Tag Archives: #quiltspiration365

Color Inspiration Thursday {30}

December 4, 2014 kittywilkin 3 Comments

Sometimes, just sometimes, your iPhone photo comes out better than the ones you take with your “real” camera. This week was one of those times. I had a blast outside photographing beauty after an ice storm, and put up a quick Instagram photo just for fun. I came home and uploaded the photos from my camera, and while I got some shots I’m happy with, the particular photo I posted on Instagram wasn’t even close to rivaled. And so, this week, the final photo is indeed an iPhone photo. C’est la vie.

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

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Graphite, Evergreen, Black, Old Green, Dresden Blue, Blue Bell

This palette elicits peace and stillness. Maybe it’s the fact that the fine pine needles are trapped, frozen still in the ice. Maybe it’s the presence of calming light greens and blues. Either way, I could see this palette in a little boy’s baby quilt, or a lap quilt for a rustic living room.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Steel, Crimson, Iron, Brick, Cayenne, Sky

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2625 – Arctic Ice
2245 – Red Orange
2845 – Lt Juniper
2345 – Raisin
2355 – Rust
2710 – Lt Robins Egg

The botanist/naturalist in me loves this photo, since it is such a classic example of red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) in winter. The opposite branching and bright red bark are dead giveaways to the species. I also love the shades of red paired with light blue and greys that appear in the resulting color palette.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Steel, Charcoal, Coal, Windsor, Amethyst, Shale

This is my favorite from my Canon Rebel XT photos of this particular ice-bejeweled Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) remnant. I love the movement and the muted, subdued tones. But lo, the photo I took with my iPhone captures the light better and thus shines even brighter:

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Dresden Blue, Blue, Charcoal, Indigo, Amethyst, Regal

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5008 – Sugar Paper
2560 – Iris
2606 – Mist
2785 – V Dk Navy
4140 – Wedgewood
2783 – Med Delft Blue

This photo glistens, doesn’t it? I love the resulting palette, too, although it is no secret that I’m a blue girl. Okay, and a magenta and turquoise girl. So maybe I’m just a color-in-general girl. Either way, I love this palette. I think I may actually use this palette for a future quilt. I need to make a Storm at Sea quilt one day, and these blues and stormy grey might be just the perfect shades.

What color do you find the most in your quilts?

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {29}

November 28, 2014 kittywilkin 1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the US (belated, since I spent yesterday with family instead of at the computer)! I have so much to be thankful for this year, and always. Top on my list is always family, immediate and extended, near and far. I am so blessed to be supported and loved by all of my family and wish we all lived closer together. Yesterday I was also particularly grateful for the gorgeous snow AND the fact that we didn’t lose power! Coming into a warm, well-lit house after playing in the snow is so very comforting.

This week’s color inspiration comes from some snowy scenes around our house, since we accumulated a good foot plus of snow overnight.

snow in maine — BEFORE: View down our driveway Wednesday afternoon.

snow maine — AFTER: View down our driveway Thursday morning.

Color palettes are made using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Titanium, Shadow, Mushroom, Mocha, Mahogany, Cinnemon

I love the smooth flow of colors in today’s palettes. Whites and greys fade to the little pops of color that poke through the snow.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Slate, Titanium, Cloud, Cadet, Pepper, White

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
4140 – Wedgewood
5008 – Sugar Paper
2560 – Iris
1248 – Grey Blue
2785 – V Dk Navy
2024 – White

Another smooth flow of color with the gorgeous blues of the sky, both reflected in these dripping icicles and in its own fluffy clouded beauty. I love cold, sunny, snowy days. The sun makes everything glisten and glimmer!

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {28}

November 20, 2014 kittywilkin Leave a comment

Today I am taking a trip down memory lane for our color inspiration. I admit, I was waiting for the perfect frosty morning to take photos for today’s color inspiration and the day simply did not come; it was cooooold but no gorgeous frost. So, I headed to my photo archives and found a few suitable seasonal nature photos from a family camping trip in November of 2010. My husband and I took our baby Maddie camping in a yurt in Jefferson, Maine, and had a lovely time. Here are some snapshots. Color palettes are made using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my own photographs, as per usual!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
O.D. Green, Sky, Iron, Steel, Evergreen, Palm

See the world in a drop of water. I love the smooth grey-green of this palette, and the reflections dancing in the raindrops.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Coal, Sable, Black, Medium Grey, O.D. Green, Titanium

Another raindrop photo; can you tell I like to take photographs of water showing off its awesome surface tension tricks? This palette holds all of the muted earthy tones found in mud. Mmmm!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Chestnut, Black, Slate, Ochre, Paprika, Mahogany

A warm and cheery scene from inside the yurt. My husband holds my peacefully sleeping daughter during nap time, and our hunter-beware clothing dries above the wood stove. This was a cozy camping trip for sure! I like the range of colors in this palette, and I think they play well together.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Moss, Black, Caramel, Spice, Gold, Cinnamon

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5013 –Asphalt
2692 – Black
2930 – Toast
2385 – Terracotta
2930 – Toast
4012 – Copper Brown

I love this palette. I don’t think I will tire of the bright pop of fungi growing on a tree. The flow from black-greeny-grey to the range of coppery yellows and reds creates such a smooth aesthetic. This might be my favorite palette from this group.

Just one more photo to complete my trip down memory lane: my husband and daughter enjoying an awed experience with the lantern at night. I can’t believe this baby girl is almost 5 years old! We definitely will need to think about another yurt camping trip, maybe this winter!

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {27}

November 13, 2014 kittywilkin Leave a comment

Flash back to fall! All color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Biscuit, Earth, Forest, Ivy, Spice, Gold

While I’m resigned to the fact that winter is here, I’m still cherishing the little bits of life that still brighten our garden. This little ladybug was relaxing on one of our almost-ripe pumpkins a couple weeks ago. The muted tones of the resulting color palette speak volumes of fall. Many of the corresponding Kona cotton colors also scream fall: ivy, spice, gold… Yum!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Evergreen, Gold, Coal, Paprika, Pickle, Ivy

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5013 –Asphalt
2330 – Lt Chestnut
1246 – Grey
4012 – Copper Brown
2910 –Med Olive
1318 – Dk Sandstone

While beginning to put my gardens “to bed”, I was overjoyed to see a few last Calendula flowers holding on, with bright sun-ray petals dancing circles around them. Those last flowers in fall make me so happy! There’s something about the intricacy and color play that naturally occurs in flowers that makes me marvel at the ever-present beauty in nature. Color is everywhere!

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {26}

November 6, 2014 kittywilkin 1 Comment

It’s too early for these snowy palettes, I know. Tell that to Mother Nature in Maine. Last weekend we got buried by nearly 18″ of wet, heavy snow. Many trees still had their leaves, so the heavy snow put much of the state out of power from fallen trees and downed power lines. We were without power for just over three days, and life kind of had to slow down during that time (obviously!). I certainly didn’t do any blogging, and did just a bit of hand-sewing and knitting between keeping the wood boiler stocked, the generator running smoothly, reading stories by candlelight, and otherwise entertaining the kids. We are the fortunate ones; many homes in my town and the surrounding towns are still without power, five days later.

At our house, snow downed an entire apple tree, a few big branches from another apple tree, and snapped quite a few branches of my favorite magnolia trees in our front garden. Our chicken coop outdoor run was completely smashed, and many other tree limbs are down. I certainly have some yard maintenance damage-control ahead of me, and I think I’ll be wielding a handsaw (or a chainsaw if I’m lucky enough to find a neighbor or friend to lend me one and give me lessons) more than a sewing machine the next few weeks. But still, Color Inspiration Thursday must go on! So here, your unseasonably early, autumn, snowy color palettes for today, created with Play Crafts Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Titanium, Chestnut, Moss, Graphite, Avocado, Bonsai

I really like this gentle, earthy color palette. It’s such a simple photograph: prematurely fallen leaves on a mountain of snow, but the greens make a strong showing, balanced nicely by the greys and dark brown.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Pewter, Shadow, Cappuccino, Mahogany, Coal, Paprika

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2610 – Lt Blue Grey
2600 – Dove
1285 – Med Bark
2360 – Chocolate
1246 – Grey
2355 – Rust

Even after getting completely pounded by the snow, the leaves dance daintily on the snow. These red and orange leaves are particular favorites of mine, although the palette reads heavily in the greys and browns, with just that splash of Kona Paprika. I love the Aurifil names for these colors, too: Dove, Medium Bark, Chocolate–what’s not to like about chocolate!? I definitely would use this palette for a lap quilt for my living room.

Don’t worry; we did enjoy the snow, too.

My children enjoyed playing in the snow. Here they are, mid-storm, making the most of it!

Round two. The snow continued to come down, and trees began to droop. I wish I had thought of knocking snow off branches at this point!

Here are a few more glimpses of the aftermath of our crazy November 2nd blizzard here in Maine:

snow landscape maine — Morning has broken. The morning after the storm. No power, day two.

snow storm damage in maine — My poor snapped magnolia branches. There are many more like these two.

snow storm damage in maine chickens — The chickens, three days after the storm, are finally beginning to venture down their leaf-strewn, snowy path.

snow storm damage in maine leaves — Lots of snow, lots of destruction, but still beauty abounds.

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {25}

October 31, 2014 kittywilkin 1 Comment

My hope for all of these color inspiration posts is that someone gets their creativity spark ignited and creates a gorgeous quilt or other work of art based upon one of my palettes. Since I and many of you are quilters or other fiber artists, where better to let inspiration strike than the fabric shop? This week’s color inspiration comes from Alewives, a gorgeous fabric shop in Nobleboro, Maine. Palettes are made using my photographs and Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1.

Enjoy some color inspiration eye candy:

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Steel, Geranium, Rich Red, Crimson, Garnet, Thistle

Wooden spools, assorted ribbons, and a lovely palette of pinks and purples.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Terracotta, Cinnamon, Mahogany, Lipstick, Paprika, Salmon

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2350 – Copper
2245 – Red Orange
5024 – Dark Brown
2215 – Peach
2355 – Rust
2220 – Lt Salmon

One of my favorite spots in Alewives is the collection of fat quarters in the center of the store. Arranged by color in awesome vintage wooden bins, these fabric bits beg to be touched, gazed upon with wonderment, and then (naturally) purchased. Yum!

fabric eye candy — Fabric eye candy; how gorgeous is this fat quarter display!?

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Bark, Med Olive, Med Juniper, Arctic Ice, Peach, Toast

Another gorgeous glimpse of the fat quarter bins. I could see this palette making its way into a lovely gender-neutral baby quilt. Or a soft, autumnal lap quilt or table runner. Or just about anything!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Bison, Wine, Cinnamon, O.D. Green, Kelly, Spice

I loved the color and fabric choices for this quilt display. Isn’t it wonderful when you walk into a shop and are not only swooning over the fabric, but are also are inspired by the quilts displayed around the shop?! I think the match of Kona Kelly to that darker teal is off, but you get the idea! Aurifil matches it as 2285 – Med Spruce, which looks like a more accurate match along with the 2850 – Med Juniper match for the Kona O.D. Green.

To see a few more glimpses of quilty beauty from the Alewives shop, visit my post Color for Quilters & the Maine Modern Quilt Guild. If you are ever in or near Nobleboro, Maine, I’d definitely recommend stopping in to Rhea’s shop. Tell her Kitty sent you!

Note: I have no affiliation with Alewives Fabrics; I simply think it is a gorgeous, well stocked and kindly owned local fabric shop and I like to spread the love! Plus, It’s kind of awesome that their minimum fabric purchase online is 1/8 of a yard, AND that they will send you a 1/16 swatch if desired! That is hard to find with online shops! Enjoy browsing.

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {22}

October 9, 2014 kittywilkin 3 Comments

Honestly, I thought I was ready to move on to autumn. But then we had a stretch of warm, sun-filled days without frosts at night, and my dahlias went wild. Can you ever get enough dahlias? I know I can’t. So here, again, is a color inspiration post thick with dahlia’s. I’ve created color palettes using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and some of my photographs, and I’ve included a few additional palette-less dahlia photos for added inspiration. I truly can’t get enough dahlias!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Wine, Cocoa, Taupe, Tan, Deep Rose, Black

These first photos were taken on my dining room table, resulting in a rich and shadowy capture of the dark colors within the dahlias. After some photos on the table, I decided to change it up and move to directly in front of a window, with the dahlias on top of a white piece of paper. It’s amazing how much a move of five feet and a different backdrop changes the photo!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Iron, Smoke, Coal, Green Tea, Artichoke, Herb

The added light brings out the pastels within the dahlias. Gorgeous, soft, gentle.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Bordeaux, Honeysuckle, Corsage, Zucchini, Stone, Moss

Get a little closer, and pop! Here comes some more of that bold and vibrant color. I just love the balance and aesthetic perfection of dahlias. Nature amazes me every. single. day.

While creating these palettes, I made an exciting discovery! The Palette Builder now matches not only Kona cottons, but also Aurifil thread (my favorite!) and Hex values. My computer programming husband informed me that Hex values are for using the colors in a web format.

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
4030 Plum
2479 Med Orchid
2562 Lilac
5015 Gold Yellow
2900 Lt Kakhy Green
5013 Asphalt

I personally love Aurifil, and I am now even more inspired to choose a palette (maybe even this one!?) and order the exact Robert Kaufman Kona cottons and exact Aurifil threads and make a lovely, gorgeous, completely coordinating quilted creation!

What would you make?

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {21}

October 2, 2014 kittywilkin 1 Comment

Although autumn is here, the flowers are still blooming with a gusto, and warm days still peek out here and there. Today’s photos are from our trip to the coast a couple of weeks ago. Palettes are made using my photographs and Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1. Be inspired!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Charcoal, Coal, Titanium, Black, Shadow, Amethyst

Patterns are found everywhere in nature, and rocks hold some of my favorite designs. There’s something soft and gorgeous about these hard stone lines and grey coldness. Perhaps my love of stone and rock and the patterns that they display has something to do with my love of the color grey in quilts! I may have just had a revelation there!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Poppy, Carrot, Amber, Papaya, Gold, Paprika

A pop of autumnal color, illuminated by the late summer sun. After a morning rain, these flowers were just begging to be photographed and turned into a nice fall quilt. I can see using this color palette in some autumnal projects, or even just to create a bright and cheery fabric creation. Even the Kona names are cheerful in this palette: poppy, carrot, amber, papaya..! It’s almost musical.

I haven’t gotten into the habit of making seasonal sewn creations yet, maybe because it takes me so long to complete a project that by the time it would be finished, we’d be on to the next season. Or maybe I just haven’t fallen in love with the right project yet. Do you create seasonal quilts?

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {20}

September 25, 2014 kittywilkin 1 Comment

This past weekend we were treated with a surprise, hot, summery day. We took advantage and spent the day in Bar Harbor, enjoying the warm sun, gorgeous late summer flowers, and wading barefoot in tide pools left on the sand bar bridge to Bar Island. Today’s color inspiration palettes are a fleeting last glimpse at summer. I am saving two more for next week, after which the more earthy, subdued tones will appear (or maybe fiery autumn hues!?)

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Steel, Rafia, Coal, Lilac, Pepper, Iron

I love the wavy quilt lines left on the sandbar by the retreating tide. Speckled by bits of shell and stone, the little troughs make for fun exploration for both the eye and little hands and toes.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Purple, Magenta, Pepper, Cerise, Violet, Thistle

I couldn’t resist this last burst of color. Do you ever tire of gorgeously colorful flower photos? I don’t. I sure hope you don’t either!

Here are a few more shots from our sand bar adventure in Bar Harbor:

I am holding onto the last hot days of summer (when the rare treat day above 70 happens), but I do love the crispness of autumn, too. The other day my four year old daughter went outside and said, “I love this season, mom.” I replied, “Oh, you do? Why do you love it?” and she said, “It smells so fresh outside! Do you remember this season, mom? Do you remember?” I do remember, and as much as I love summer, I’m happily anticipating the turning leaves, crisp, fresh air, and earthy-root veggie stew season that’s upon us!

What’s your favorite season?

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {17}

September 4, 2014 kittywilkin 1 Comment

This week’s color inspiration brings us back to the garden and the late summer blooms that abound. There always seems to be something flowering in our garden, and even with the harvest of fruits and veggies swelling, now is no exception. Color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my own photographs, taken today.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Sunny, Yarrow, Gold, Black, Corn Yellow, Paprika

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of these beauties. Bright golden yellow black-eyed susans are scattered throughout our garden and fields and seem to flower for much of the summer. While I can’t see myself making a quilt that’s entirely yellow, it’s an awfully cheerful color palette.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Charcoal, Purple, Magenta, Violet, Dark Violet, Cerise

This palette features my favorite seasonal colors: radiant orchid and magenta. I love the range of purples in this palette and can definitely see it making its way into a quilt of the future!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Palm, Laurel, Coal, Crocus, Iron, Raffia

This year I’m thrilled that I got my dahlias into the ground in time for flowers. The gorgeous blooms have been brightening our kitchen table for the past week or so, and they just keep coming. These colors are stunning together, but my favorite part about this photo is the inch worm explorer; do you see him?

Quiltspiration 365

For those of you who are looking for quilty inspiration for every day of the year, I’ve teamed up with a group of quilting bloggers to provide exactly that. Search for tag #quiltspiration365 on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to see new inspiration each day, or visit these Quiltspiration bloggers: