Category Archives: Color Inspiration

Color Inspiration Thursday {59}

September 24, 2015 kittywilkin 5 Comments

Every year, friends of ours host a pot luck pig roast on their 360+ acre organic farm right up the road. It is truly one of the (if not THE) highlights of our year. With contributing family members who are musicians, a midwife, farmers, cheese makers, contractor, parents, kids, the invite list always includes a wonderful group of local folks with many smiles, more babies than you would think possible, and dear friends. The food is always amazing, the farm is gorgeous as always, the day is filled with kids running around and playing, hay rides behind their team of work horses, amazing seasonal local food, and usually a bonfire with accompanying impromptu music. North Branch Farm is such an amazing place, made so entirely by the vision, ability, hardwork, and unending determination of a wonderful family. I am truly in awe of all that they do, and so grateful to call them dear friends.

Today’s color inspiration comes from some photos I took during this year’s Pig Roast. I spent more time socializing, playing with kiddos, and eating than photographing, but this is just a little glimpse into one of our favorite events. Color palettes are made using Play Craft’s Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs. Enjoy, and I do encourage you to visit North Branch Farm’s website to read a bit more about their awesome farm, and of course be inspired!

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Christmas Green, Kona Pepper, Kona Laurel, Bella Betty’s Teal, Bella French Blue, Kona Raffia

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1158 – Med Grey
2785 – V Dk Navy
2890 – Dk Grass Green
2850 – Med Juniper
4140 – Wedgewood
2314 – Beige

This post wouldn’t be complete without a photo of their gorgeous work horses, named April and May. The resulting palette is super soothing and earthy, too. You can catch a glimpse of one of their gorgeous fields and the happy rows of giant organic veggies to the left of the horses. You can also catch a little glimpse of the haywagon filled with happy rows of friends and family. I’m pretty sure that little head hanging way over the edge on the right is my daughter. I think she rode this wagon with her friend Noah at least 20 times.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Ash, Kona Shadow, Kona Black, Bella Brick Red, Kona Garnet, Kona Plum

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5011 – Rope Beige
2600 – Dove
2692 – Black
2245 – Red Orange
1240 – V Dk Eggplant
4030 – Plum

The tiny details are never forgotten, from these jars of garden and wild flowers on the tables, the string lights hung from the tent, or the cross-section of a tree with leaves and grapes used to plate their own aged gouda that graced the pot luck table (I wish I had gotten a photo of this display, but sadly I did not.)

Here are just a few more peeks into our fun day.

I hope the early days of autumn bring you much joy, family, friends, and fulfilling preparation for the winter to come.

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {58}

September 10, 2015 kittywilkin 2 Comments

Heat and humidity still run deep here in Maine, although nights are beginning to cool off. Even still, with school starting and the garden passing its peak, we are clearly headed into autumn, like it or not. Today’s color inspiration includes a couple of photographs I took while my family was visiting in early August. I’ve saved them until now, though, since they have a decidedly autumnal feel to me. Color palettes are created using Play Crafts Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs. The matching solids and Aurifil thread are an awesome perk of using the Palette Builder; they are automatically generated for you!

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Coal, Bella Green, Kona Spring, Bella Baby Blue, Bella Plum, Bella Eggplant

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1158 – Med Grey
5014 – Marine Water
2850 – Med Juniper
2606 – Mist
2566 – Wisteria
2568 – Mulberry

This awesome spiral ornamental plant was spotted outside one of the businesses in downtown Camden, Maine. It’s variegated, but beyond that I have no idea what species of plant it might be. I thought the combination of the unique spiral of the soft green leaf, the brick tinged veins and leaf border, and the brick step background would make a gorgeous palette. It feels like fall to me.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Pepper, Kona Chocolate, Bella Acid Green, Kona Amber, Kona Cedar, Kona Spice

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2785 – V Dk Navy
1285 – Med Bark
2120 – Canary
2145 – Yellow Orange
2390 – Cinnamon Toast
2385 – Terracotta

Wine and a bonfire. What’s not to like? While this scene was enjoyed during a hot midsummer’s night, the resulting color palette screams fall. Maybe it’s the fiery orange and yellow with the dark black/brown background that seems reminiscent of jack-o-lanterns and autumn leaves. I’d certainly love to enjoy a nice glass of wine by a bonfire, but I’ll have to wait until my month-long antibiotic Lyme-kicking regiment is finished before I imbibe. This photo will just have to suffice for now.

Taking this photo reminded me that I haven’t paired wine and fabric in a while. I think it’s high time I got back to that, since it makes for some fun creative fabric play. If you’re a wine drinker, what are some of your favorites? Perhaps I’ll try to find one and pair it up with the perfect fabric match!

Enjoy these last days of summer! Happy sewing.

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {57}

August 20, 2015 kittywilkin 9 Comments

My Color Inspiration posts have been less consistent this summer, but not for a lack of color. I’ve been focusing on sewing and having quality family time outside, and with an infant, it’s a lot trickier to carry a camera around with me to capture the color all around us. But it’s still there, oh–it’s there! Last week we had a full, full house with my entire family visiting (minus one brother-in-law)–my parents, two brothers, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, and two cousins; it was a full house! This week I’ll be sharing some colorful flowers seen during forays into town, turned into color palettes with Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Titanium, Bella Nautical Blue, Bella Magenta, Bella Peony, Bella Petal Pink, Bella Leaf

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2606 – Mist
1310 – Med Blue Grey
2455 – Med Carmine Red
2479 – Med Orchid
2566 – Wisteria
2887 – Olive

Purple cone flower, or echinacea, is one of my favorite summer flowers. The color, the shape, the wild nature–I love it all. These were spotted along the Belfast waterfront, beautifying the view of the harbor.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Grapemist, Kona Amethyst, Kona Lavender, Kona Blueberry, Bella Sapphire, Kona Blue Jay

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2770 – V Lt Delft
2720 – Light Delft
2725 – Lt Wedgewood
2560 – Iris
2775 – Steel Blue
4140 – Wedgewood

Hydrangea. Honestly, it took me a while to fully appreciate this flower. The color of course is hard to be topped, but the giant fluffball style just isn’t my thing. When seen close up, however, the beauty of the color and the detail of each individual petal wins over the goofy fluff. My daughter, on the other hand, LOVES these flowers. The bigger the better, in her opinion. Me, I’d opt for the delicate forget-me-not over the voluptuous (yes, I just called a flower voluptuous) hydrangea any day. But I’ll take the color anywhere I can!

Color Inspiration, Design, Quilting

Return of the Rainbow

August 19, 2015 kittywilkin 18 Comments

Do you ever get to the point in a project where you are *so* close to finishing that you sort of let your mind think you already have, and it hops right over and latches onto a new project idea or three? Yeah, me too. I have at least three projects that are in their final stages yet have been put aside for the past month, while I instead started a handful of new projects. Who doesn’t love a new project?! Yesterday I decided it was time to get those nearly finished projects into the finished pile, and I pulled my favorite one to the top to start.

Remember this? Over a month ago, I finished my first ever embroidery sampler, this Color Wheel by Rebecca Ringquist of Dropcloth. I used Aurifil 12wt thread for the first time, learning the stitches as I went, and loved it SO much when it was finished that I just couldn’t let it be actually finished. So I hatched the plan to extend the color wheel using none other than my favorite saturated rainbow: Alison Glass’s 2015 Sun Prints. Putting it aside was not out of lack of love or excitement, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE this project and it feels so good to pick it up again. I just get into spots where the ideas burst and I have to get them started so that they are real. You know what I mean… a project with fabric cut and design sketched and a few stitches invested is a real project. It’s a lot less likely it will sit stagnant in the pool of unrealized ideas once it’s been at least partially begun.

So back to my color wheel. I managed to match the fabrics almost exactly to the colors of the Aurifil embroidery, which is incredible. It seems like Alison Glass and Rebecca Ringquist and Alex from Aurifil must have all gotten together to design this harmonious flow with the perfect combination of design, color, thread, and fabric, it goes together that well. I wanted to be sure that the prongs of the outer color wheel aligned with the organically drawn prongs of the embroidery wheel, so I scanned my embroidery sampler and uploaded it to Inkscape, the free vector program with which I design patterns. I created larger circles, centering the embroidery, and extended the lines on the sampler to create wedges. I then printed it, cut out the wedges with scissors, and used them as templates to cut the fabric wedges, as shown in the Instagram photo above. I winged it, really, but amazingly it came together beautifully.

Right now the rainbow circle overlaps with the embroidery sampler’s edges, but don’t worry–I plan to either trim or fold the edge under so that the entire sampler is visible.It was an exciting day, since this is the first project sewn on my new sewing machine: a Bernina 560, which I recently purchased during one of their 0% interest, 60-month payment plan offer days. (I’ll give you a formal introduction soon, promise!)

I also used Flatter by Soak spray for the first time since QuiltCon, and I’m amazed I survived without it. Between the new machine sewing like a dream and the seam-relaxing Flatter spray, this circle came together without a hitch.

Now I am going to study up on circles by watching Cheryl Arkison’s class Inset and Applique Circles by Machine on Craftsy (affiliate link). It’s my first time trying a class on Craftsy, but I hear there are subtitles. I also was fortunate enough to take a class with Cheryl Arkison at QuiltCon, so I have no doubt of her depth of knowledge and skill. I’m really looking forward to trying to attach these circles!

Having never sewn a circle by machine, and perhaps only one by hand, this will be a creation filled with firsts. I’m getting awfully close to completing this beauty, though, and I’m loving every step of the way.

I’m linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for Work in Progress Wednesday.

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Also, for those of you on Instagram, I’m having an awesome giveaway to celebrate passing 1,500 followers, sponsored by Aurifil, Soak, and moi (with a fat eighth bundled pulled straight from my stash favorites, basically this color wheel!). Head over, follow me @nightquilter, and tag a quilty friend to enter. Here are some sneak peeks for eye candy (Note: This giveaway is on Instagram only):

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {56}

August 6, 2015 kittywilkin 4 Comments

This week showcases the results of what may be my favorite summer scavenger hunt yet. We mixed it up a bit this time and instead of searching for flowers and objects in the yard of a particular color, we collected one of each different lily that grows in our gardens. It’s amazing that one genus of flower can have such a vast variety of size, shape, color, and intricacy. According to wikipedia there are more than 35,000 daylily cultivars alone. We only have a very tiny sampling. Color palettes are made using my photographs and Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Gold, Kona Grellow, Bella Key Lime, Kona Baby Blue, Bella Plum, Bella Deep Burgundy

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2155 – Cinnamon
2975 – Brass
5015 – Gold Yellow
2710 – Lt Robins Egg
2566 – Wisteria
2568 – Mulberry

An aerial view of our full collection, this photo shows the range of size, shape, and color. You can see that one of these things is not like the other; one of the lilies is a double or maybe triple, meaning instead of one rosette of petals, there are multiples. I cannot take credit for planting any of these, but I’m again grateful that the woman who first created our gardens had a deep love for anything that flowers.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Cinnamon, Bella Kansas Red, Bella Cheddar, Kona Cheddar, Bella Peach, Bella Periwinkle

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2355 – Rust
2350 – Copper
2214 – Golden Honey
6010 – Toast
2320 – Lt Toast
4140 – Wedgewood

Here’s a more detailed view of the odd lily out. The petals on this species are wild and swirly, reminding me of the gorgeous magnolia blooms that kick off spring. The range from peach to orange paired with the grey blue of the wood make such a gorgeous palette! It’s also kind of fun that the “Cheddar” color from both Kona solids and Moda Bella solids fabric lines appear in this palette.

Max selected his favorite flower, which happened to be the biggest and brightest of them all:

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Yarrow, Bella Tawny Olive, Kona Grellow, Bella Grape, Bella Graphite, Bella Deep Burgundy

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2920 – Lt Brass
2975 – Brass
2132 – Tarnished Gold
2630 – Pewter
2610 – Lt Blue Grey
2345 – Raisin

The largest lily of them all shines like the sun. I love the delicate curl of the pistil and stamen, which reach up toward the light.

Here are a couple more photos of these gorgeous lilies for your viewing pleasure.

Which one is your favorite?

Color Inspiration

Color Inspiration Thursday {55}

July 23, 2015 kittywilkin 7 Comments

It’s time to share another color scavenger hunt! Today’s inspiration comes from the findings of the red-orange-yellow scavenger hunt around our July gardens and fields in rural Maine. Color palettes are made using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs. Flowers were found by my five and three year old kiddos.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Lead, Bella Cayenne, Bella Clementine, Kona Grellow, Bella Acid Green, Kona Mint

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1158 – Med Grey
2395 Pumpkin Spice
2390 – Cinnamon Toast
2975 – Brass
2120 – Canary
2886 – Lt Avocado

This was a very fun scavenger hunt, since the yellow flowers just kept multiplying. It was great to look at each new flower and try to decide whether it was one we already had, or if it was a different species. The environmental scientist in me was thrilled to see my daughter reason through similarities and differences in the flowers, and of course the quilter in me was thrilled to play with flower arranging layout once we retreated to the cool porch.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Steel, Kona Sunflower, Bella Sunflower, Kona Citrus, Bella Orange, Kona Gold

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2625 – Arctic Ice
2125 – Wheat
1135 – Pale Yellow
2120 – Canary
2975 – Brass
2155 – Cinnamon

Oh, these yellows! I will never cease to be amazed by the varied textures within flowers. It’s like a whole new world within the center of this tiny, dime-sized flower. Want to explore? Me, too!

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Pewter, Kona Nectarine, Kona Cayenne, Bella Clementine, Kona Persimmon, Bella Golden Wheat

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2620 – Stainless Steel
2215 – Peach
2395 – Pumpkin Spice
2350 – Copper
2150 – Pumpkin
6010 – Toast

The woman who originally planted our gardens LOVED lillies. There are such a wide variety of colors and species of lily, it’s impossible to capture them all. We chose two different flowers as a sampling, and this vibrant orange daylily is like a fiery volcano (you can thank my three year old son for that comparison; he’s all about hot lava these days). So gorgeous!

Color Inspiration, Life

Dropping in on A Quilter’s Color Weekend

July 19, 2015 kittywilkin 6 Comments

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking an entire day for quilty crafty inspiration. I didn’t even touch a sewing machine, yet I spent the day immersed in color inspiration of one kind or another. With five week old Finn snug in my Ergo and the big kids excited about a Daddy day, I began the day at Fiddlehead Artisan Supply, my gorgeous local quilt shop, where Amy Butler, Heather Jones, Samantha Lindgren from A Gathering of Stitches, and the rest of the Quilter’s Color Weekend retreaters were having a visit.

heather jones and amy butler at fiddlehead artisan supply belfast maine — Heather Jones and Amy Butler browse the gorgeous displays at Fiddlehead Artisan Supply.

Walking into a quilt shop as gorgeous as Fiddlehead is inspiring in and of itself; walking into a quilt shop as gorgeous as Fiddlehead and packed with fabric, color, quilt-loving women made my heart happy and my inspiration cup runneth over. It was fun to see Heather again (we first met at QuiltCon), and meet Amy. I also got to meet Kerry Goulder from Kid Giddy, another Maine sewist with whom I’ve communicated via Instagram but had never met in person. There were snacks, book signings, chatting, and of course fabric buying!

Kerry of KidGiddy and Amy Butler sign their books at Fiddlehead Artisan Supply Belfast Maine — Kerry of Kid Giddy and Amy Butler signing their books at Fiddlehead.

After all of the retreaters swarmed back onto their bus to head back to their retreat haven, I spent some time catching up with Abby from Fiddlehead and selecting a new fabric bundle (stay tuned–you’ll hopefully see it later this week!). Of course, snuggling, nursing, and changing Finn peppered the day.

Next, we stopped in for a visit at the Quilter’s Color Weekend Retreat at Point Lookout in coastal Northport, Maine, only another 15 minutes from Fiddlehead. The weekend quilting retreat was one of the first of its kind in Maine, organized by Sam at A Gathering of Stitches, and it happened practically in my backyard (sooo exciting)! The location was stunning, and situated on the top of a mountain, it was peaceful as well as having amazing views. I have never been to a quilt retreat before, but even spending an hour in that room with a bunch of happily sewing, newly inspired, and eagerly learning women was enough to convince me that quilting retreats are where it’s at. I definitely absorb positive energy by being around excited, inspired, colorful quilters, and living in rural Maine, my chances at surrounding myself with such people are rare. This day was a treat for sure!

color stories inspiration — Color stories created by one of the retreat-goers.

finn snuggling at the retreat — Kerry snuggled Finn for a while so that I could walk around to see the inspiring creating taking place.

sewing retreat a gathering of stitches — Sewing and chatting and laughing and creating and soaking it in.

quilt retreat maine — Heather Jones and Sam Lindgren, sharing their wisdom.

amy butler — Amy Butler and a retreat-goer talk quilting.

baby quilt — Even Finn had a good time! (Kerry shows off her progress while Finn happily wiggles).

point lookout maine quilt retreat — The gorgeous view from the dining room at the retreat. Bliss!

After getting my quiltspiration fill for the day, Finn and I headed home and met the rest of our family in Belfast for a quilt photo shoot (you’ll have to wait until September to see those photos, though!). It was a busy but inspiring and refreshing quilt-fabric-color-filled day!

After stopping in at the Quilter’s Color Weekend Retreat, I’m even more excited about the next AGOS retreat in a few weeks: Slow Stitching Retreat at Medomak Retreat Center in Washington, Maine with Carolyn Friedlander, Chawne Kimber, and of course Sam. As she so eloquently states, Sam envisions this retreat as a “long weekend full of the lush, yet cool, woods of Maine as the backdrop for an enthusiastic group of stitchers sharing their knowledge, their ideas, and their practice.” You can read more of her reflections on Slow Stitching HERE, as well as more about this idyllic four day retreat.

With a little babe and an extended family visit overlap, I sadly cannot attend the entire retreat, as much as I would LOVE to. I am hoping to find a way to go for at least a day, though. This summer, especially with a newborn, I’ve been very much embracing the slow stitching idea, learning embroidery, playing with EPP, and taking the time to do hand quilting. It’s no secret how much I love Carolyn Friedlander’s work, and to get the chance to explore, learn, and share techniques and ideas not only with her, but also Chawne and Sam sounds amazing. I can only imagine how blissfully serene it would be to spend four unplugged days stitching, relaxing, and enjoying the Maine woods in the best of company. If you go, will you send some of your slow stitching bliss my way!? Thank you!

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {54}

July 16, 2015 kittywilkin 11 Comments

This is the time of year when colors pop up all over our gardens and the surrounding fields. We spend much of our days outside, either swimming at the lake or staying around home, where Finn and I relax in the shade while the big kids play in the kiddie pool and jump through the sprinkler, snuggle chickens, or just explore like curious kids do.

Earlier in the week, when I started thinking about my color inspiration post this week, I decided that I really would love to get some color sans green. Don’t get me wrong–I love green! But sometimes, the gorgeous colors of the flowers beg to be the star without the background sea of green. This thought led to a fun, family-involved activity: color scavenger hunts. So far we’ve completed two color scavenger hunts, where my big kids and I walk around the yard, finding and collecting colors from a specific color family. Then, we head to the shady porch to lay out our finds and arrange them in a fun way.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Lead, Bella Plum, Bella Berrylicious, Kona Violet, Kona Mulberry, Bella Baby Blue

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1246 – Grey
2566 – Wisteria
2535 – Magenta
2479 – Med Orchid
4225 – Eggplant
2562 – Lilac

Here’s our fun collection of pink and purple flowers both cultivated and wild found in rural midcoast Maine in July. I’ll be sharing our results from different color scavenger hunts over the next few weeks, with the full palette and then some closer detail shots purely for the fun of seeing the tiny variations in floral anatomy and color.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Medium Grey, Kona Ash, Bella Peony, Bella Orchid, Bella Berrylicious, Kona Sunny

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2625 – Arctic Ice
2600 – Dove
2479 – Med Orchid
1103 – Burgundy
2535 – Magenta
2214 – Golden Honey

Such gorgeous details jump out at you when you get really close. The sunny little flower bursts dancing around the center of a zinnia is my favorite part of the flower.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Pewter, Bella Lead, Bella Plum, Bella Magenta, Bella Petal Pink, Bella Barn Door

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2606 – Mist
1246 – Grey
2566 – Wisteria
2455 – Med Carmine Red
2562 – Lilac
1103 – Burgundy

If you have young children and are looking for a fun activity to help them explore and notice details in the environment around them, I definitely would recommend going on a color scavenger hunt. Finds don’t need to include only flowers; yesterday at the lake, my daughter found a tiny blue jay feather and some berries from a Blue Bead Lily and the colors matched beautifully. Sadly, I didn’t get a photo, but at least the idea of finding colors in nature stuck with her. If you have older children, they can each conduct their own hunt and displays can get even more intricate–think mandalas and imaginary scenes! I’d love to see what colors you find!

Okay, back outside we go! Enjoy your day and enjoy the color!

All color palettes were created using Play Crafts Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Color Inspiration

Color Inspiration Thursday {53}

July 2, 2015 kittywilkin 4 Comments

July! With the 4th of July holiday upon us, I thought I’d try my hand at some patriotic color palettes. While the poppy reads a bit more orange than red, the combination of poppies with blueberries in a pristine white dish evoke a backyard patriotism. Since we plan to celebrate the holiday with a backyard barbecue, it seems fitting. Admittedly, blueberries are not yet ripe, so the blueberry photo is a repost from last August. It’s a tried and true blue–enjoy!

Color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs. Matching Kona cotton solids, Moda Bella solids and Aurifil thread is a perk provided by the Palette Builder.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Gold, Kona Cedar, Kona Mocha, Kona Coal, Bella Soft Finish Black, Bella Kansas Red

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2155 – Cinnamon
2390 – Cinnamon Toast
2468 – Dk Wine
1246 – Grey
4241 – V Dk Grey
2385 – Terracotta

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Stone, Bella Etchings Slate, Kona Dusty Blue, Bella Glacier, Kona Regal, Bella Sapphire

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5011 – Rope Beige
2625 – Arctic Ice
2612 – Arctic Sky
5008 – Sugar Paper
2745 – Midnight
1248 – Grey Blue

May you have a happy and safe 4th of July if you’re in the US, and a lovely weekend to all!

Color Inspiration, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {52}

June 25, 2015 kittywilkin 6 Comments

Fifty-two weeks of color inspiration! I’ve officially provided a year’s worth of color inspiration, and hopefully you enjoy it as much as ever! Today’s inspiration comes from tiny baby feet and gorgeous lupine, since I couldn’t resist creating a lupine palette! Color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs, matched with Kona cottons & Moda Bella solids and Aurifil thread.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Hyacinth, Kona Geranium, Kona Mulberry, Kona Lavender, Kona Laurel, Kona Limelight

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2566 – Wisteria
4030 – Plum
4225 – Eggplant
2520 – Violet
2890 – Dk Grass Green
1147 – Lt Leaf Green

I couldn’t resist making a palette out of at least one of my lupine photos from earlier this week. A gorgeous range of purples, a splash of pink, contrasting with shades of green, this palette captures the essence of a lupine field.

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Kona Delft, Kona Blue, Bella Robin’s Egg, Bella American Blue, Kona Salmon, Bella Bunny Hill Pink

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
4140 – Wedgewood
2710 – Lt Robins Egg
6720 – Slate
1310 – Med Blue Grey
2220 – Lt Salmon
2314 – Beige

Baby toes! Back when my sister was in grammar school, I remember hearing about she and my mom going to some fashion event with the Girl Scouts, where “professionals” helped the scouts determine what colors look best with each girl’s complexion. The reason this particular outing sticks in my mind is that they came back with the news that the color turquoise looks great with EVERY complexion and skin tone. In the decade since learning this fact, turquoise has become my favorite color and therefore graces the family wardrobe numerous times. While the colors in this palette don’t read as straight turquoise, the pairing of the range of blues with the salmony pink baby toes makes me happy. I would most definitely use this palette in a quilt, either for a baby, or perhaps for a breezy summer beach house.

Just for fun, here are some more photos from my baby Finn photo shoot. It’s wild to think that three weeks ago, this big baby boy was still in my belly!

colo coordinated baby snuggles — Color coordinated baby snuggles. Three weeks ago today, he was still growing on the inside. Babies grow fast!

For those of you who have been following my Color Inspiration posts for a while, or even if you haven’t, what is your favorite color palette from the past year? Is there one photo or palette that sticks out in your mind? Certain colors that call to you? I’d love to know! Here’s a quick link to all of my color inspiration posts for reference: Night Quilter’s Color Inspiration Thursday: The First Year