Color Challenge

 Awhile ago I posted about the PCQ color challenge, to use a Split Complementary palette. I found an inspiration photo and chose fabrics from stash. 

I'm making a small project, a pillow cover for a sofa pillow. It'll end up 18". I'm sure you won't be at all surprised to see what I ended up doing with these fabrics.

Yes, a scaled down version of Kool Kaleidoscope, with fewer segments in the wedges. 

I wrote in my earlier post about tints, shades and tones of colors versus the pure hues of the color wheel. Here I have somewhat toned down yellow-orange and red-orange, medium to darkish values. I have very subdued blues, all very much toned down by the addition of grey, in a sparkling pale, a muted midtone, and a deep dark. 

But proportion is an element to making such a contrasting palette work, too. The proportions here are such that they allow the yellow-orange and red-orange to come forward and be the stars. With its high contrast, the narrow strip of pale blue gives the project a little sparkle to keep it from being boring, but doesn't overwhelm. It helps establish a layered look. The navy Grunge background is actually more subdued in real life than it is in the photo, to the point where the eye just disregards it as background. 

For the back of the pillow I used leftover bits from the wedges, and the very last of the navy Grunge. It's a good thing I had leftover parts because I needed every inch to make the back big enough. 

These two panels are slightly larger than I need for the pillow cover, but they'll shrink up when I quilt them. I still need to layer and quilt them, get a zipper, and assemble the pillow cover. The challenge is due in March, so I still have time.

Link ups: Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Alycia Quilts