Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Working on Color Again

More paper pieced stars designed by Carol Doak. Sometime last summer I promised myself I would work through most of the stars in her Mariner Stars book. The time is now.

I am still, and probably always will be, uncertain about my color sense. I read books on color but when it comes to hands on, in the eye of this beholder, I am uncertain. I've thrown away a few half stars that were awful. The upper left star is going to go out too. Slowly I'm learn a little. I'll make at least twelve for a quilt, if the interest holds it will be twenty. Every one will be different color combinations but I will use the same background and I want a coherence in value. Learning to combine colors is not easy for me but I think I'm gradually getting better.

Of course these are just squares on the design wall. A final arrangement of stars will probably take great pondering - but that's maybe two months away. This is not the only quilting project going on right now, several smaller projects are in hand.

5 comments :

Diana said...

I know what you mean about colors! I feel very uncertain as well, especially about value. Sometimes I will make a block which won't seem to "belong" to the rest, but when I put it in the quilt with the others, it seems to add a spark of interest.

Your stars are beautiful!

Nellie's Needles said...

The key to getting combos that you will like may be the values of the hues. I take pictures of fabric combinations. Then convert them to black and white in my photo program. This helps to determine the contrast between/among your chosen fabrics. Having this knowledge helps to place or replace fabrics within a pattern or design. For me this is all part of "playing". I hope it helps and that you find this step playful, too.

June Calender said...

Thank you, Nellie. I will l try the photo method. I really am trying to learn about value. All my quilting is fun and play. I don't quilt to show or sell but purely to please myself.

Ladydy5 aka: Diane Yates said...

What are you talking about June?
Your quilting is wonderful, yours colors are great and I am really into colors, so I know. Values, smalvues, just do what you like. They always come out great.

June Calender said...

Thanks, Di, but the truth is the ones that aren't pleasing to me don't get posted. They go into an orphan block bag and the most horrid ones go into the round file under my sewing table.