• About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Teaching
    • Member/Student Login
    • Online Programs
  • Shop
  • Member/Student Login
  • Blog
    • Free Quilt Patterns – Scrappy Whirligig Quilt

Bryan House Quilts

New Free Colorful Pattern! Rainbow Jacks

Playful Color· Playful Color Month

20 Sep

Welcome to back to Week 3 of Playful Color Month. This week we’re learning about one of my favorite color tricks, the Personal Color Wheel exercise.

As a quick refresh, during Week 1 we talked about symptoms of color trouble (how do you know when you’re having trouble?) and the causes of color trouble. In Week 2, we started to tackle color trouble by beginning to add tools to our Playful Color Toolbox.

Today’s Goal: Tuesday I introduced you to the Personal Color Wheel exercise. Today I want to show you how to use the Personal Color Wheelhouse exercise to choose colors for a real project. To that end, I’ve made my Jacks pattern available as a free pattern to my Newsletter subscribers.

Using the Personal Color Wheel to choose colors for new projects

In the past, without a personal color wheel, I have struggled with putting together colors quickly. I discovered that having a go to Color Wheel has streamlined the color choosing process and let’s me get to the fun part – the sewing. As I mentioned on Tuesday, you can use your Personal Color Wheel to help you generate palettes quickly for new rainbow quilts. And it can help you choose the colors when there are fewer or greater than 12 colors. For example, Rainbow Jacks calls for 16 colors.

 

On my very first ever Facebook live, I demonstrated how I use the Personal Color Wheel to choose my palette for a pastel version of Jacks. (Subscribers: grab your copy of Rainbow Jacks in the Free Pattern section of the BHQ Resource Library.)

Once I have my pastel color wheel drafted, I can quickly pull fabrics from my stash and get to sewing. Aren’t those fabrics pretty!

And the best part is that choosing the color this way makes it so much quicker and easier. Yah!

The Playful Color Month Goal

My goal for you this September is to start you on the path away from “Color is hard and I can’t do it” to “Color is hard, but I have some tools to work with Color.” (I love that gif!)

I’ve struggled in the mires of color for years. As I fought my color battles I learned lots of color tricks. And I am here to share them with you so that you can maximize your creative fun time.

And by now I hope you are seeing the potential of my Playful Color Toolbox and are getting excited about playing with color!

Playful Color Toolbox

So far we’ve added three ways to play with color to our Playful Color Toolbox. Yah!

1. Playful Color Tool: The best way to use big, busy, bold fabrics is to reign in the chaos by organizing your quilt either by pattern or color. 

2. Playful Color Tool: a Framework for Mixing Fabrics

3. Playful Color Tool: Personal Color Wheelhouse

Up next

Tomorrow I’ll be hosting a live event where I show you how I pull fabrics using my Personal Color Wheel for the new(ish) free pattern, Rainbow Jacks. You can join in live in my Facebook Group.

Next week, I’ll be showing you some of my personal favorite supplies I use to explore color and the Fall Session of Playful Color Theory for Quilters will start. I hope to share more details very soon!

If you are loving these Playful Color Tools and you want more, you’ll love my online workshop launching at the end of the month, Playful Color Theory for Quilters. Registration is now open (newsletter friends, wait for the discount code in your inbox before registering!) for the Fall session and will close on September 30th.

This workshop is a great resource to learn more about color theory and to add more tools to your Playful Color Toolbox. Specifically you’ll be learning alllll my tools in that workshop, should you choose to enroll. In the meantime, enjoy the video.

Schedule of Events

Subscribe to the Playful Color Month Emails

SUBSCRIBE HERE

As a reminder here’s the schedule of events and please remember this plan is a bit fluid because of my life transitions. (I just can’t wait to be perfectly settled to share this awesome stuff with you!)

Week 1

Tuesday September 4 – My Top 9 Symptoms of Color Trouble – Do you have a problem?

Thursday September 6 – The 2 Root Causes of Color Mistakes

Week 2

Tuesday September 11 – How to use Busy, Loud, but GORGEOUS Prints

Thursday September 13 – How to Mix Fabric Lines for a Custom Look

Week 3

*New(ish) Free Pattern this week!*

Tuesday September 18 – The Color Secret Artists use to Maximize Creativity

Thursday September 20 – Using the Personal Color Wheel to plan Rainbow Jacks (I’m planning on a live event!) (You are here!)

Week 4

Tuesday September 25 – My Favorite Playful Color Tools

Thursday September 27 – I’m sharing and demoing live (I think!) one of the painting exercises from the Playful Color Theory for Quilters online workshop.

Next steps after Playful Color Month

Registration for the Fall Session of Playful Color Theory for Quilters is now open and will close September 30th.

 

Previous Post: « The Color Secret Artists use to Maximize Creativity
Next Post: Catch me on American Patchwork & Quilting Radio (Part 2) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. JANNINE AMATO says

    August 8, 2019 at 11:30 pm

    Diid you make your own color chips or can they br bought dirctly from moda?

    • rebeccabryan says

      August 15, 2019 at 7:19 am

      You can buy color cards from Moda, or any of the other fabric manufacturers. Mine are from Robert Kaufman.

Trackbacks

  1. Quickly Generate a Fun, New Palette Using Secret Colors says:
    September 27, 2018 at 7:43 am

    […] September 20 – Using the Personal Color Wheel to plan Rainbow Jacks (a new free […]

  2. Why you shouldn't use fabric to explore color - My favorite color supplies - Bryan House Quilts says:
    April 16, 2020 at 9:39 am

    […] September 20 – Using the Personal Color Wheel to plan Rainbow Jacks (a new free […]

Primary Sidebar

New 2026 Block of the Month!

Graphic of Alchemy Quilt

Join the 2026 Block of the Month Program

Get my Modern Triangles Quilt Book

Get my Modern Rainbow Quilts Book

Image shows cover of the book "Modern Rainbow Quilts"

Make the Solstice Quilt!

Solstice Block of the Month by Bryan House Quilts

Get Your Invite!

Make Modern Triangles Logo

Make the Sparkler Quilt!

Image Shows Sparkler Quilt Top by Rebecca Bryan

Make the Echo (Echo!) Quilt

Echo BOM now open to join

Make the Wildflower Quilt!

Wildflower Block of the Month by Bryan House Quilts

Make the Stargazer Quilt!

Anne's Stargazer BOM

Make the Rainbow Triangles Quilt!

Rainbow Triangle BOM, modern triangle quilt, Rebecca Bryan

About

Hey there! I’m Rebecca, an author and teacher and freezer paper piecing evangelist. I’m also the founder of the Make Modern Triangles Quilt Club.

Disclosure

Just so you know, my site includes affiliate links from which I (it’s me! Rebecca!) receive payment or compensation. Something to consider as you peruse my website. Thanks!

Latest on Instagram

Does anyone else just love this feeling? ✨ Walk i Does anyone else just love this feeling? ✨

Walk into the sewing room, shut the door behind me, and suddenly all other problems disappear. 

A feeling we all know too well. 🙌

What are you sewing right now? Let me know in the comments! 💕

#quilthumor #quilterslife #quiltteacher #modernquilter
Comment ‘FREEZER’ to take my free class! Keep read Comment ‘FREEZER’ to take my free class! Keep reading for tip number four... 👇

Always print your templates at 100% scale.

Before cutting your fabric, measure the 1-inch test box on your template.

Even being slightly off can affect the accuracy of your blocks later on and lead to some BIG oopsies. 😅

This is one of those tiny steps that saves a LOT of frustration later... Speaking from experience, and more re-done blocks than I could ever count! 

Follow along @bryanhousequilts for more freezer paper piecing tips that will make your quilting life easier and more enjoyable along the way. 💕
Comment ‘FREE’ and i’ll send you straight to my fr Comment ‘FREE’ and i’ll send you straight to my free class where I’ll teach you the life-changing technique that made me fall in love with quilting. 💕 

You’ll even leave with a free modern triangle block pattern to start sewing on your own! 🪡

Drop ‘FREE’ below and start the new creative hobby you’ve been dreaming about. ✨

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
1️⃣ Make a test block. I know it’s tempting to s 1️⃣ Make a test block. 

I know it’s tempting to skip this step... I cannot tell you how many times I have skipped making a test block and ended up regretting it later. If I had just made the test block, it would have saved me HOURS and HOURS of seam ripping and re-sewing, so take my advice and just always make the test block! 

I have never regretted making a test block, but I have regretted not making one. 😅

2️⃣ Celebrate the ta-da moments.

I’m not talking about just the finished quilt. I mean EVERY moment along the journey that feels like a win. Picking your colors and fabrics, sewing that first block, the points that line up, arranging blocks onto the design wall... Celebrate as much as you can along the way. 

I think too many quilters rush past these moments because they’re just focused on the finish line, but quilting isn’t one big “ta-da!” It’s a bunch of little “ta-da” moments stitched together.

3️⃣ Learn the freezer paper piecing technique.

I’m not kidding when I say it completely changed my quilty life... The more I quilt, the more I realize that frustration doesn’t make a quilt more valuable. Struggling doesn’t make you a better quilter. A good process gives you more confidence, helps you enjoy the sewing, and frees up a lot of your time to keep quilting. It makes you want to come back tomorrow and sew another block! 

Quilting is meant to be enjoyed and there’s so much to learn along the way. These three things have been HUGE along my quilting journey, and I know they can make an impact on yours too. 

What’s one thing that has completely changed your quilting journey? Share in the comments. ✨

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
When I say I’ve tried it all, and quilting was the When I say I’ve tried it all, and quilting was the only thing that stuck, I MEAN IT! 😅

👉 Tried gardening, and all the plants would die before I got around to them. 
👉 Tried crochet, and discovered I can’t count that high (or just don’t want to!)
👉 Tried making kids’ clothes, and they always grew out of them before I could finish. 

But quilting? THAT’S my bread and butter. 

It was my mom who got me into quilting many years ago, and I’ve even been teaching quilting for over a decade. 

I’ve built a community of thousands of quilters from all over, at all ages and all skill levels. 

And the most important part of what we do is have FUN. 🙌

Comment ‘FREE’ if you want to learn and have some fun along the way, i’ll send you to my free class to get started. 💌

#modernquilting #quiltingtechnique #quiltpattern #quiltdesign #quiltersofig
FREEZER PAPER PIECING TIP NUMBER 3 ⬇️ Always prin FREEZER PAPER PIECING TIP NUMBER 3 ⬇️

Always print your templates at 100% scale. Most printers are accurate, however, the template size may be off by a smidge with some printers.

Make a test print on printer paper. Measure the 1-inch scale box to check accuracy. Run a test when this happens by changing the scale setting a percent at a time, then remeasure the scale box until it’s the same size as the original template. Like I said, it happens, but not often!

Some quilters find that freezer paper shrinks after it runs through a printer. Another reason to check the scale box! You can’t turn down the printer’s temperature, but you can pre-shrink it by pressing it onto parchment paper. Peel it off, and you’re ready to try again.

Even being slightly off can affect the accuracy of your blocks later on.

This is one of those tiny steps that saves a LOT of frustration later. 😅

Follow along @bryanhousequilts for freezer paper piecing tip number four coming next week! 💕

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltinggma quiltteacher
Follow on Instagram

Browse by Category

Archives

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • email
Does anyone else just love this feeling? ✨ Walk i Does anyone else just love this feeling? ✨

Walk into the sewing room, shut the door behind me, and suddenly all other problems disappear. 

A feeling we all know too well. 🙌

What are you sewing right now? Let me know in the comments! 💕

#quilthumor #quilterslife #quiltteacher #modernquilter
Comment ‘FREEZER’ to take my free class! Keep read Comment ‘FREEZER’ to take my free class! Keep reading for tip number four... 👇

Always print your templates at 100% scale.

Before cutting your fabric, measure the 1-inch test box on your template.

Even being slightly off can affect the accuracy of your blocks later on and lead to some BIG oopsies. 😅

This is one of those tiny steps that saves a LOT of frustration later... Speaking from experience, and more re-done blocks than I could ever count! 

Follow along @bryanhousequilts for more freezer paper piecing tips that will make your quilting life easier and more enjoyable along the way. 💕
Comment ‘FREE’ and i’ll send you straight to my fr Comment ‘FREE’ and i’ll send you straight to my free class where I’ll teach you the life-changing technique that made me fall in love with quilting. 💕 

You’ll even leave with a free modern triangle block pattern to start sewing on your own! 🪡

Drop ‘FREE’ below and start the new creative hobby you’ve been dreaming about. ✨

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
1️⃣ Make a test block. I know it’s tempting to s 1️⃣ Make a test block. 

I know it’s tempting to skip this step... I cannot tell you how many times I have skipped making a test block and ended up regretting it later. If I had just made the test block, it would have saved me HOURS and HOURS of seam ripping and re-sewing, so take my advice and just always make the test block! 

I have never regretted making a test block, but I have regretted not making one. 😅

2️⃣ Celebrate the ta-da moments.

I’m not talking about just the finished quilt. I mean EVERY moment along the journey that feels like a win. Picking your colors and fabrics, sewing that first block, the points that line up, arranging blocks onto the design wall... Celebrate as much as you can along the way. 

I think too many quilters rush past these moments because they’re just focused on the finish line, but quilting isn’t one big “ta-da!” It’s a bunch of little “ta-da” moments stitched together.

3️⃣ Learn the freezer paper piecing technique.

I’m not kidding when I say it completely changed my quilty life... The more I quilt, the more I realize that frustration doesn’t make a quilt more valuable. Struggling doesn’t make you a better quilter. A good process gives you more confidence, helps you enjoy the sewing, and frees up a lot of your time to keep quilting. It makes you want to come back tomorrow and sew another block! 

Quilting is meant to be enjoyed and there’s so much to learn along the way. These three things have been HUGE along my quilting journey, and I know they can make an impact on yours too. 

What’s one thing that has completely changed your quilting journey? Share in the comments. ✨

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
Follow on Instagram
© 2026 Bryan House Quilts