After the pattern, colour is one of the most important parts of a textile project – but it can also be one of the most intimidating, especially when picking out colours for complex projects. Many knitters, crocheters, quilters, stitchers and other textile art makers think they’re “bad” at colour, but there are many systems for understanding and applying colour that you can borrow from visual artists! In this class, artist and textile designer Amanda Rataj will share some of her favourite ways to play with colour. We’ll begin by exploring your personal colour preferences through some simple creative exercises that demonstrate design principles like colour harmony, value, and saturation, and build personal palettes that you can apply to your next project.

The goal of this workshop is to be creative and have FUN – no prior colour experience, knitting or crochet experience required. Participants should bring a notebook to draw or make notes in, scissors for paper, and, if you’d like, a pattern you want to make. If you have preferred art materials like markers or pencil crayons, feel free to bring them along!