent the ocean. I even rejoiced at the grey of the background in the middle fabric, because it captures the toned-down palette of the original photo. Overall, I think this collection has a good mix of scale and shape contrasts. Love the colours, love the visual texture!

Hazy Days colour scheme by Clever Chameleon — Hazy Days fabric mosaic

This is my second entry to the Summer Crush fabric mosaic contest.

sail boat fabric And the fabric I’d love to put on the back? Sailboats, whales, gulls, and waves in cream on a dark teal blue background by Charley Harper for Birch Fabrics. And its even organic cotton! Whoop!

Final thoughts

As you can see, although I started with two entirely different photos and even two quite divergent colour palettes, I have ended up with two mosaics that could be combined without clashing. One fabric even is in both mosaics! If you like either of these fabric combinations, head over to Quilt Sandwich Fabrics and check out the fabrics for yourself.

Hazy Days colour scheme with fabrics

Summer Crush Mosaic Colour Inspiration Week

If you want to follow my musings around the Summer Crush mosaic contest for the rest of the week, here are the other three days of mosaics:

On Tuesday we looked at the colours of Ice-cream Tones. Pinks and yellows, with a little brown and blue added for interest.

On Wednesday we explored the freshness of the colours seen in ripe pineapples and tropical beaches. Find out why I called this palette “Digging for Pineapples“!

On Thursday we channeled our inner child and played with this fun flamingo. Hot pinks and blue-greens were the order of the day in the bright and happy colours of Flamingoes in the Pool.

Credit

Today’s photos are from Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a collection of free, high resolution, “do what you want with” photos. Credit is not required to use the photos, 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 the Hazy Days photo was provided by Ludde Lorentz via Unsplash, and the cocktails photos was provided by Monika Grabkowska. Be sure to check out their collections of freely gifted photos on Unsplash.com.
Ludde Lorentz
Monika Grabkowska

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 any photo featured in Colour Inspiration Tuesday 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.

August 1, 2017January 19, 2024

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 logo Don’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.

Tag: red

Write 31 Days: Everyday Quilt Inspiration

Welcome to 31 Days of Finding Quilt Inspiration in the Everyday

The Write 31 Days Blog Challenge, Day 1

My Write 31 Day Topic: Everyday Quilt Inspiration

Finding Quilt Inspiration in the Everyday: Day 1

Why was I inspired by this décor?

Week1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Hot Chocolate

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: delicious colour combinations to try on your quilts.

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Hot Chocolate

The colour scheme that nearly never was

Splash of Color Quilt Along

So, back to my Colour Inspiration Tuesday/quilt along idea…..

Want to join the Splash of Color quilt along but terrified by the open-ended nature of the requirements?

Today’s Photo Credit

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Pink Chalice

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

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Pink Chalice

Don’t need green and red today, Christmas or otherwise?

Today’s Photo Credit

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Hazy Days

Colour Inspiration Tuesday(ish): More free colour resources for inspiring your quilts

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Blood Orange and Mint & Hazy Days.

The Blood Orange and Mint Fabric Mosaic

The Hazy Days Fabric Mosaic

Final thoughts

Summer Crush Mosaic Colour Inspiration Week

Credit

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Sunset Wall

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

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Sunset Wall

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

Today’s Photo Credit

cleverchameleon