In my 40+ years working with design and color, it has been remarkable to see women’s progression from safe(boring) colors, to juicy joyful colors. In the 1990s when I was moving from the fashion industry to the quilt textile industry, there was a parallel movement away from dull dark colors, to clear bright expressive hues. I remember when quilters refused to use yellow or orange because they were colors that they would never wear. Fortunately now quilters are inspired by the possibilities that these colors bring – as accent colors and even as the main color story. Three cheers for sunny happy hues in our palettes!
Do you remember going to baby showers that were either pastel pink for a girl, or pastel blue for a boy? When someone said ‘Pink’ it was assumed to be a sugary pastel.
These days when we say ‘Pink’ we think of Hot Pinks – Orchid Pink, Deep Rose Pink, and Hibiscus Pink. In 2022 when Valentino had a whole fashion show with nothing but a radical shade of hot pink, it was a ‘new’ color developed with the Pantone Color Institute. But to me, it was very Eighties.
Creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli described it as the color of “love, community, energy and freedom” which is certainly what we all need now. It was nicknamed “PP Pink” and now our eyes crave this juicy color. It makes me happy.
And what about the guys? In the 80s it was cool for men to wear pink, and that color trend is returning for the savvy urban creatives.
To all of our friends in Florida, we are thinking of you and hoping you are in a safe place now.
In case you missed this on our blog, we are starting a Hurricane Helene quilt drive (just got our first batch dropped off yesterday!) for remote communities in North Carolina. I have also put together a list of disaster relief organizations – volunteers and non-profits – in case you want to donate to those helping out on the ground right now. We have to wait and see what happens with Milton tomorrow. Y’all stay safe out there! We love you!
Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul
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Travel/Quilt Dates:
Oct 31 – Nov 3 – Houston Quilt Festival
Nov 13 – Canada (CQA) Zoom Lecture
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Italy Tour. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.
Jan 21 – Visions Museum Zoom Lecture
