The Quilter's Field Guide to Color: A Hands-On Workbook for Mastering Fabric Selection

Having never had an art class formally, but having been trained as a seamstress, and moved into a Quilting I needed something to guide me with my fabric choices. This book starts at the very beginning. She clearly explains her theories on color and gives you small bite-size tasks in order to learn how to identify and categorize colors by emotion, season, cool versus warm etc. Then because there are colored swatches included at the back of the book which you cut apart, you do the exercise with the little paper swatches and then you dig through your own fabric stash and sew up sample patchwork. It’s phenomenal. I’ve been photographing them and posting them to friends. It’s a whole lot of fun. You can use the included pattern which is a 6 1/2” bear paw, or you can choose your own quilt block to utilize. She has graded blank pictures that you could photocopy if you want to use colored pencils or pens to experiment. I feel like I’m learning a ton, and this just from playing with color! This book was recommended to me by a Quilting friend who worked on it as a year-long project. At the end you will have lots and lots of sample blocks and she gives several different methods I think four of putting them into quilts. The only extremely minor drawback I find is that the envelope at the back of the book provided to contain the color swatches does not expand. I was worried about my colors falling out of the envelope and so I put them in separate tiny zip plastic bags which do kind of fit into the envelope in the back. Highly, highly recommended. If you have a Quilting buddy who’s been complaining about fabric choices and struggling with color, this might be the book to gift to them.

I have been waiting for this book to come out after reading about it on Rachel Hauser's blog. The wait was worth it as this book is a feast for the eyes and the mind. The author's writing style is warm and inviting and the concepts and exercises that she presents are easy to understand. The chapters are well laid out and the example photos are numerous and beautiful.Here are some topics that are covered in the book:Understanding Color (using temperature, seasonal inspiration, emotion);Color Theory (color wheel, using rainbow blends, including all colors, working with value, creating fabric palettes); Exploring Neutrals;Finding your Way (telling a story, looking for inspiration);Working in Cloth (how to build a stash, determining style and choosing fabrics).Over the past 20 years I've owned several books on color theory for quilters and none of them have provided the information that is contained in this book. I'm transitioning from traditional quilts to modern quilts/fabric and I feel this book will help me successfully make the move.My only criticism is related to the color swatches in the Color Swatch Library. The reader is supposed to cut them apart in order to use them in the exercises. The color swatches are printed on quality card stock however there is no perforation between each color. I'm afraid to cut them because my cuts might be wonky. Hopefully my Fiskars paper cutter will do a better job than I can do with scissors.

I am learning about quilting and this book is exactly what I needed. It includes a wealth of information about choosing fabrics based on color -- and some additional general tips about combining fabrics. Do the exercises -- they really help in understanding how characteristics of fabric color can interact.There is no issue with the perforated swatches -- mentioned by some reviewers. The page is perforated so you can remove it from the book easily. The swatches are then cut apart with scissors so they can be used for the exercises. It takes only a few minutes. I anticipate continuing to use the swatches when I plan fabrics for projects.I hope the author writes more books about quilting. One small suggestion: please include an index and/or a more detailed table of contents. Sometimes I have trouble finding information I want to refer back to.

I have always struggled with matching colors. Whether it has been with yarn when I crochet or coloring in pages of a coloring book. When I decided to give sewing as a hobby a legitimate shot, I was confronted with my shortcomings when it came to matching colors. What kind of quilter doesn’t know how to match colors?!?! I patiently waited for the release of this book and it has not been a disappointment. This book has been tremendously helpful and I use it anytime I am trying to put together a quilt or project. Yes, I need that much help.I wish the color pieces were perforated but I was able to use a ruler and box cutter to cut them out.

Chapters are targeted toward increasing confidence in selecting individual fabrics for a quilt. The workbook section is good for practice and reinforcement of lessons.

As an avid quilter who already has an in-depth knowledge of color theory I can say that the info in Rachel's book is spot on and the color exercises are fantastic. She explains her process and demystifies color selection so that anyone can feel confident choosing color schemes and palettes. One reader criticized her use of a specific block for her exercises but I feel that an an author it made sense for her to show the variations that could be created just by different colors rather than confusing things with multiple patterns and colors. We're all free to use whatever blocks and patterns we want in our own practice and I'm thoroughly enjoying the book! Would recommend without reservation.

First off this is just a beautiful books filled with lots of stunning photos. It is a joy to read. The writing style is conversational rather than textbook like. More like the author is just chatting with you and you alone. This helps keep it interesting. There are so many lovely colors to play with on the swatch cards and the envelope at the back of the book for storing the swatches is just perfect! You can tell that a lot of time and thought went into every single detail of this book. I look forward to learning how to more comfortably combine colors for projects!