Mad for Solids 2018: Introducing the Sweet Sixteen

March Madness isn’t just for basketball fans… we’ve got a game for fabric lovers too. Our Painter’s Palette Solids collection contains 168 mouth-watering silky smooth colors, and we’ve asked sixteen quilters to each curate a palette of eight fabrics. 

We’ve placed the sixteen curated palettes into a bracket. Each day we’ll post a “game” in which two brackets will compete.  Vote for your favorite on Instagram, Facebook, and Inspired by Fabric (one vote per medium per day, please). The palette with the most votes each day advances.

***Voting runs Sunday, March 18th through Monday, April 1st*** Besides helping your favorite palette advance, why should you vote?  To win fabric!  We’ll randomly select four winners from the championship game voting to receive fat quarter bundles of the winning palette. Help your favorite palette advance all the way to the championship game!

Now onto the part you've all been waiting for: The 2018 Sweet Sixteen!

Introducing all 16 palettes:

Tiffany Lights

Linda @flourishingpalms

This bundle is inspired by the colors found in two stained glass color wheels made by the famous designer and artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. These interlocking wheels were placed at the base of a fountain, and as water filled and flowed out of the fountain, the water was infused with an ever-changing rainbow of colored lights.

Prosecco & Cream by the Sea

Jayne @twiggyandopal

My inspiration for this bundle was a recent trip my daughter and I took to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida. This is a celebration of mother and daughter memories--from the bubbly golden prosecco we popped on our first night, to the delicious ice cream we had every day. The colors engulf you with a relaxing warmth that only a tropical setting in winter could!

Tequila Sunrise

Christine @ccpquilt

I’ve always wanted to design a quilt around the soft range of colors from a sunset, tequila sunrise was born out of this desire but constrained with the guiding influence of choosing colors that I do not typically work with. Orange has always been a difficult color for me to embrace but so many influential people in my life live in these vibrant warm tones.

Lake Tahoe

Cynthia @ahhhquilting

My bundle was inspired by a photo I took while visiting Lake Tahoe last fall. The photo was of a row of colorful paddle boards lined up on the shore near a dock.  I chose all the colors directly from the paddle boards, beautiful shades of blues, green and gray. 

Cartagena

Stephanie @spontaneousthreads

This bundle reflects the door, window and building colors from a recent trip to Cartagena, Colombia. That city glows with a vibrant Caribbean vibe that is ever so slightly muted by the bright equatorial sun. 

Heirloom Opal

Shelley @shelleybrooksquilts

Have you ever seen an Australian opal?  From a dark background that's maybe black or darkest purple comes flashing bits of color in greens, blues, and turquoise.  It reminds me of the Northern Lights - a phenomena I've never personally seen but would love to.  The beauty of an opal is that you have this miraculous combination of colors and glowing light contained in a piece of jewelry.  Almost makes it seem magical to wear one.  I've been working on a pattern to, hopefully, illustrate the beauty and sparkle.  Check my feed to see how this beautiful stack of colors will be transformed....

Spring Fling

Cheryl @meadowmistdesigns

For this bundle, I was inspired by the changing seasons to create a fun and colorful bundle that is perfect for spring.

Winter Break

Jackie @jskarritt

My bundle is a collection of colors I associate with the transitional time from winter to spring, dormancy awakening to life again!

Peach Blossom Festival

Cindy @liveacolorfullife

Here in the central valley of California, the fruit trees are in full bloom and you see acres of orchards in beautiful colors, all the way from bright pink to white. It's a beautiful time of year.

Re-Set

Simone @simone.g.b

This is a collection of new spring colors. The bundle has refreshing colors like Tomato, Tangerine, Daisy, Apple & Bright Aqua. It also includes two staples like Abyss & Snow to balance out the bundle and to help extend the range of colors when used in sewing projects. 

Northern Lights

Elizabeth @occasionalpiecequilt

We recently watched a movie about surfing in the Arctic's icy-cold waters, with stunning shots of the Northern Lights. I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights, and am fascinated by their cool spectrum of color.

Dance in the Glasshouse

Rene @renecreates

My bundle is inspired by a recent visit to the Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, Washington. I was enthralled with the colorful glass art objects in the galleries as well as in the outdoor gardens. Photographs cannot capture the brilliance of the exhibits, though I certainly tried. I was fortunate to experience the gardens during the day as well as in the evening after dark. If only their Dance in the Glasshouse program was available during my visit; instead I’ll create my own Dance in the Glasshouse quilt with these luscious Painter's Palette solids.

Santa Fe Style

Sheri @wholecirclestudio

I recently travelled to the high desert of New Mexico to visit family. I never imagined how peaceful and beautiful the area would be. Everything about the area is spectacular — from the landscapes to the handcrafted items, including pottery and rugs. My inspiration for this collection is the color palettes I discovered during my trip. 

Glory of the 80's

Marci @marci_girl

Inspired my childhood in the 1980's, all the great things I loved, flamingos, Sanrio, Little Twin Star, plastic charms, stickers, boom boxes, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears.  Taking all those memories and updating the color palette into something a little more modern and totally 2018.

Mid Century Mod

Tania @iamgingerq

She wore a dress of shell pink, applied her salmon lipstick and arranged a flower her pale silver hair.  She sipped from her lemon ice as she waited for Poseidon, watching as the setting sun cast a green sheen over the pale aqua ocean.

Hullabaloo

Maria @talesofastitcher

Hullabaloo means uproar or commotion which is certainly part of March Madness and this color palette. I wanted to use colors that challenge traditional notions of what goes together in a quilt. I also wanted to create an underdog—a palette that just might take the brackets even though at first look it appears that these fabrics would never play together let alone make a champion team. 

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See all 168 Painter’s Palette Solids colors here. 

See you Sunday for Game 1 voting!