CHOOSING COLORS
Choosing fabric for a project can be either the most fun or the most challenging part of the designs process. We have created
some tips for choosing fabric and thread colors that will hopefully make this process fun and easy!
THE QUILTING METHOD
As you know, quilts have a number of different fabrics in them
and usually follow a theme. We love fat quarter bundles and
jelly roll strip packs because they give a sample of several
coordinating fabrics to choose from for your quilt. Start
with a fat quarter bundle, then choose a coordinating solid
fabric for the quilt backgrounds. Use fat quarter bundles
to choose your thread colors by pulling thread colors that
match the fabric. Use this color theme to choose the thread
colors for all of the designs you are embroidering on the
quilt. This way, whichever design or fabrics you choose, all
of the fabrics and threads will coordinate perfectly giving
you a beautiful, cohesive quilt design.
THE TRIM METHOD
Have you ever tried to buy trim to coordinate with a
project after you have already embroidered it? It is almost
impossible. However, if you buy the trim first, then use the
trim to choose coordinating thread colors, the resulting
design will match perfectly. This process works great for
embroidered towels and tea towels.
COLOR STORY METHOD
Choosing fabric for one project is hard enough, but how
do you choose fabrics for multiple projects that all need to
coordinate? Always start with a neutral color as your base
since the embroidery will stand out better on a solid fabric.
Then choose 3-5 coordinating prints. Don’t be afraid of
busy prints, just use those fabrics sparingly. Make sure all
of your thread colors match your fabrics, but don’t pick too
many different colors of thread or the theme will be lost.
Once you have your color story, use those colors for all of
your projects.
THE FABRIC METHOD
You can use fabric to choose thread colors for your designs.
Simply choose a beautiful piece of fabric, then match the
thread colors to the colors of the fabric. This method works
great on both embroidery and quilting designs. If you think
about it, this makes perfect sense. Fabric is designed by
experienced color artists. So, let those experienced color
artists help you. For those of you who love appliqué, this
technique works two-fold. By using fabric to choose your
colors, the thread colors will pleasantly blend with the fabric
and the design itself.
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