Book Review: Quilter’s Color Scheme Bible

I’ve finally had a chance to read this book, The Quilter’s Color Scheme Bible, by Celia Eddy, from cover to cover and I am so glad I did. Originally, I bought it as an inspiration book, a book to pull out and glance at when I want ideas for color combinations.

The book is organized very well.

It begins with an explanation of how to use the book and concise discussion about color theory and color language. The color wheel is also briefly explained. Eddy gives practical advice for where to start when picking fabrics, colors, and designing a quilt.

The bulk of the book is then divided into chapters on different color themes, the “Directory of Color Blocks.” These themes are a guide to help the reader choose fabrics for a quilt: Harmonious Colors, Complementary Colors, Saturated Colors, Tints, and Shades. These chapters utilize 100 different quilt blocks to illustrate the various color schemes, which helps quilters choose a color theme that gives the mood or affect they want by deliberately choosing fabrics of different colors and fabrics with different values.

Each quilt block is then shown in 7 different color combinations or colorways. In exploring these color ideas and the different roles each color or value plays within a color scheme, she uses traditional quilt designs to illustrate these effects that colors have when sewn together in a quilt. With these examples, it’s easy to quickly see how the colors interact with one another to shape the overall design.

For each section, she gives several color combination examples for each of the quilt blocks and briefly explains the role each color (or value) plays. A line drawing of each quilt block template is included as well, which can be so helpful to new quilters and further illustrate how the colors affect the quilt design. [This is also great for people who are new to quilting, as identifying quilt blocks can be difficult if you’re new.] As Eddy suggests, you can use the templates to draw and color when designing your own quilt.

The book itself is spiral bound and approximately 8″ x 6 1/2″, making it great for tucking into your purse and heading to the quilt shop. The last chapter describes the role of sashings and borders in a quilt and how to use them to the advantage of the quilt design.

Color Theory versus Color Scheme

This is not necessarily a book on color theory, but color schemes and color designs, though it could be a starting place for someone who wants to learn more about color theory. Eddy states this in the introduction and goes on to explain the book takes a slightly different approach.  It introduces the reader to the idea of color theory, but focuses on the end result, the effect colors and values have on one another within a quilt block and a quilt. I find it a very quick and helpful guide to use when looking for inspiration and looking for fabric at the store.

I think this is an ideal book for beginners and those who aren’t looking for an overwhelming amount of information about color theory. It takes you right to how color behaves together in traditional quilt designs. For more experienced quilters who already know about this visual interplay, it might be too light on color therapy and application of color therapy principles.

Eddy takes us beyond the color wheel to help define the various roles of color and gain a deeper understanding of how to use color as expressively as we can. It’s very visual for those who appreciate that aspect when learning or exploring new concepts. This is an awesome resource for anyone new to sewing or quilting. It can also be extremely instrumental in taking your quilting to another level or help a quilter be deliberate in her use of color and value in her quilts.

Great for Beginners (or those new to quilting)

The Quilter’s Color Scheme Bible can offer so much guidance and direction, as well as help you gain an understanding of why some quilts work better than others. It’s easy to see a quilt on pinterest and love it, but it’s nice to be able to understand the qualities that make it so amazing. This understanding may enable you to recreate the same qualities without just making the same exact quilt, which is sometimes what my students want to do.

Since I teach kids to sew, and my daughter is becoming quite the quilter, I try to see what resources could be good for kids. I think this will be a great resource for kids. It’s a great place to start. It’s written in a very straight-forward style, and is very user-friendly and visual. It’s a place to see more possibilities when choosing fabrics and to learn more about why the colors play together the way they do. It will help to answer: What will a color’s value do within the quilt and how to choose fabrics to compliment another fabric, or how to highlight an element in the quilt design.

I plan to bring this book to classes and allow the kids to check it out.

UPDATE: I do prefer the color theory book, Color Play, by Joen Wolfrom, to Color Scheme. Though Color Scheme is not technically a book on color theory and more of a color theme book, I do find Color Play much more user friendly, concise, and helpful in choosing color themes. Having both is sometimes helpful, as they compliment each other. Color Scheme is great to see the different color combinations in quilt blocks.

You can read my review of Color Play in this post.