Color Crushes: New Bundles and Where to Find Your Next Color Crush

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Let's talk about color crushes! Do you have a favorite color or combination of colors? Are there colors you find yourself using over and over again, or are you constantly falling in and out of love with colors? Do you consider yourself a color expert, or could you use a little help? Keep reading to see my top four tips for choosing colors! Follow the tips and you just might fall in love with your next color crush!

If you've followed me for any amount of time, you probably know that I LOVE mixing patterns, colors, and textures in my quilts and bundles. There are few quilty things I love more than a good scrappy patchwork quilt or bundle. So these new solids bundles may come as a bit of a surprise to you! If I'm being honest, they came as a surprise to me, too. 

So how did I come up with these seemingly out of the ordinary for me bundles? A crush. That's right. I found myself having a crush on colors. How did that happen? Late night online shopping. Browsing the internet, sitting in a dark bedroom, waiting for my daughter to fall asleep, about to order a jacket I really didn't need, but loved. I stopped myself and thought, "why do I want this so much?" The answer: the colors! 

I wrote down my idea and the next day, I started combining fabric swatch photos to build a bundle in Illustrator. As usual, it was a mix of prints and solids, but it just didn't feel quite right. I pulled the bolts and tried again. I took away the prints, et voila! There it was - that falling in love with colors feeling. I loved the range of colors and the combination of the warm pinks and oranges with the cool blues. Removing the patterns allowed the colors to blend and pop in all the right places. 

I decided to challenge myself to create another all solids bundle starting with two colors I was being drawn to: lavender and lime green. This time, I kept the colors in a cooler range, sticking to lavenders, greens, and blues (funny enough, it ended up being the blues from my "reject" pile for the first bundle). As it turned out, the bundles look incredible paired together, too!

With an infinite range of colors to choose from, combining the right ones may seem like an impossible free for all. Here are my top four tips for narrowing the options, and finding your next true color crush.

1. What do you love? Is it a shirt? A piece of home decor? A painting? A coffee mug? A printed piece of fabric from your stash that you refuse to use until the "perfect project?" (we all can relate to that, am I right?). What stands out to you as you browse the aisles of Target? Look at the colors of those things. If you pay attention, you'll start to see your own color trend. Use those colors! 

2. Nature! Nature is a source of endless inspiration. Are you drawn to the beach? The mountains? The colors of the leaves as they seem to ignite in the fall? Spring flower blooms? Snowy trees? Take a picture, look at the colors, and go from there!

3. Color psychology! Think about the mood you're trying to communicate. Do you want to make a quilt that feels full of energy, peacefulness, boldness, or happiness? I admittedly know very little about the science of color psychology, but I have (as I am sure you have, too) anecdotally experienced how colors can affect your mood. In the Army, I was surrounded by every shade of muted tan and green. Let me tell you, not a whole lot of uplifting feelings from those colors! I compensated by having the most colorful office supplies and a bright pink notebook. When your surroundings are otherwise drab, a little color goes a long way to bring joy. Which brings me to my final tip.

4. Add an unexpected pop! This is one of my favorite things to do! I say an unexpected pop, but once you choose the right one, it's like it was meant to be there all along! One of my favorite colors to use for this pop is a warm orangey brown (think Kona Roasted Pecan or Freckles Acorn). Finding the right "pop" might require some trial and error. Throw some scraps on the table and see what you like!

If you keep your mind open, color inspiration can come from anywhere! Tell me in the comments where you find yours!