Today the lovely Gillian from Crafting A Rainbow is here to talk to us about COLOR!! I'm so excited she said yes to the interview so let's get right to it!
How did you find your color palette? Did some one show you or was it intuitive?
I got inspired to explore wardrobe colour palette when Colette had a spring/summer palette challenge a few years ago. That first draft wasn't the most practical (gasp - it contained butter yellow, which would look awful on me!) but it got me thinking about what colours I like, buy, and want to wear. I kept tweaking my palette until I came up with the wearable, all-season version that I use now!
I think most people are drawn to colours that look good on them, so my palette colours were definitely in my wardrobe before I made an official palette. One thing my palette did change is that I realised that black is less flattering on me than navy or dark grey. Once I'd figured that out, I made an effort to buy less fabric with black in it, and picked up some grey and navy cardigans at the thrift shop. Back when I first made my palette, colbalt and coral were just coming into fashion, so those were colours that I actively looked for in fabrics.This year I've been trying to find more emerald green to add to the mix.
What benefits are there for knowing your colors?
I think having a colour palette is SO helpful!
- If you see good fabric in your palette colours, it's worth stashing.
- If you see fabric that isn't in your palette, make sure you really love it, or just pass it by!
- Look for shoes, cardigan, tights, necklaces and other accessories that match your palette at thrift shops and sales. Those pieces will get worn a lot if they match your palette, and getting dressed is much easier! (For example, I have the same necklace in hot pink, mint green, and royal blue. Between those three colours, I can match almost every single outfit in my closet!)
- If you knit, crochet, make jewellery or some other wearable art, making something in your palette colours will help it get worn!
- Come up with interesting outfits! We all get stuck in ruts, putting the same clothes together in the same ways... but with a palette it's easier to pick 2 or 3 colours and try to build an outfit around them!
Does it vary with the seasons or evolve at all?
Last year my Me-Made May challenge was to wear at least one of my palette colours every day. By the end of the month, I decided to add dark purple to my palette because it's a colour I like and feel good in. (That said, I haven't sewn a single thing in dark purple since then, so maybe I should take it back off?)
My palette actually doesn't change very much by season, but I do like to experiment with different colours when they become popular. (Could this be the year I sew something neon?)
How do you suggest a girl figure out her colors?
I blogged about how I make colour palettes last summer. Basically, I suggest starting by looking at the things you've already sewn, and using a colour grabber tool in a word processor to pick out the exact shades you like. Like the Colette Wardrobe Architect has suggested, think about neutrals as well. Trust yourself - I bet you already pick colours you like, so all you have to do is pull them together into an inspiring palette! (If the palette you end up with doesn't inspire you, maybe it needs some tweeking! Think again about what colours you really love to wear.)
How has having a color palette changed or developed your sewing?
I started developing my palette just a few months after I started sewing, so it's hard to say how things have changed... but certainly it's a big part of what I buy and how I sew. I'd say about 90% of my handmade clothes and stash fabric have at least one colour in my palette. Most of what I sew are everyday comfy knits and stretch wovens, and consequently I wear me-mades almost every day.
More than anything, I think my palette really impacts the fabric I buy. Who doesn't get a bit wide-eyed and greedy during in a fabric sale? My palette really helps me weed out fabrics that wouldn't get worn. Instead, I try to stock on basics that are sure to get used! (For example, I have fabric stashed to make pants in 4 palette colours, and striped, dotted or solid jersey in pretty much all my colors!)
Do you always sew to your color palette? If no, how and why do you use other colors?
I don't think a palette should limit you to ONLY those colours. Rules are meant for breaking, right? As I type this, I'm wearing 3 palette colours (grey, coral, and red), and 1 colours outside my palette (black, which I just told you isn't the best on me!) To me, it's more about feeling like myself. My palette colours make me feel prettier and happier, so naturally those are the clothes I reach for. After all, that's why I put them in the palette in the first place!
Here are a few more posts I've written about colour palettes:
If there's any questions, I'd be happy to answer or cheer you on!
Enjoy stashing, sewing and wearing your perfect colors!
A big thanks to Gillian for taking time out of her blogging break to share her color philosophy! I totally agree with her method of stashing fabrics! How about you?
