In this episode, I share why colour is important when cross stitching and how your mood/seasons/weather can affect what colours and designs you are drawn to.

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Colour in Cross Stitch

Some people cross stitch for the act of stitching – they don’t care what it is that they are stitching as long as they are doing it. However, I would say most people have to enjoy the design to enjoy the act.

This sounds strange on the surface – if you’re stitching, what does it matter what the design is or what colours you are using?

But it does matter, and I have seen this time and time again. Just recently, I was stitching a lot of yellow in a design and wasn’t enjoying it at all. At the time, it was winter, and I wasn’t feeling particularly sunny or warm. And although it may have helped induce some of these feelings, it just didn’t feel right; it didn’t match the mood I was in.

Mel, in the Cross Stitch Club, also recently shared how she was making a quilt with fabric she hated and so she wasn’t enjoying the making.

Different designs and colours will suit different people, but let’s dive into some colours and how they might influence you and change how much you like stitching them. Although colours can influence us, I will be sharing how to pick colours depending on the mood and season you are in.

There are tons of colours on the spectrum, but I am going to stick with the main groups.

Red

Red is associated with love, passion, anger, power and danger. In a design it can be bold and add to a room that needs a bit of fire. However, it can also be a visual strain if there is too much red.

I don’t use a lot of red in designs as it’s not a colour I am drawn to much, but I do use a lot of pink and burgundy.

When I think of red, I mainly think of Christmas. To me, red belongs in a Christmas design. If I were stitching red in the month of August for a non-Christmas design, I would not enjoy it.

 I also think of flowers and fruit with red and have used it sparingly in Spring/floral designs. Just recently, I was out and about in shops, and strawberries were everywhere, as was gingham. I think this Summer, red will be a big design colour, paired with blue for that picnic feel.

And of course if you celebrate Valentine’s day, red might be something you use a lot in designs around February.

In the home, I would hang desings with a bit of red in in an area where you might need some energy – a home gym or maybe the bedroom. It can also work well in bathrooms.

So if you are feeling Christmassy or like you want to bring that picnic theme into your home – put a little sprinkle of red in your designs.

Orange

Orange represents optimism, self-confidence and is a general positive colour.

I am more of a fan of the burnt orange colour, however in the height of Summer, orange can add such a tropical splash to designs.

I like how bold it can be and use it a lot in flowers – Rumble in the Jungle, Tropical Vibes and Bloom 22 all featured bright orange and I loved stithcing them in the warm weather.

On the flip side, it is great for Autumn/Fall too. Pumpkins and leaves and golden sunsets. I love stitching Autumn designs.

I love finsihed orange designs in the kitchen.

Overall, orange is a nice, well-rounded colour using its different shades. If you are feeling warm, whether it’s warm from the weather or warm because you’re happy it’s finally Autumn, stitching orange can reflect this.

Yellow

 Yellow represents the mind, intellect, happiness and also creativity. Being “bright”, i.e. clever, is associated with yellow – the lightest colour on the spectrum.

 It can be over-stimulating when used too much, and apparently babies cry more in yellow rooms!

I used to HATE the colour yellow. And then I got a yellow raincoat when Annie was born and wore it all the time that she just figured my favourite colour was yellow. I don’t actually have a favourite colour, but I went along with it.

I really have to be in the mood for yellow, as I said at the start of this episode.

To me, when it comes to designs, yellow is a colour I like to use for Eater – it is a Spring colour. Daffodils and flowers and sunshine. Of course, golden yellows can be fun for Autumn designs too, but I do lean more towards orange for those.

Again, the kitchen for finished yellow designs, or if you have somewhere you create or work, a bit of yellow would be good in there too.

If you are feeling like a fresh start, a new day, the beginning of a new cycle, you will probably enjoy stitching with yellow. A month after stitching the design I hated because it was so yellow, I had my nails painted yellow for easter. I have, just last night, purchased a yellow top. It is all ebbs and flows, and this is why I wanted to do this episode.

Green

 Green represents nature, balance and growth as well as wealth and even jealousy.

If I had to pick a favourite colour, it would probably be a shade of green – turquoise or mint or sea green. I wear a lot of green clothes – I have grey/green leggings on right now. It can help calm you down, so maybe my anxious brain is drawn to it for that reason.

Green is an absolute all-arounder for me when it comes to cross stitching. Christmas greens, to forest greens, to jungle greens, a lot of my designs have some elements of green in them.

I think for hanging a finished green design, I would go for the bedroom. It is the one place where you should be totally relaxed and so having some green cross stitch designs hanging there will help with that.

So if you want to connect back to nature or cross stitch is your calm place, you won’t go wrong with stitching some green.

Blue

Blue represents trust, serenity and peace. It creates a sense of space and is the most universally favoured colour.

I really love blue, probably because it is so close to green. Unlike red, you can use a lot of blue in designs and it won’t overwhelm your senses – in fact, it will calm them.

Most people hang blue designs in the bathroom, but if we add in a little feng sui here, the bathroom does not need any added blue and there is a reason why I released my bathroom design, it was browns and pinks.

Blue again, I love it for the bedroom or hallways.

I don’t actually use a lot of blue in my designs, but I do love stitching on blue fabric. Navy blue pairs great with Christmas colours or even bright, light colours.

If you are in a reflective mood, maybe on holiday or on a break somewhere, at the beach, a design with a lot of blue in is something you would probably enjoy.

Purple

Purple represents imagination, spirituality, and luxury.

I do enjoy the colour purple – one of my favourite summer outfits is a matching, pale purple shorts and shirt set.

I don’t use it a lot in designs unless it’s Halloween, but lately I have been playing around with something mostly purple based, because when I do stitch with it, I love it so much.

Purple for me though, it’s definitely the colour of magic and again, it is a fabric I like stitching on, especially for Halloween.

In the home, I think it can look great in any room, because it mixes red and blue, so you have both the cool and warmth.

If you are feeling magical, bookish (I love purple in book designs) and almost child-like, then you will probably be in the mood for purple.

Brown

Brown represents grounding, reliability, maturity and wisdom.

Most people hate the colour brown, but I am not one of them. I wear a lot of brown and I use it a lot in designs. It can bring a design back down to earth a little when needed. Solid book shelves, or books themselves, trees – sometimes it’s a needed part to bring a design together.

Hanging designs with a lot of brown can be perfect in the bathroom. It adds some earth to a watery room.

If you are maybe starting a new school/course, etc, you might be more in the mood for brown or if you’re on a camping trip. Brown is a colour that you can’t really get away from, so although you might not always enjoy stitching with it, I think there are ways to make it more fun – pairing it with light, youthful colours, for example.

Pink

Pink represents gentle love, tenderness and innocence.

You might not think it, looking at my designs, but I am not a big pink person when it comes to decorating and what I wear. I think I own one pink top (and a pink outfit from when I went to see the singer Pink). None of my home is decorated pink.

However, I LOVE using it in my cross stitch designs, and when I found out about pink’s connection to innocence and youth and silliness, I knew that was the reason. Cross stitch connects me to that child-like part of myself. Some people call this a granny hobby, but it only makes me feel young. It connects me back to that creative, carefree self.

I would hang a design with pink in it in any room in the house. I have a bathroom design in pinks in my bathroom, a book design in pinks in my bedroom, a cross stitch clock in pinks in my office.

I personally am almost always in the mood for pinks, but I definitely lean towards this colour more in the spring and summer. So if you are like me and cross stitch makes you feel young and creative, pink is always a good idea to include in designs.

Final thoughts

Of course, most designs are a mix of all sorts of colours in but some have one colour that is used more than the rest. Sometimes designs only just one colour. I have recently started a bubble tea pattern series in The Cross Stitch Club, and each tea uses different shades of one colour. Can you guess what the first 2 were? A pink tea and then a green tea.

The point in this episode really is to show you that you don’t need to feel guilty if you put a project down because you’re not in the mood for those colours or that design right now. Pick it back up when the season changes, or your mood shifts, or the holiday comes around again.

And of course, the point was an excuse to talk about colour because as I have said before, picking colours for designs is one of my favourite things to do.

 I hope this episode helps you think a little more next time you are choosing a pattern or choosing your colours. Just ask yourself what mood you’re in and what colours you are drawn to in that moment.

Happy stihcng!

Extra episodes and posts

• 5 Spring rituals
• How to plan your Summer reading list
• How to Design Cross Stitch Patterns
• Why I wrote a cross stitch book
• Are you really relaxing?

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