Welcome to the the Running Stitch Quilts Color Inspiration blog series! In this new series, I'll be diving into the world of color and bringing you practical color palettes. Every month, I'll pick a set of 3 or 4 foundational colors to use in building out fun and expressive color palettes that you can apply to my quilt patterns or any future quilts. Keeping reading for some quilty inspiration!
For June - since it is the month when summer starts - I almost had to feature the Summer Garden Quilt pattern as my Pattern of the Month! How could I not, right? When I took a look back at this quilt pattern, I knew it would be the perfect fit for June's Color Inspo challenge!
Before we get into the fun color palettes, I wanted to let you know that my June Pattern of the Month, Summer Garden, is on sale through the end of June 2024! You can save $3 on the printed and digital patterns.
Okay back to colors!
The colors used in my Summer Garden cover quilt are Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids in the colors Celestial, Nite, Mosaic, Lagoon, Isle, Luna, Sun, Melon, Geranium, and Peach for the Flowers. The Center accent color is Iris, and the background color is Soft White to make everything POP!
I loved how bright these fabrics were and how well they played together. Mixing and matching them in the making process gave me so many new favorite color combinations! If you want to read more about how this quilt came to be, you can read about it here.
It was honestly hard to narrow down the colors from my Summer Garden cover quilt into just 4 colors to use for this Color Inspo challenge, because I just love them all so much. After some color auditioning, I decided to go with Turquoise, Luna, Geranium, and Marigold. I felt like those 4 colors embodied the feel of summer perfectly!
In this first color palette, I wanted to expand on the yellow and coral gradient to give the full color palette a more vibrant summer feel. I'm not going to lie - this color palette has been one of my favorite to create! It's giving a "strawberry lemonade" vibe that I am so here for!
The addition of Bubble Gum, Girl, and Lava, makes this color palette transform into a beautiful youthful palette that can be used in a variety of project types! I love the pops of Marigold sticking out in the Summer Garden quilt mockup below. The vibrant Lava and Lipstick throughout the Rivermill quilt mockup packs a punch!
In my second color palette, I wanted to tie in the feel of a summer beach by adding in some browns and tans. Whether you frequent the beach of a pond, lake, or ocean, I bet the earthy feel of the colors Bamboo, Toffee, and Tan in this color palette make you feel the warmth in your toes and the smell of sunscreen in the air!
While I love the mix of colors in the Summer Garden quilt mockup, I can't get over how great these colors look in the Hurrication quilt mockup! The deep tones of Lavendar and and Toffee balance out the bright colors like Cameo, Geranium, and Marigold nicely.
I my last color palette, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to create a summer sunset color palette. I envision this sunset happening over the water after a long day of fun in the sun. The darker colors of Teal and Lagoon represent the depths of the water and the colors Nite and Jam represent the darkness of the night sky.
In the Summer Garden quilt mockup below, I paired these colors with a classic white background fabric. I always love how colors pop against a white background. But the magic comes when you take a look at the Mountain Valley quilt mockup below! Using those deep tones as the background and star colors in this quilt give it a lovely dusk sky look.
Playing with color is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Being able to blend colors together to create such dynamic color palettes for my handmade quilts makes my creative soul so happy. I invite you to try out one of my June Color Inspiration color palettes in your next quilt! Whether you use the exact fabrics or use them as a jumping-off point for your own palette, I'd love to see! Share your quilts made with my color palettes on Instagram using the hashtag #RSQColorInspo or tag me in your photo. :)
Stay tuned for next month's Color Inspiration. Until then, happy sewing!
You guys, I am so excited to get this one out into the world! I've been working on Weavers Cottage behind the scenes since QuiltCon in February. I ended up making the quilt a few times in the testing phase to work out the best construction method. I might have even changed the construction of the pattern halfway through making another version of Weavers Cottage... more on that in a different blog post. :)
Because I can't seem to help myself, this pattern includes two design options - the Weaver and the Cottage layouts! Almost all of my patterns include multiple design variations. I guess I just like having options! Weaver includes the dotted sashing while Cottage does not. Because of the lack of sashing, Cottage is definitely the more beginner friendly layout option of the two.
The Weavers Cottage quilt pattern is perfect for an intermediate level quilter. This pattern is rated as intermediate because the skills needed to make this quilt include a scant 1/4" seam, strip piecing, and being comfortable with an on point setting.
Did I also mention that Weavers Cottage is yardage and fat quarter friendly too? Ahh! I get so excited about making patterns that let me play around with precut fabrics. It's like a more controlled version of a truly scrappy quilt. Plus, it gives me all the more reason to pick up those really cute FQs when they catch my eye in a shop!
For my all-solids Weavers Cottage Quilt, I decided to go with the Weavers layout. The solids in this quilt are from the Michael Miller Cotton Couture line in the colors Peacock, Electric, Wave, Breeze, Jewel, Orchid, Peony, Rose, and Iris. For the dotted sashing accent color, I used the solids fabric Nickel.
So I've been really loving non-white/darker backgrounds lately! The background I used here is Graphite by Michael Miller Cotton Couture - it's a dark gray that isn't quite the harshness of black that works nicely with these colors. But, the white background really brightens the whole look. It was a tough choice! Ultimately, I'm super happy with the way this turned out. Will you all start to see more non-white/darker backgrounds from me in the future??
My solids Weavers Cottage quilt sample was quilted by the ever-so-lovely Katie Hanson of Modern Textiles. She used the pantograph Floral Lattice. We went back and forth on thread color, and ultimately opted for a light gray thread that matched the sashing accent. It ended up being the right call. It stands out a bit, but doesn't overpower the quilt.
On the back of this quilt, I went with this print from the A Woodland Christmas fabric collection from Liberty London. I picked this one because it has a lot of the same colors from the quilt top in it. Plus, getting a head start on holiday and Christmas quilts isn't a bad thing. ;)
I really hope you all enjoy this quilt pattern as much as I do. Check out my blog for information about other Weavers Cottage Quilts I made! If you'd like to purchase the pattern, you can do so using the links below!
Summer Garden was one of the first patterns I released back in 2018. When I started to move forward with the Garden Series idea at the end of last year, I knew I was going to have to revisit this pattern. If it's possible, I'm even more in love with the pattern now!
I took out the sashing and cornerstones for a more modern look, and I slightly modified the sawtooth block in the center to make better use of the fabric requirements. I also added more size options. Summer Garden now includes four sizes from baby to bed, and it is FQ friendly!
When picking the colors for the new cover quilt, I wanted to stay true to the original pattern and use oranges and yellows. I added in a bunch of teals to the mix and the result is the perfect summery palette! The cover version is the Throw Size version and I went with the ten half yards option.
Fabrics I used in the cover are Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids in the colors Celestial, Nite, Mosaic, Lagoon, Isle, Luna, Sun, Melon, Geranium, and Peach for the Flowers. The Center accent color is Iris, and the background color is Soft White to make everything POP!
From there it's just a matter of mixing and matching the fabrics! I have such a fun time with this part. With the colors I used, there isn't really any "bad" combo, but I love tweaking it until it's ~just~ right.
My favorite way of doing this is just laying them all out on the floor. Of course, if you have a design wall, you can totally use that too. It'll save your back and knees if you are indecisive and end up mixing and matching for a long time. Ask me how I know... Ha!
I'm so happy with how my new Summer Garden cover turned out. It's even more perfect than I envisioned when I was planning everything! And I love that it fits in so nicely with Spring Garden now too.
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And for such a fun and summery quilt top like this, of course it had to be quilted up with a super cute design. The pantograph I chose is called Perfect Posy. Isn't it perfect!? Kristy Armstrong of @ohsewkristy got this quilted up for me! A big round of applause is needed for this beauty! 👏
Backed in Ruby Star Society print Strawberry Seeds in Dark Teal. And I loved it so much that I used it for the binding fabric too! It is the perfect pairing to go with the darkest blue I used in the top. Plus, it's not too busy of a print and doesn't compete with all of the fun happening on the front!
With the re-release of the Summer Garden Quilt, the Garden Series is halfway complete. If all goes well, I'm planning to release Winter Garden late 2023 and Autumn Garden in early 2024. But we will see! What do you think they will look like? I'd love to see your guesses in the comments!
If you'd like to purchase a copy of Summer Garden, you can use the buttons below. Thank you all so much for the constant support! I wouldn't be here without all of you and that deserves the biggest of thank you's! I can't wait to see what you all make using my quilt pattern!
Keep scrolling to see more pretty Summer Garden Quilt pictures!
Spring Garden is the second pattern in my Garden Series. If you want to check out the first - Summer Garden - you can read about it here! Summer Garden is actually getting a re-vamp this month and the new version will be available in April after little TLC. The Garden Series will feature Autumn Garden and Winter Garden as well, which are both currently in the works. Make sure to check back soon for more updates about the Garden Series!
When I sat down to design this pattern, I really wanted it to feel springy. What better way to do this than to include butterflies? Each corner of the flower blocks throughout this quilt have cute, little butterflies made up of simple triangle shapes. I feel like this addition to the quilt blocks give the flowers so much personality!
Spring Garden is Fat Quarter (FQ) and Half Yard (HY) friendly and comes in 4 sizes ranging from Baby to Bed. For my cover quilt, I decided to go the HY route and made the Throw size version. The fabrics that I used in the quilt are Michael Miller Cotton Couture in the colors Spa, Celestial, Iris, Saturn, Seafoam, Mermaid, Caribbean, Marine, Pink, Lagoon for the flowers, Orchid for the Centers, and Soft White for the background.
For my backing fabric, I wanted to tie in a color from the quilt top but I didn't want a fabric that would compete with it. I decided on using Michael Miller Cotton Couture in the color Saturn.
The binding on this quilt is actually two different fabrics! I'm not usually one to bind my quilts with scrappy binding so this was definitely not planned. I originally intended to bind using Orchid to match the center fabric, but ended up needing to sub in Iris because I ran out of Orchid. There was a slight moment of panic, but I think it turned out okay! What do you think?
Last but not least - the quilting! I had the pleasure of working with Katie Hanson of Modern Textiles. You can find Katie on Instagram at @moderntextiles. Of course we had to go with a fun, springy panto on this one! She used the pantograph Floral Fun by Dastardly Line Quilting (@longarm.quilting.glasgow).
I had so much fun making this Spring Garden quilt! If you would like to make your own version, you can pick up the pattern in my shop now using the buttons below. Make sure to share your quilt with me on Instagram and use the hashtag #SpringGardenQuilt so I can see it!
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Want a cute Spring Garden sticker? You can get yourself one here! |
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Keep scrolling to see some more pretty Spring Garden Cover pictures!
If you want to read about the Art Gallery Fabrics version of Spring Garden seen below, you can head over to that blog for more information!
Hurrication is finally out in the world and I couldn't be happier about it!
This one has been in my drafts for a couple years now, and I am excited to finally get it out into the world. It was inspired by my time living in coastal Georgia. We had only lived there for a couple of months when we had to evacuate for a hurricane. My sweet neighbor invited us to come stay at her family home a few hours away. It ended up being a really fun way to spend a few days, so we jokingly called it our “hurrication” for the rest of the time we were neighbors. And, luckily, the hurricane that was coming our way took a detour at the last minute, and there was minimal rain and wind damage to our area. *Phew*
For my cover quilt, I knew I had to use my go-to for solids: Cotton Couture by Michael Miller. The colors I used in this quilt are Cadet, Denim, Sea, and Delft with a background of Soft White. I love how soothing and calming these colors are together - despite the scary weather inspiration behind the quilt. It is a little like the feeling of relief once the weather has cleared!
The quilting for this Hurrication cover quilt is by Katie Hanson of Modern Textiles. She used the Mike's Swoosh pantograph which is basically the perfect design for this pattern - the swirly effect of the design looks like the pattern a hurricane makes on a weather radar! I'm not saying ALL Hurrication quilts should have this quilting design, buuuut it is a pretty great combo if I do say so myself!
You can get your own copy of the PDF or paper versions in the shop now! Make sure to tag me in your makes so I can admire your work and use the hashtags #rsqpatterns and #runningstitchquilts on your social posts!
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Want a cute Hurrication sticker? You can get yourself one here! |
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Keep scrolling on for more pretty picture of the Hurrication cover quilt! :)
This pattern has been a long time coming and it is finally available in PDF or PRINTED formats in my shop!
I originally designed and wrote this pattern for Make Modern Magazine back in July 2021. In order to release this one as a stand alone pattern, I made a tiny design tweak, added two more sizes, and one design variation. I'm thrilled with the end result!
For my new cover sample, I went with a moody purple/teal/blue range. I'm really loving this color combo right now. I used Cotton Couture solids from Michael Miller Fabrics in: Eggplant, Venus, Mauve, Iris, Powder Blue, Glass, Ocean, Teal, Cadet, Slate, Wedgewood, and Ice Blue. I used Soft White for the background. (I'm selling these fabrics in a kit here if you want to make the same one!)
My favorite thing about this pattern is the combination of light and dark tones of the same color in each column. I think it gives it a fun, playful look. However, sometimes you just want to show off the prints a bit more. So I added a design variation that has the whole chevron one color. Both designs are awesome if I do say so myself!
As usual, I sent my cover sample to Jill of J.Coterie quilting for long arm quilting. She chose a geometric panto that complements the chevrons nicely. I always think she does a great job picking a quilting design and scale for the quilt!
This one is backed and bound with the middle blue color.
Now for the pictures!
Evenflow is available now in my shop in PDF and Printed pattern formats!
Truthfully, Evenflow is one of those patterns that I never meant to write because it is a derivative of another pattern of mine, Rivermill.
If you recall, last year I was a brand ambassador for Michael Miller Fabrics. One of the things Michael Miller does really well is large scale prints. I really wanted to show off this one print they sent, so I quickly drafted an extra large Rivermill block and made this quilt. I honestly thought that would be the end of it.
But then, I had several people ask me for the fabric requirements. I told them to give me a few days, and I write up a quick pattern extension and get back to them. It hit me that I used a completely different HST construction method. My quick pattern extension was turning into a full on pattern.
I sat on it for a while unsure if I wanted to commit to writing this pattern or moving on to one I have saved in my drafts. Quilters continued to ask for it, so here we are! I added a few sizes and made one tiny design change to spruce it up.
I love love love the end result. It makes such a big impact! I stick to solids on my cover quilts, but this pattern is so fun in prints. It shows them off really nicely.
I used Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids for my cover quilt in Terracotta Tile, Miami Sunset, Sweet Macadamia, and Snow (background). I don't typically gravitate towards coral/burnt orange type colors, but these spoke to me. I love the end result!
One of the perks of a big block pattern like Evenflow is that is comes together SO FAST. I can cut and piece the entire top in 2-3 hours depending on how many interruptions my kids make. I was done so quickly and still several weeks out from my pattern release. Instead of moving my pattern release up, I chose to make the back extra special.
I made the original Rivermill for the back! I want to make all of my quilts double sided now. It makes sense. I make A LOT of quilts. I have a stack piled up in the closet waiting to give away or to sell. This way, I could still make all the quilts, but I would have less quilts in a pile at the end. Plus, on a bed, you could just flip it over when you want to change things up. #teamdoublesidedquilts
(Both Evenflow and Rivermill are available in my shop!)
Now for pictures!
The Deltille Quilt is here!
After I sent the cover quilt to Jill for long arm quilting, I started my next Deltille almost immediately. Michael Miller Fabrics is coming out with 27 (!) new Cotton Couture colors in August, and they sent me a FQ bundle to play with in May.
I chose nine of the new colors to make a baby sized ombre Deltille. When I was making this one, I was calling it the "mermaid baby Deltille" because of the teals and purples. The colors are so rich in person. Photos really don't do them justice.
Since this was my third quilt, I had gotten pretty quick at making them so this one came together in a snap.
I used a print from the La Vida Loca line for the backing. It wasn't an obvious choice, but I really like how the blues and purples pop when combined with the front.
One of my favorite things I did for this quilt was use the same white for the binding as I did for the sashing. I love the way it takes the design all the way to the edge and frames everything.
The Deltille Quilt is here!
After I made my first sample (the patriotic one), I started playing with my color chips to figure out what to do for my cover quilt. I knew I wanted to make the ombre version for the cover, but didn't have a specific color vision in mind.
And, honestly, I was all over the place with colors for this one. I first tried a blue/teal/purple gradient that was very reminiscent of a mermaid tail. Then I tried a blue/pink/purple gradient that I loved, but ultimately tossed because I thought it might be too similar to my Mountain Valley cover quilt. So then, I switched out the blues for oranges and ultimately landed on these 13 colors that are currently on the cover. I don't usually gravitate towards orange, but I love how it worked in this quilt.
The cover quilt is made with Michael Miller Cotton Couture in Iris, Mauve, Venus, Eggplant, Aubergine, Dusty Rose, Antique, Cameo, Creamsicle, Geranium, Peach, Coral, Clementine, and Soft White. (Kits are available in my shop here).
I, once again, called up Jill at J. Coterie Quilting for long arming. She has become my go-to for cover quilts. I love her eye for pantograph selection and she tends to quilt a bit more densely which I LOVE for my cover samples. She used a panto called Along the Way by Anne Bright. I just adore the texture and the overall feel of this one.
Since I tend keep my cover samples packed away and not use them, I typically use a solid from the front for the backing. It helps to keep costs down, and also shows off the quilting nicely in photos. One of my quilting besties gave me a hard time for never picking a fun back, so this time I splurged on the MOST PERFECT print for the back. It is from the Dear Isla collection by Hope Johnson for Cotton and Steel, and it ties together all the colors on the front so perfectly. I smile every time I look at it.
I take my own photos, and I had a lot of fun taking these pictures. Enjoy!
Earlier this year, I put up a poll in my Instagram stories asking if people preferred to keep their fabric color cards intact or to cut them up into swatches. I assumed most people would choose 'swatches' as their preference. It was surprising that it was about a 50/50 split.
So, why cut up a perfectly good fabric color card?
Because the resulting fabric swatch cards are fun to play with, look nice attached to a magnetic board, and make choosing fabrics for your next pattern that much easier!
One of my favorite things do when starting a new pattern is to play with my fabric swatch chips. I don't consider choosing colors one of my biggest strengths so I find it really helpful to see the fabrics side by side when deciding on a fabric pull.
I recently started using Cotton Couture solids by Michael Miller, and they have quickly become my favorites! I got a color card from them at the beginning of the year as part of my Brand Ambassador welcome package. It has taken me a few months to get around to it, but I'm finally turning my color card into fabric swatch chips. I'm going to show you, step by step, how I did it. So you can do it too!
- Color Card - I'm using Michael Miller's Cotton Coutures for this post, but the process would be similar for most other popular brands (except Kona Cottons as they come already attached to card stock)
- Heavy Weight Card stock or Comic Book Boards
- Pen
- Iron
- Ruler/Cutting Mat/Rotary Cutter (use an old rotary cutter blade as you will be cutting through card stock)
- Adhesive Magnetic Sheets (optional)
1. Cut cardstock or comic book boards into 1.75" x 1.5" chips. There are currently 214 Cotton Couture colors so that is how many chips I cut out.
I cut my comic book board into 1.5" strips, then sub cut those into 1.5" x 1.75" chips.
2. Write fabric names on the bottom of the card.
Alternatively, you could use your rotary cutter and cut the names out of the swatch book. I like my handwriting though, so I chose to handwrite the names onto the cards.
I wrote ALL of the names on the individual cards before moving onto the next step. To stay organized, I wrote down one row at a time making sure to keep everything in the right order. I just made sure to keep all of my stacks in line.
3. GENTLY peel the fabric swatch from the book. The edges may curl up a bit so I liked to press it flat.
At this point, I worked down each row and did one fabric swatch at a time. Again, making sure to keep everything in the same order.
4. Add a thin layer of glue to the front of your color chip covering the most of the surface area above where the name is written.
Gently press the fabric swatch onto the glue. Fold the fabric swatch over the card and glue down the backside as well.
I personally did not have any issues with discoloration of the fabric. As long as you use a thin layer of glue with no clumps, there shouldn't be any issues. However, if this is a concern for you, double sided tape works here too! Just do a strip of tape on the front and back.
5. Give your new fabric swatch card and quick press (front and back) with a hot iron to help set the glue.
Optional Steps:
6. Add a magnet to the back.
7. Attach to magnetic board and admire!
I'm excited to introduce my latest pattern: Rivermill!
Rivermill is my take on the classic pinwheel block. I've been wanting to do a pinwheel block for a while now. After playing around with many (many) variations, I finally settled on this block.
I really like mix and match style blocks, so I made sure to include that with this pattern. As a bonus, I added the option to use half yards or fat quarters for a scrappier overall effect.
When I was trying to come up with the colors for the cover quilt I kept getting drawn towards blues and browns. I've never worked with brown in a quilt before, and I have to say, I'm obsessed with this ten color palette. It reminds me of the cold, snowy winter here in Michigan.
As always, I sent my quilt to Jill at J. Coterie for quilting. She chooses the best designs that complement the quilt top and really elevates the quilt to a whole new level.
Meet Square Burst 2.0!
It is exactly the same pattern as the original Square Burst just brighter and happier. Don't get me wrong, thought the fabric in the original quilt was cute, but I love this brighter one just a tad more. It feels more ME!
Coming up with 21 Kona solids was a bit of a challenge, but it ended up being fun. I started with my current favorite colors (Windsor and Foxglove) and started adding from there. When I had 21, I would start swapping out one or two until I was happy with the final result.
In the end, the final 21 Kona colors were: Evening, Dusty Blue, Blueberry, Blue Bell, Windsor, Sage, Aloe, Berry, Plum, Mulberry, Amethyst, Lupine, Princess, Lilac, Dusty Peach, Blush Pink, Deep Rose, Rose, Ballet Slipper, Sea Glass, and Carribean.
I sent this off to my favorite long armer, Jill, to work her magic. She chose the Birds of a Feather panto, and its just lovely! I really enjoy sending her my quilt tops and letting her choose the quilting design. Its always a fun surprise to open my quilt back up when it gets home and see the result. Jill hasn't steered me wrong yet!
For the binding, I went with the striped fabric that is in the Minimalist version. Striped binding is my favorite and I will always choose that if its an option!
Now for pictures!
If you want to read about the rest of the Square Burst 2.0 series, you can do that here!
