LUDLOW QUILT AND SEW
Quilt Colour Temperature
Pleated panels allow the red to show through on this delightful handbag.
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Hint of Colour
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Warm and cool quilt colours
Colours in quilt fabric - or any fabric, for that matter - are deemed to have temperature, which can affect the colours and relative placements of the fabrics within a quilt.
From yellow/green through to red are classed as warm colours and green through to red/violet are classed as cool colours.
The neutrals are, as ever, black, white and grey, although a colour on a black background looks more vibrant than the same colour on a white background. 
The warm colours tend to stand out amongst cool colours, so combining both is a good way of getting the feeling of motion in your quilt.See how the warm colours stand out in this quilt even though I had intended the hourglass pattern (in cream) to be the focus of the quilt.
When I first began quilting I was surprised that yellow counted as warm. I would instinctively have called it a cool colour, and yet I have to admit that yellow definitely does stand out in a quilt.
Interestingly, my father (who is registered blind due to glaucoma but has a little sight) can see yellow more easily than any other colour.I find my eye is drawn to the yellow in this patchwork cushion cover more than I would have expected.
In a quilt, it is best to use the warmer colours for small areas and the cooler colours for the larger areas so as to avoid the warm colour dominating the quilt completely.
I was fascinated to read the other day how some colour therapists classify the colours for their affect on us:
Red to stimulate the body, make you feel warm.
Orange to stimulate the emotions, cheer you up.
Yellow to stimulate the mind, keep you alert.
Green to relax you - think of all the green around you in nature.
Blue to calm you, help you sleep.
Indigo/violet calms the mind but helps creativity. So that's why daughter Samantha has her room painted purple!
I felt that these ideas tied in well with the quilting idea of colour temperature.
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rose@ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk
www.ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk