Color Essentials by Amanda Murphy

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  We had a good day here, with good company and lots of wonderful food.  I received several quilting books as gifts so I plan to provide some reviews in between project progress updates.

First up is Color Essentials by Amanda Murphy, published by Stash Books.   

 

I thought this book would go in-depth about color theory and how to apply it to making quilts.  While there is some brief coverage on color theory, it is really about using solid color fabric for quilt making, specifically using the Kona Cotton precuts put out by Robert Kaufman.  Some of the color combinations are really spectacular (I must buy the Kona Sunset palette!) and I really liked the section on achieving transparent effects with different colors (transparency placemats project). 

Most of the projects are very fresh and modern looking, and they don't all require white background fabric.  Most of the projects are pieced but some combine piecing with machine applique.  Another thing I really like is that for each project, there is an additional page depicting alternative color combinations.  The original project is sewn and quilted; the color possibilites are computer generated drawings. 

 

 

I may not make any of the projects in the book but I have benefitted from the color inspiration found in its pages.  

 

That's the Kona Sunset palette above.  See what I mean!