Use Color Repetition to Create Stunning Fiber Art Inspired by a Favorite Photo
Turn a favorite photo into fiber art inspiration. Using repeating colors from an image you love is a great way to create cohesive and visually pleasing knitting, embroidery, quilting, and other fiber art pieces.
In this photo I took in my home, I love the way the colors repeat in the fruit bowl and the flowers in the vase. The background colors are blurred but repeat throughout in the painting, pillows, and leaves. I would love to use these shades of peach, green, and fuchsia as key colors in a quilted table runner, a knitted afghan, or an appliqued and embroidered wall hanging.
Choose a photo you love and choose 2 - 3 colors that stand out. These will be the dominant hues that you’ll repeat throughout your project.
As you choose yarns, threads, and fabrics, stick to your main colors and their color families. Include different tones and intensities of your dominant hues. For a color scheme inspired by this photo, I'd like to use pale and deeper greens, deep peachy oranges, soft melon hues, and rich shades of fuchsia.
Repeating these colors as you knit, weave, stitch or quilt will create a sense of harmony in your finished piece. You’ll also avoid the “everything but the kitchen sink” look that comes from too many competing colors.
Of course, how you arrange and combine your repeating colors is up to you. Play with different patterns and textures like stripes, blocks, stitches, and solids. Aim for a balanced distribution rather than letting one hue dominate.
To make the color repetition more dynamic, add in some contrasting or neutral tones. As in my photo, you might include elements of white, gray, and brown to help the main colors shine.
As you work, step back occasionally to ensure the colors are repeating in a way that evokes the mood of your inspiration photo. Replicate its energy through strategic use of color repetition in your fiber artwork.
With a little planning and experimentation, you can transform favorite images into incredible handmade creations full of purposeful repeated color. So take a fresh look at your favorite photos and let them guide your next project.
I've selected a small variety of items from our store that might further inspire your next fiber arts adventure.