It's human nature to stay with the familiar. It's very hard sometimes to try something new, even in quilting! I'm naturally attracted to blues and greens. If you look through my stash, you'll see a massive shortage of yellow, red, and orange fabric. I'm currently stitching Ice Cream Soda by Tales of Cloth in... blues and greens. (Northern Lights by Karen Gibbs for Northcott, to be specific). Even in fabric lines where the pattern is the same, like Robin Pickens' "Thatched", I gravitate right to those gorgeous blues and greens. It's what I like, and it's what I know.
Amber's Ice Cream Soda Blocks
When my sunshiney, the-more-neon-the-better, bright-hearted friend had a birthday coming up, I completely froze. Those colors are completely out of my wheelhouse. I like looking at quilts like that, but how am I supposed to actually make one? Where to start? After a trip to the fabric store and rifling through fabric that could only be called garish, I went to a quilty friend for inspiration. She is a hard-core Tula Trooper and she has a hard time toning down her color choices. She shared a couple of tips with me about mixing up color options that I want to share.
1. If your stash is sorted by designer, sort it by color. It's a good way to mix your stash up while still keeping it organized.
2. Use your usual color scheme, but toss in a new color. You still get to work with fabrics you love, but you get a new pop of color. Or, use a whole new color scheme, but throw in a bit that sings to you. Use the color wheel to help you pick colors that look perfect together!
3. IT'S JUST FABRIC. It's not a tattoo or a life-altering purchase. It's just fabric. Make something beautiful for your friend, and get over your self-doubt! The fact that you care enough to make them something already speaks volume.
As for me- I went for option 2. I found a print that was a good mix of yellows, pinks, and purples, then popped in some green just for me. And my friend loved it so much she cried. I think I could have made something in blues and greens, and she would have been happy with it. But I left her celebration dinner feeling like I had hit the nail on the head. Because I tried something new to me, familiar to her, I gave her a gift she'll always remember. And that's the whole point, isn't it?
Try something new today- feel the fear and do it anyway!