Magical Color Class (Jennifer Riefenberg)

Melita Glavin is taking a color class from Jennifer Riefenberg.   You can work the cool colors sampler or the warm colors sampler, but luckily for us, Melita's classmate is Kathy Rees so Melita worked the cool colors piece while Kathy worked the warm colors.  Then Melita posted photos of each so we could see the differences.

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2026/03/16/magical-color-with-jennifer-riefenberg-day-1/

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2026/03/17/magical-color-with-jennifer-riefenberg-day-2/

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2026/04/01/magical-color-with-jennifer-riefenberg-step-1/

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2026/06/04/magical-color-by-jennifer-riefenberg-steps-2-4/

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2026/06/29/magical-color-by-jennifer-riefenberg-borders/

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2026/07/07/magical-color-by-jennifer-riefenberg-booklet-cover/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright March 17, 2026 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Help Picking A Background Color

Ever find yourself stumped for a background color?  Fortunately for all of us, Kaffe Fassett is a master of color.  All you have to do when you have no idea what color to use is to visit Kaffe's website and browse.

https://www.kaffefassett.com/gallery/needlepoint/

A red flower?  Try teal green or a strong blue for the background.

Pink florals?  How about a strong terracotta?

Stitching vegetables?  How about a soft dove gray to set off those green leaves?

https://www.ehrmantapestry.com/our-designers/kaffe-fassett/

When stumped, consult an expert.  Then pull out threads from your stash in similar colors and arrange the skeins around the outside of your piece.  A color or two will pop out from the rest and there you go!

Kaffe knows color.  He'll help you know color, too.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright June 23, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Color Theory from Colour Complements

Colour Complements has started a series about color theory using their overdyed threads. 

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/01/using-colour-theory-for-needlework-projects.html

It's a fun way to learn about color, tint and shade.  What do they mean?  How do you apply color theory to your projects?  Lorraine will Tell All, so I'll update this article with her wisdom as she posts more.

This next article mixes cherry red with pinks.  It's really pretty!

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/01/cherry-red-embroidery-stitch-sample-feature.html

This article explains how to pick other threads to go with an overdye that is shades of just one color.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/01/playing-with-an-analagous-colour-palette.html

Lorraine talks about peach being a blend of orange, pink and cherry red, which helps pick colors to go with a peach overdye.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/01/creating-a-cross-stitch-design-using-peach-colour-inspiration.html

This month's essay talks about using value (lightness or darkness of a color) to work with pastels.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/04/pastel-colour-palette-feature.html

Here is a color combination everyone liked!  The second link is a design using it.  The third link show how you can make this pastel work in a much louder design.  Clever!

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/04/colour-combinations-using-a-harmonious-thread-palette.html

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/04/using-a-pastel-colour-palette-to-create-a-needlepoint-design.html

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/04/using-a-bold-colour-palette-like-colour-23.html

This palette is autumn-themed with plenty of ideas how to work with it.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/05/our-autumn-palette-including-colour-48.html

This time the color wheel chooses an unexpected pairing.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/05/using-different-colour-palette-combinations-in-your-project.html

The next color pairing is purple, navy and teal, a classic.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/06/one-of-our-popular-colour-combinations-colour-186.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright January 6, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Colors Make a Difference

The New Jersey Needle Artists chapter of ANG has posted a monthly update of the charted designs everyone is working on.  As always, the various colors chosen really make a difference in how the design looks.  Color is magic!

https://blog.njneedleartists.org/2021/08/02/sotm-july-2021/

The ANG projects are only available to ANG dues-paying members, but Razzle Dazzle is by Ann Strit-Kurz and is available from her website.

https://www.annstritekurz.com/designs.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright August 3, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Creating More Shades: The Movie

Cathe at Needle in a Haystack shows how to blend custom colors using two or more strands of thread to get more shades of color.  After all, usually there are only 3-5 shades of a color available and often you need 5-7 shades.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56gApszg3so

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright July 26, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thread Palette Generator

I've mentioned Stitch Palettes before.  This is Krisztina's website where she comes up with color palettes based on photographs and emails them to you each Monday if you sign up for her email list.  Krisztina also sells a DMC print it yourself inventory sheet that helps you track what colors you own and what you need to buy.  You can also buy collections of color combos based on photographs from her.

Krisztina has a new online tool that is both fabulous and free that you need to know about.  She calls it her Embroidery Thread Palette Generator.  You go to her website and choose the Palette Generator, then type in a DMC color you want to find similar threads to.  I used DMC cotton floss 333 as an example.  I typed 333 in the box, then pushed the button.
https://stitchpalettes.com/the-embroidery-thread-palette-generator/

I got four results:  the HTML hex code (useful for when I need to change the background color of Blog), my original 333 which is described as very dark blue violet, and DMC tapestry wool 7318 and Anchor cotton floss 00110.  The tapestry wool and Anchor were in coordinating colors to my original DMC 333.  I also got a list of DMC thread colors similar to 333 (useful if you are frantically hunting in your stash for something similar) plus TEN coordinating color schemes.

If you are constantly looking for color combinations in your stitching, you need to bookmark this ASAP.  It's going to make choosing colors so much easier!  Kudos to Krisztina for coming up with this tool, which is unique and useful to boot.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 19, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Colour Complements' Eye for Colour Videos

Have trouble picking colors for a project?  Lorraine at Colour Complements is going to do a monthly posting on her blog called Eye for Colour to showcase colors that work well together.  She'll then post various thread brands that use these colors for you to use for inspiration.
https://colourcomplements.com/2020/03/eye-for-colour-colour-complements-embroidery-threads.html

The next palette is a lovely spring/Easter/early summer collection.
https://colourcomplements.com/2020/04/colour-50-eye-for-colour-series.html

Picking colors and stitches is hard for most of us so a tool that helps with colors is much appreciated!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 20, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Colour Complements #186

Lorraine at Colour Complements has been having fun with her color 186 overdyed cotton floss. You can see it on her website—teal, purple and navy.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/252737693/cotton-embroidery-floss-186

Her local Embroiders Guild chapter have been using the color in various projects.  It's fun to see how it looks stitched.
https://colourcomplements.com/2018/11/needlepoint-57.html

Color magic is amazing!
https://colourcomplements.com/2018/11/needlepoint-58.html


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 28, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Picking a Background Color

Karen at Nimble Needle in New Jersey has an interesting article on her blog about picking a background color.  I would have gone with a pastel pink myself or maybe pale orange sherbet.  Or a very dark rust.  What about you?
http://nimbleneedlenj.com/laurel-burch-color-and-contrast/

There really are no right answers to this, as long as you don't pick something too close in value to the main subject matter.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 30, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

GIMP Tutorial

Bobbin and Fred have done a great tutorial on using GIMP to adjust colors in a needlepoint design when you are looking for color inspiration.  GIMP is free image manipulation software.  It's limited in what it can do but for the purposes of this tutorial, it works well.
https://sewingwithbobbinandfred.blogspot.com/2018/03/tutorial-easy-image-manipulation-for.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 6, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Four Diamonds

Lorraine of Colour Complements has chosen a fun way to showcase the new thread colors she's come up with for her line of threads for Spring 2018—she's stitching four sections of Laura Perin's Jewel Box with them!
http://colourcomplements.com/2018/02/jewel-box-5.html

If you are especially charmed by one of the diamonds or just see what other colors Lorraine put together to make each one, go to the bottom of the page and click on "Previous Post" to see the details of each of the four.

Way to go, Lorraine!  Color makes a huge difference, as Debbie Rowley explains so well on her DebBee Designs blog.
https://debbeesdesigns.com/2018/02/23/in-praise-of-neutral-colors/

By the way, I've used Lorraine's overdyed perle cottons and they are scrumptious!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 23, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Threads, Beautiful Threads

Now that we all survived the holidays, you may be thinking you'd like to treat yourself to something special.  My personal favorite treat is a new skein of thread, since I am a threadaholic, but if you are wanting to try some new threads or are looking for a color combo for a new chart and coming up empty, Orna Willis's Adorn by Orna Etsy shop is the place to browse.  Personally I think the little $42 packs that come with a free design are a great buy.
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2017/11/more-new-assortments.html

Here are all her thread assortment packs. But don't miss clicking on All on the left side of the page so you can ogle the bead packs, the Ultrasuede collections, the ribbon collections, and of course, THE DESIGNS.  Orna is a master of color so the collections are about as beautiful as any you will find.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ADORNBYORNA/items?ref=search_shop_redirect&section_id=7656411

Thanks, Orna.  Now I have to decide what colors are Must Haves.  Sigh.

WANT THEM ALL

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 19, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Color Inspiration

Lorraine of Colour Complements has written an interesting article about where she finds inspiration for the color combination she creates for her line of oerdyed threads.
http://colourcomplements.com/2017/06/inspiration.html

If your mouth starts watering at the descriptions, check her thread lines by clicking on "Shop" in the choices just under the header on her website.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 5, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Book Review: Guide to Color

Those who stitch painted canvases rarely change colors but those who are counted canvas workers change it all the time. So this is for you counted folks--Mary Corbet's review of Karen Barbe's book about color and how to pick colors.  Color Confident Stitching sounds perfect for those who like to change colors or pick out a whole color scheme for a project.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2017/03/colour-confident-stitching-a-gem.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 10, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Color Assistance

Needlework Unlimited has posted on their blog about color and tools to help pick colors.
https://needleworkunlimited.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/color-color-color/

Very useful stuff!  Don't miss the links at the bottom of the article for further reading about color.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 9, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Yes, Even the Talented Struggle with Color UPDATED

Yes, even the very talented among us struggle with color. 
http://debbeesdesigns.com/DDWrdPrs/?p=1654

UPDATE:
http://debbeesdesigns.com/DDWrdPrs/?p=1666

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 15, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Colorful Orna

Orna Willis is back from teaching at the ANG Seminar.  Check out the wonderful photographs of her classes and students!   She is a master of color and it looks to me she has taught her students a lot.
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2014/09/im-back.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 2, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Color Study

Michelle of Little Bird Designs has been experimenting with unusual color combinations.  I really like how her coral and purple stripes turned out when stitched! 
http://www.needlepointofnoreturn.com/the-first-canvases-in-my-color-studies-series/

If you love Michelle's color experiments, you can do a little browsing here...
http://www.needlepointofnoreturn.com/product-category/3-5-x-7-canvases/

...and you can do a little shopping here or you can email Michelle and Rosanne at littlebirddesignsllc@gmail.com for more information.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleBirdDesignsArt

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 1, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The App for Working on Black Canvas

I've been remiss in posting a great tip from the counted canvaswork designer Brenda Kocher, whose blog mentions a great app to help those working on black canvas who have an iPad.  It is called Color Softbox and it is free.
http://toldthruneedleandthreads.blogspot.com/2013/08/aurore-boreale.html

You can read a bit about Brenda's design "Aurore Boréale" which was a free design in Needlepoint Now magazine's July/August 2013 issue here.

http://www.needlepointnow.com/wp-content/uploads/NN_NWSLTR-0713.pdf

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Not Too Busy

Ruth Schmuff's new mystery class uses Shelly Penko's "Bohemian Beauty" canvas and plenty of overdyed threads.  
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/04/just-chillin-with-friends.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/05/youre-never-fully-dressed-without-smile.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/06/the-magic-of-overdyes.html

I have to admit I probably wouldn't have thought of using an overdue on the areas that already have so much color.  I would likely have chosen a black thread for the skirt and perhaps a dark green for the blouse.  Does Ruth's overdyes look too busy? Not at all!

This is why Ruth Schmuff is a genius.  (Check out what she says about offsetting the pattern on the chair to create dimension in the third link from the top.)

I almost didn't call this article Not Too Busy since Ruth certainly is one busy lady but it was too perfect a title.  I hope next time you have an area with lots of color you think of Ruth's overdye magic and consider using an overdyed thread there.  I certainly will!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 5, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.