My Cloud Dancer

When I first saw the 2026 Pantone Color of the Year announced - Cloud Dancer - I thought hmmm. White. For tradition-sake, my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness went ahead and ordered us Pantone swatch cards, and the first thing I noticed, was that it was definitely not white-white. At least not Kona White (on the left below); and though closer, it wasn't Kona Snow (on the right below) either.

So of course, I chose to consult my color cards and see what seemed closest. I was surprised to find just two colors I was inclined to order - Cotton Couture Soft White and Painters Palette Rice Paper, shown left and center below with Kona Snow on the right. In the natural light of my studio window, my first choice for a match is the CC Soft White.

As you may have heard, the 2026 Pantone Quilt Challenge is calling for a white-ish quilt.

From the challenge rules:

• Aim for roughly 90% white and 10% anything else.
• "White'"can include: creams, off-whites, beiges, very pale versions of other hues, and low volume prints.

Personally, I'll be using a combination of these in my quilt project (top-bottom below):

• Kona White
• Essex White
• Diamond Textiles Top Stitch in White
• Painters Palette Rice Paper
• Cotton Couture Soft White

Though.... I also have a pile of Essex Homespun Yarn Dyed in Natural scraps that I think would be a good addition, so that's my plan. I'm tentatively thinking of adding a color somewhere in the process, but time will tell. Meanwhile, I have the inklings of a design idea, and can't wait to get started.

Cloud Dancer

Unexpected, underwhelming, unimpressive, ridiculous. Those were all reactions from folks in the quilting community yesterday when Pantone announced their 2026 Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer. "A lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection. A billowy white imbued with serenity, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer encourages true relaxation and focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe, making room for innovation." Hmmm. I honestly don't know what to think, but admit to some disappointment.

But as is tradition, I'll share my Pantone-inspired quilts from the past several years.... 

:: Mocha Mousse 2025 :: "Brew"

:: Peach Fuzz 2024 :: "Keen"

:: Viva Magenta 2023 :: "Verve"

:: Very Peri 2022 :: "Red Cross Meets Very Peri"

:: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating 2021 :: "Some Like It Medium"

:: Classic Blue 2020 :: "Utterly Blue"

:: Living Coral 2019 :: "Timeless"

:: Ultra Violet 2018 :: "Grape Fizzy"

:: Greenery 2017 :: "Evergreenery"

:: Rose Quartz and Serenity 2016 :: "Pantone Meets Bias Tape"

:: Marsala 2015 :: "Sizzling"

:: Radiant Orchid 2014 :: "Radiancy"

:: Emerald 2013 :: "An Emerald Table"

:: Tangerine Tango 2012 :: "Tangerisk"

It'll be interesting to see what the selection of white(!) means as far as the upcoming Pantone Quilt Challenge 2026 next spring. Now hosted by Sarah @bysarahruiz and Audrey @cottonandbourbon, debate is underway on what the challenge should look like. So stay tuned!

Pantone Quilt Challenge Fabric Pull

After weeks of anticipating the Pantone Quilt Challenge @PantoneQuiltChallenge hosted by Elizabeth @elizabethkray and Sarah @bysarahruiz, I finally came up with an inspiration design idea while out shopping last week. That motivated me to run home and pull some fabrics that might work their way into my project.

I pulled a variety of substrates and colors, bottom to top:

Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun in Natural

Painter's Palette Mocha - My choice for a 'match' for Mocha Mousse

Essex Yarn-Dyed Nutmeg

Crossed in Sand from Diamond Textiles

Essex Yarn-Dyed Espresso

Noodlehead Around the Bend floral print on Essex Roasted Pecan

Kona Biscuit

Kona Earth

Kona Stone

So now I just need to get started! Hoping to share some progress soon-ish, as the #PantoneQuiltChallenge2025 runs only through April 28! Here's all the details.

Mocha Mousse

With very little fanfare, Pantone announced their 2025 Color of the Year yesterday, Mocha Mousse. 

Received with somewhat skeptical reviews - at least on their IG post - I personally kinda love it. And with Sarah @saroy and Elizabeth @elizabethkray hosting the Pantone Quilt Challenge 2025 next spring, I'll definitely be playing with it. Daughter dear, Rachel @snippetsofsweetness has already ordered our official Pantone swatches, so I'll be searching for good fabric matches in the months ahead.

Meanwhile, I can't resist sharing a review of my previous Pantone-inspired quilts. It's tradition! Next year will make 14(!) years.

:: Peach Fuzz 2024 :: "Keen"

:: Viva Magenta 2023 :: "Verve"

:: Very Peri 2022 :: "Red Cross Meets Very Peri"

:: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating 2021 :: "Some Like It Medium"

:: Classic Blue 2020 :: "Utterly Blue"

:: Living Coral 2019 :: "Timeless"

:: Ultra Violet 2018 :: "Grape Fizzy"

:: Greenery 2017 :: "Evergreenery"

:: Rose Quartz and Serenity 2016 :: "Pantone Meets Bias Tape"

:: Marsala 2015 :: "Sizzling"

:: Radiant Orchid 2014 :: "Radiancy"

:: Emerald 2013 :: "An Emerald Table"

:: Tangerine Tango 2012 :: "Tangerisk"

So what do you think? Like it or not, do you anticipate dabbling with Mocha Mousse in the new year? If you haven't joined in the Pantone Quilt Challenge before, I encourage you to. It's always a fun challenge with amazing results.

Peach Fuzz

Color me surprised! This morning, Pantone announced their Color of the Year 2024, Peach Fuzz! 

Not what I expected at all! In fact, not on my current list of favorites by a long shot, but I see Sarah @saroy and Elizabeth @elizabethkray will be hosting the #PanroneQuiltChallenge2024 next year, and I'm game! Liking a color - or not - has never been a prerequisite to my enjoying the challenge of playing with the Pantone color.

Keeping with tradition, this will be my 13th(!) year creating with the Pantone COTY. Just for fun, here's a review of my previous Pantone-inspired creations. It's tradition!

:: Viva Magenta 2023 :: "Verve"

:: Very Peri 2022 :: "Red Cross Meets Very Peri"

:: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating 2021 :: "Some Like It Medium"

:: Classic Blue 2020 :: "Utterly Blue"

:: Living Coral 2019 :: "Timeless"

:: Ultra Violet 2018 :: "Grape Fizzy"

:: Greenery 2017 :: "Evergreenery"

:: Rose Quartz and Serenity 2016 :: "Pantone Meets Bias Tape"

:: Marsala 2015 :: "Sizzling"

:: Radiant Orchid 2014 :: "Radiancy"

:: Emerald 2013 :: "An Emerald Table"

:: Tangerine Tango 2012 :: "Tangerisk"

So are you game? Like it or not, can you see yourself giving Peach Fuzz a try in the new year?

My Viva Magenta

Keeping with tradition, I set out to see if I could find a reasonably close fabric match to this year's Pantone Color of the Year, Viva Magenta. With Sarah @saroy and Elizabeth @elizabethkray co-hosting the 2023 Pantone Quilt Challenge, I definetely had plenty of incentive. But let's just say this year is proving to be one of the most difficult ones yet!

Here were my candidates (L-R): 

Essex Crimson 

Peppered Cotton Garnet 

Alison Glass' Kaleidoscope Strawberry 

Kona Wine 

Kona Crush

Kona Pomegranate

Pure Solids Dragonfruit

Cotton Couture Fuchsia

Painter's Palette Raspberry

Note that the first three - Essex, Peppered Cotton, and Kaleidoscope - were ordered purely as different substrate options to quilter's cotton, which I sometimes enjoy including in a project like this. Ordered purely due to the color they appeared on screen when ordering and/or their name, none are even close matches to Viva Magenta. But the Kaleidoscope especially could prove to be an interesting contrast to include. We'll see.

So that left the six solids shown below with the official Pantone color card, in the same order as the photo above. Thanks again to my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness for ordering the swatch cards for us. We really enjoy having the actual swatch to compare to.

From the fabric I had in my stash as I was beginning my 'research,' Kona Wine was the closest, even though it was definitely darker.

In my opinion, Kona Crush - the Kona Color of the Year - wasn't even close.

The rest of the fabrics, I ordered. I consulted Sarah's blog post and Steph's @stephskardal mobile app “A Quilty Solid” (before the latest update) before choosing some possible fabric options. In my mind, three of the fabrics I chose were obviously way too pink to be considered a close match: (L-R) Kona Pomegranate, Cotton Couture Fuchsia, and Painter's Palette Raspberry.

That left Pure Solids Dragonfruit, which Rachel and I think is the best match from this group of fabrics. And yes, I took them all to Rachel for her to confirm what I thought I was seeing.

We actually thought that the trio below - Kona Wine, Pure Solids Dragonfruit, and Kaleidoscope Strawberry - might be nice to use together. But I'll see once I come up with a plan.

I'm curious to see what other folks doing the challenge choose as their Viva Magenta. Unless someone shares that they have found a very close match, I don't epect to order any more fabric options at this point. It's not an exact science, of course, but it's been fun to explore just the same.