Learning how to use a basic color wheel can be incredibly helpful in choosing fabrics for your quilts. However, be sure to think of the color wheel as a guide rather than a restriction. Any combination of colors has the potential to be fantastic. It may be helpful to keep a collection of photographs, cutouts from magazines, or an online mood board with pinterest of quilts that appeal to you. That way you can start to see the colors that appeal to you the most and look to the color wheel for different ways to use them.
The primary colors are red, yellow and blue. Red, yellow and blue are called the primary colors because they are the basis for all other colors. By mixing these three colors together you can create any other color on the color wheel. The primary colors are located at equal distance from one another on a color wheel so that you can see the shades in-between primary and secondary shades.
The secondary colors are located midway between the primary colors on the color wheel. That is because they are created by mixing together equal amounts of the nearby primary colors. The secondary colors are Green, Orange and Violet.
Tertiary colors are created when you combine the primary and secondary colors together with the colors closest on one side. Examples of tertiary colors include: yellow-green, red-violet, yellow-orange etc. Now that you are familiar with the basics of the color wheel, we can start to talk about how to use these colors in ideal combination with one another.
This is as simple as it gets, choose one color and then stick to it. However, this is also a great point to talk about variations in color. The variations of color are shade, tone and tints.
Shade: Shade is the addition of black to make a color darker
Tone: Tone is created by adding gray to color to desaturate or mute the intensity
Tint: A tint is the addition of white to make a color brighter
The variations mean that monochromatic schemes can be anything but boring. Try lining fabric in a similar color up from darkest to lightest, high saturation to muted tone – don't be afraid to experiment and see what combinations you like!
You've probably heard the old saying – "love thy neighbor" well the analogous color scheme is one of neighborly love. That is because the analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. While the analogous scheme is similar to the monochromatic one, there are more subtle nuances that can be achieved with a slight tonal shift in one direction or the other on the color wheel.
Doesn't everyone love a sincere and genuine compliment? Well complementary colors - (yes, it is spelled a bit differently) – however complementary colors "flatter" the color which lives on the opposite side of the color wheel. These create the highest contrast, so a good rule of thumb is to choose one color as your dominant or background color with its complement used more sparingly as a "popper" color – drawing emphasis to the areas that you would like to stand out. Popper colors can make for fantastic quilt borders, for example.
To create a split complementary color scheme, take one color and match it to the two colors which are adjacent to its complementary color. This is a great color scheme for beginners because it creates contrast but not in such a diametrically opposite was as straight complementary colors. There are many variations of harmonious color schemes that can be created using split complementary colors.
Are you ready for 3 times the excitement? The triadic color scheme uses not one, not two, but three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. This scheme is popular among creatives because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and color richness. It creates a balanced and harmonious look.
Tetradic is the richest color scheme of all because it uses four different colors which are arranged into two complementary pairs. It can be a bit tricky to pull off, but the stunning results can be worth the extra effort. To achieve balance, it may be recommended to not use each color in equal amounts but rather to use a dominant color and accent it with its complement.
Come on into Quilt Beginnings for more colorful inspiration!
]]>Your sewing machine is an investment. Regular cleaning is a part of keeping your machine running great! Lint build-up in your sewing machine will happen naturally after countless hours of sewing. Clearing out and removing that lint is an important part of keeping everything running smoothly! Excessive lint, dirt and fibers over time can cause machine parts to bend, bind or break. Simply cleaning out accessible areas can help keep your machine running smoothly. But a good professional cleaning from the inside out will really prolong the life of your machine!
You’ve probably seen canned air advertised as a quick solution to clean electronics – and it makes sense that a quick puff could remove debris from a computer keyboard. But the same is simply not true for your delicate sewing machine. Compressed air might make it look like you’ve removed the lint by blowing it off visible areas – but often – the lint has been compressed into areas of the machine which are more difficult to access. Since you do not want to compact lint deep into your machines interior, we do not recommend using canned or compressed air to clean your machines.
While sewing machine models differ, some basic procedures for cleaning and oiling are the same. Don’t forget to check in your sewing machine manual for specific directions to clean and oil your specific model. It is a good idea to take a moment before you begin to sew to simply wipe down the machine.
Make sure that the machine is off and remove the needle plate. Large pieces of lint, bits of thread or fibers can be removed with tweezers. Then use gentle brushes or a soft lamb’s wool tool to clear out any remaining bits. Rub the lamb’s wool tool back and forth over the surface and the dust will cling to it. When you are finished, shake the lamb’s wool tool out over a trash bin and knock the lint off it so it will be ready for next time. Then remove the bobbin case, take out the bobbin and use your soft brushes to clean out any lint or dirt from that area. Note that lint can actually get trapped in the tension spring on your bobbin case that can result in poor stitch quality.
At the minimum we recommend having your machine serviced at least once a year. While you may be vigilant about cleaning the visible portions of your machine, our service technicians are trained to thoroughly clean, oil and adjust your machine from the inside out. They remove all the covers to get to areas inaccessible to you. You would be surprised how much lint can be hidden underneath the covers.
Even with a properly cleaned machine, adjustments may be needed to keep your machine in excellent working order. Breaking a needle, running over a pin, lint build up, or inserting the bobbin backwards are examples of things that can cause your machine to get knocked out of alignment. After cleaning the inside portions of your machine, our technicians follow a 27-point check-list to make sure your machine is fine-tuned to manufacturer’s specifications. They check and adjust components like hook and needle bar heights, needle bar position, feed dog timing, hook to needle timing, presser foot height, bobbin tension, and tension disk settings, in addition to checking the condition of motors and belts, and lubricating as required per manufacturer’s specifications.
Quilt Beginnings has two full time service technicians available Monday through Friday to take care of our customer’s machines. We clean and service all brands and models. You do not need an appointment for service. Just drop off your machine, at your convenience, and we will take care of the rest. Our turn-around time averages one to two weeks, depending on the queue to be serviced. Prolong the life of your machine and bring it in each year for an annual cleaning!
Quilt Beginnings offers comprehensive maintenance plans on Pfaff, Baby Lock and Bernina machines. This is a "bumper to bumper" extended warranty covering annual cleanings and all parts and labor for machine service up to 4 years after the purchase of the machine. Protect your investment today! Talk to a Quilt Beginnings sales associate about the price and availability for your machine!
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