Ramona Byrd

"When I'd commented on my sound sleep, ... Abby informed me that my quilt could be thanked for my restful night. The bold blue and yellow rosettes pieced together with muslin, now aged to a pale ivory, were really hex signs. The rosette was the sign for good luck ... blue the color of protection, and yellow the color of health."
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The science of color is well known to the architect of fast food restaurants.
They use the "hot" colors to make you hungry, eat fast and leave. Businesses
that handle money by the million will mainly have subdued browns, greys, cream and bits of black. Very little real colors. Calm colors spell "Class".

Some police departments are said to have "pink" rooms that they put extra
violent prisoners in so they can be fingerprinted and photographed.

My school teacher daughter said that her class will act up when there is too many reds and oranges, but will remain calm if there is a lot of pinks around.

And I read once where in a school for blind children, even they would calm
down in rooms painted a calming pinkish, and become irritated in rooms that
were painted "hot colors". And these were totally blind children.

So, maybe there is something magic about colors. We feel "blue" when we are
depressed. We're "in the pink" when we feel upbeat. We're in a "black mood" which does not need explaining.

So why can't a pretty quilt be kinda magic? I believe in it!! I love my colorful
quilts and hope the ones I give them to do too!!

Lisanne

Ramona, there is a definitely science and psychology to color.

In the book, it sounded like color and pattern gave magical meaning to the quilt. I was wondering if there was some kind of quilting-related color symbolism, the way different color roses have acquired different meanings - red for romantic live, pink, white and yellow for friendship and whatever.

It could well be that she made it up - or that we don't have any witches in our midst to inform us. <g>

Scissor Queen

Do you really think if there was somebody on this board even slightly familiar with witchcraft they'd admit it? My guess would be only if they want to be totally ostracised. I'm sure if you really want to know there are bound to be ways to look it up on the internet.

sandpat

Oh I think if someone knew, they would certainly admit it here...I've seen and read all kinds of stuff on here that I might not have posted...but hey...we love 'em all here!!! :roll: :wink: :lol: :lol:

adrianlee

Geez! Just when we all thought quilting was a nice quite little craft to be in. I guess anyone can make a reference to color or design and put another definition to it. Also depends on the culture you come from. We all want our quilts to have that special feeling of love to those we gift and those who use the the quilt.

zz-pd

No never herd of it.

Lisanne

What is there about using a pattern or color to infuse health and protection into a quilt that is not nice? Not all witchcraft is evil. (Not that I believe in it.)

carroll

Never heard of something like that/

Scissor Queen

Actually very little witchcraft is evil. Especially as practiced by those who call themselves Wiccans.

Lisanne

Scissor Queen, sorry, I completely missed this post of yours before.

I see your point, but saying you know something about witchcraft is quite different from saying you practice it or even that you believe in it.

And I don't think the majority of the people here, whatever their religion, are so close-minded that they would shun a person who admits to being Wiccan or practicing witchcraft. Probably the majority of us would be curious and interested in knowing more.

My question doesn't even require a belief in witchcraft. I mean, many of us enjoy reading our horoscopes now and then, even if we don't really believe in them. So if there's some lore about using color or pattern to imbue a quilt with certain qualities, we might enjoy making quilts according to those ideas even if we don't believe there's anything to it.

I mean, we already have the cultural practice of not making pink or purple baby quilts for boys. Those same people who insist colors can't have powers are sometimes the first to fear that using those colors for baby boys will make them effeminate or worse.