Hello friends!
I know for sure that all quilters are addicted to colors! And some are addicted to rainbow, right?
With fabric and thread available in so many colors, don’t you find overwhelming when it is time to make an order? When you can choose thread from 100 colors or fabric from 300 colors, how do you know that you order the exact colors you need?
A few years ago I bought a rainbow collection of Aurifil 12wt and now I wanted to try the 28wt thread (thinner than 12wt and just fabulous- I think the best weight to use for wholecloth quilts, more about it soon!). Choosing the exact colors you want from an online shop is time-consuming and only when you have the thread in your hand you can say if the colors are matching together the way you wanted or if they offer the contrast you wanted.
That’s why I find a color card such a convenient tool!
I wanted a rainbow of colors and for each color I wanted two tones: dark and light. That’s why I cut my Aurifil card into individual pieces, for easy color matching.
First, I cut the card into long strips (using scissors) then I cut each strip into individual pieces.
This was my choice of colors.
Then I did even more! When I received the thread, I put all the spools into a box, with the corresponding chips (keeping the remaining chips into another box). If I need more thread, this will help me not to order the same colors and it also makes creating new color palettes easier.
I find these steps important because I want to have a palette to use over and over again, especially on wholecloth quilts.
I wish to be this organized when it comes to my Kona cotton fabrics! I have a color card for these fabrics too, but I haven’t used it properly until now. I have three boxes of Kona cotton and I have no idea what colors I have. I have to order more fabric and I don’t have the patience to find out what I already have.
I also managed to lose many color chips, so I bought a color chart printed on fabric. If you want to just select your favorite colors, this digitally printed panel works great. If you want to create custom palettes, then it is easier to cut out the pieces.
Many manufacturers have such color charts for their lines, this one below is for the Hoffman batiks.
I want to create some gradation palettes and again, having the individual swatches makes this easier.
Very anxious, I started to cut the panel! I made mistakes, so I want you to learn from them!
Keeping so many little pieces in order is not an easy task. Playing with them it’s fun, but it requires a lot of time!
So here are some tips:
- If for the same line there are two options for the color chart: printed on fabric and swatches glued on cardstock, the cardstock version is easier to use! It is more expensive but in my opinion, it is worth the extra money.
- If you have the printed fabric panel, if you need to cut it, you should fuse on the back some kind of interfacing, before starting to cut it; this keeps the pieces more durable and easier to work with (at an added cost!).
- Here is how I cut my panel. Using a pinking blade helps to keep a minimal fraying.
4. One more thing I think helps: some colors are very similar, I plan to put aside some of these colors. Also, some colors are too light or too dark for my purpose, so I will remove them too. And there are many colors that I usually don’t use in my quilts so I will remove them too.
Basically, I remove the pieces that aren’t useful for my purpose, and only after that, I start organizing the remaining swatches- this makes the work more manageable!
I hope these tips help!
Have a productive sewing week!
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Thank you for another interesting and useful discussion! Love the colors you chose to concentrate on and of course love seeing things you have made!!
Thank you for the kind words, Ivy! Colors make us happy, so easy to work with them!
Could you tell me the color numbers in your Aurifil rainbow? I can’t read all the numbers. I’m sorry to be a pain. I’m excited to be sewing and quilting again soon. I just received a call Saturday and I have a gentleman sending me a sewing machine. I don’t care what it is as long as it works. My machine died and is beyond repair. If it’s used, it’s new to me. I am excited to be able to sew again. God is good.
Susan, I have added the color codes under the first picture.
Thanks for the information Geta. I had no idea an individual could purchase the color charts. I guess I thought that they were for fabric sellers only. Do you go to the manufacturers website to order them?
Thanks again,
Carol
Carol, you can buy them from many quilt fabric stores. I bought mine from equilter.com
This was full of great tips for organizing thread. I will look into getting an aurifil color chart and will use the tip for organizing some of my other threads. All too often I get duplicate threads without realizing it.
Thanks
It happens to me, too, Donna, Last time I ended up with three different pink fabrics that look almost the same!
I always enjoy your emails! You are so gifted in your craft! Thank you. I’m just getting my craft area organized and appreciate the tips.
Thank you for the kind words, Linda. I wish to be able to sew more and share more, but lately I feel that the days have only 16 hours!
What great information, now I really need to get better organized. I love your colours, again thank you for sharing.
I’m very new at this type of quilting. Thank you for all the suggestions. I have not yet embarked on this quilting but as soon as my currant project is done I plan to start.
This is the best tip I have ever read about thread and fabric color organization! How do you store your solid fabrics? By color or company? How do you store your thread? By color or weight?
Maryanne, I always store thread by weight; when I start a new project, at first I decide the weight of the thread and then I choose the color. Regarding solid fabric, I have only Kona cotton, so it’s easy! I try to keep it organized by color.