Playing with Color

Lately, when I'm tired of printing patterns or stitching until my eyes cross, I visit a lovely blogsite I've found called "Kris's Color Stripes" (http://color-stripes.blogspot.com). It's a soothing place to rest your eyes and mind and just drink in lots of wonderful colors.

The blog writer is obviously an artist with a terrific eye for color. She takes photographs and then pulls out a palette of colors from the photo. Her photos are luscious color portraits - whether they're flowers, objects or places - that provide a restful sanctuary for the eye. And it's sheer delight to drink in her color combinations, to revel in the colors, just for the simple enjoyment of pure color.

As a result of seeing her blogsite, I couldn't resist playing around with colors using my own photos. And as I'm mixing and matching color swatches to the pictures, I realize that's one of the (many) joys of being a stitchery designer: being able to sift through all sorts of thread textures and colors and combine them in pleasing combinations for other stitchers to enjoy.


When stitchers are asked what draws them to a particular project, COLOR is most often the primary reason given for choosing a piece to stitch. We respond to colors in an immediate, intuitive and mostly unconscious way. They "speak" to us without words, yet they can move us deeply.

As Spring appears in your neighborhood, take time to enjoy all the colors that Nature uses. One of the fascinating things about nature is: there are no bad color combinations - they all work! Study the color palettes that appear in flowers and landscapes all around you. It will surely give you a greater appreciation for color, as well as training your eye - two things that will serve you well in your ongoing quest to become a better stitcher.