One of the beautiful things about quilts is the variety of colors that can be incorporated in them. We have all seen quilts with what seems to be every color in the rainbow. As much as I love those quilts, sometimes using only two or three colors can have a great affect. This year the popular event “Quilter’s Day Out” and the Kentucky State Fair both had categories for two color quilts. The entries were breathtaking. The following quilts have more than two colors, but the results are just as lovely, don’t you think?

Karen's Few Color Quilt is Lovely

This is Karen’s minty half circle quilt. This is an applique quilt that she quilted with us. She chose the pantograph, Periwinkle. It is an open floral design that is quite whimsical and cute. Just a lot of big five petaled flowers and some leaves. There is a beautiful simple elegance in this quilt that I really like.

Judy's Quilts are great!

Three colors or not, no one could argue that is intricate and eye catching. She made this quilt for a family member that was a University of Louisville Alumni. Any guesses what the university's colors are? The Fleur de lis is also a symbol of the city, so Judy wisely chose the pantograph, Cadence which covered the quilt with easy meandering fleurs de lis.

But what color thread do you quilt on a quilt like this? White would have looked lovely, but would have read boldly on the black sashing which Judy did not want. So we suggested Zebra Affinity thread. It is a black and white variegated thread. In the end, it looked like someone had lightly sketched the quilting pattern all over her quilt with a pencil. It looks amazing!

Judy also made this quilt. I’ve seen this block a couple of times, but have never heard its name. I want to call it a vanishing sawtooth star. The tiny square in between the stars is something I haven't seen before and I love it. It has a lot of colors, I know, but mostly just purple, green, and white. And oh, how lovely! I could also imagine this quilt with even fewer colors and it would be just as lovely. She quilted this with the Periwinkle pantograph adding a fun floral accent to this quilt.

Avengers Assemble!

I know this has a lot of colors, but it’s made with only two fabrics. Judy’s nephew loves the Marvel universe. On the back she appliqued the Avenger logo in the same fabric. Be aware that pieced backings, especially appliqued backings, have an increased chance of tucks and puckers when quilting on a longarm.

We also would have a difficult time centering the quilt top to backing like that. You just can’t see what is going on down there. This is why she put the logo intentionally in a corner. It’s off center exactly where she wanted it regardless of where it actually ended up. It turned out amazing. She quilted a free motion meander. What a great gift for some lucky little boy.

Nancy's Two Color Quilt

Now this is a true two tone quilt. That is the benefit of buying fabrics from one line, with the same colors but with a variety of patterns. It’s also fun to see striped fabric being used to its fullest extent. The border and vertical sashing are so lovely. Nancy used our hearts and flower design board to complete this quilt. It is just like it sounds, hearts and flowers. It has a sweet whimsical feel that looks great on quilts.

Luann's Fun Take on a Traditional Style

Luann made this beauty. And while there are multiple colors, they are all from the same family. As difficult as it seams, she claims it is actually quite easy. If you look carefully you might be able to tell that some of the squares are the exact same shapes though different fabrics. Evidently, you stack a whole bunch of squares and then cut them at once. What a fun take on traditional design concentric squares. She quilted this with another design that is an updated version of a traditional design, Oh My Feathers. This is just a lot of feathers that do not backtrack, making it a little easier to do and have it look great.

Debra's Lake House Quilt

Debra made this great kit from Wilmington Prints. It’s a beautiful blue color to compliment a boat or lake house. Debra’s son loves to fish. Could it be anymore perfect? She quilted this with the Airborne pantograph. It is a large open feather design that doesn’t backtrack. The result has a windy looking feel that you could imagine blowing across water.

I love color, and definitely find myself leaning towards quilts with lots of color. But pulling it back to just two or three colors can also have an incredible affect.