Pastels often bring a gentle subtlety to needlepoint designs. While pastels are naturally more subtle, depth and dimension can be created with the placement of your chosen colours. There is a way to add depth, dimension and drama using different colour placement techniques and we’ll be diving into how to accomplish this in our blog post today.
The colour placement techniques used in this pattern
Our sample today showcases the palette discussed earlier this month, featuring four colours:
Colour #70 is one of the focal colours in this pattern, which is a bright combination of aqua, mint green, coral, and yellow. It’s reminiscent of a refreshing sherbet, a delightful blend inspired by the frozen confection itself. I enhanced this palette further with the addition of Colour #162, another pastel shade featuring blue, aqua, and green. To add even more dimension, we used Colour #175, which is a harmonious blend of various blue values. Colour #184 is a bright spring green blend that perfectly rounds out the palette.
Our sample measures a little under 2 ½ inches square on 18-count mono canvas. While our needlepoint samples are small, remember you can use this palette for a larger project. Expand the palette by adding solids in any of the four colours in the blend and don’t forget your metallics. We added a blue metallic to frame the central section. Add texture with more of your favourite threads.
This pattern was designed by Susan Portra, called White Holiday Gift, featured in the July/August 2015 issue of Needlepoint Now. While the original design was white and gold, celebrating the holiday season, you can see how choosing a selection of pastel colours can change the appearance. Finished as an ornament, this would look beautiful in a child’s room.
If you would like to see an alternate autumn palette, why not visit this blog post from 2015. It showcases explicitly Colours #188 and #191 in the Colour Complements collection.
