Maria Peagler hosts top fabric and quilt designers Marcus Fabrics, Barbara Campbell, Yolanda Fundora, Edyta Sitar and more offering insider advice on using blue in your color palette.

1. 5 Fresh Ways to Use Blue in a Color Palette June 2010 Color of the Month presented by Maria Peagler, author, Color Mastery

2. 1. Update a Classic “ Laura Berringer updates classic blue paisley in her Blue Storm fabric with rich starburst flower motifs, for a great design you can ‘dress up or down’ according to your creative moods.” — Lisa Shepard Stewart, Marketing Manager, Marcus Fabrics View entire Blue Storm collection online at Marcus website.

3. 2. Be a Romantic “ I chose to use mostly blue prints of the three colorways of the Honeymoon Cottage fabric line by Blue Hill Fabrics. I threw in a little pink and gold to spark it up, but I find the softness of the blue very calming. It has an elegant feel with the lace, floral and gingham prints. ” —Barbara Campbell , Blue Hill Fabrics

4. 3. Get Inspired by Nature “ For me, deep, rich blue is the color of deep summer and my heavenly blue morning glories encircling my front porch entrance. This quilt and the fabric were both designed in their honor and in thanksgiving for the joy they bring me." — Yolanda Fundora Avignon Fabric Collection for Blank Quilting

5. 4. Let the Fabric Do the Work “ Blue is one of my favorite colors. My Let it Snow Favorites fabric collection is different varieties of winter blues with snowflakes on them. One of the fabrics has 8 different snowflakes on it. You can use that piece to cut out beautiful big snowflakes for a center of blocks for your quilt.” — Edyta Sitar, Laundry Basket Quilts

6. 5. Go Patriotric “ I updated the traditional red, white, and blue color palette by using a variety of different blues. I enjoy the visual richness of using a range of fabrics that use similar colors, while offering different prints, scales, and textures. I also combined deep red fabrics and pure red rick-rack. They play well without having to match.” — Maria Peagler Stars & Stripes pattern & kit 2010 Color-of-the-Month series

7. For more information on using blue in your quilt’s color palette, check out Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts , available at your local quilt shop, Amazon , and my online store . Look for Maria’s latest book, The Frugal Fabriholic: Your 12-Step Plan for Saving More for Your Quilting Stash, available at Amazon’s Kindle store, the iPad bookstore, and Smashwords.com http://quiltsandcreativity.com http://www.colormastery.com http://www.twitter.com/colormaster http://www.facebook/colormaster Winner, Benjamin Franklin Award, Best Craft Book Of the Year!