Whether you’re just starting your embroidery journey or you’re a seasoned stitcher, one thing that never fails to elevate a project is a thoughtfully chosen colour palette. Picking complimentary colour combinations can add vibrancy, depth, and a professional polish to your hand embroidery projects.
But if choosing colours feels overwhelming, don’t worry — we’ve got tools and tips to make your creative process smoother (and way more fun!).
Why Complimentary Colours Matter in Embroidery
Complimentary colours are hues that sit opposite each other on the colour wheel — think blue and orange, purple and yellow, or red and green. When used together, they create high contrast and high impact, making your embroidery stand out in a bold and beautiful way.
In embroidery, where textures and details are key, colour contrast helps highlight your stitches, outlines, and designs. It can make a simple motif pop or turn a basic floral pattern into something gallery-worthy.
Tools to Find the Perfect Colour Combos
Luckily, you don’t have to guess your way through colour theory. These two free tools are game changers:
- TinEye Multicolr Search Lab
This tool lets you explore color palettes pulled from thousands of images on Flickr. Simply input a few colours and it’ll show you photographs using those tones — perfect for getting inspiration that actually works in real life. - Sessions College Color Calculator
A user-friendly colour wheel tool where you can choose a base colour and explore complimentary, analogous, triadic, or split-complementary schemes. Great for planning cohesive and aesthetically pleasing embroidery palettes.
How to Apply This to Your Embroidery Projects
- Start with a theme or mood: Are you going for soft and romantic, or bold and modern? This will guide your base colour.
- Choose a main colour: Pick one dominant thread colour to anchor your palette.
- Find its complement: Use the Sessions calculator to find a complementary colour — this could be your accent for outlines, details, or background fills.
- Use TinEye for visual inspiration: Plug in your palette to see real-world applications and get ideas for additional supporting colours (like neutrals or highlight tones).
- Test swatches: Before committing to stitching, try a few stitches on scrap fabric to make sure your colours play well together under real lighting.
🌟 Extra Tips for Gorgeous Embroidery Colour Combos
- Use variegated threads to add depth while staying within a colour family.
- Stick to 3-5 colours max to avoid visual clutter.
- Balance bold colours with softer or neutral tones.
- Don’t be afraid of contrast — it’s what makes a design pop!
- Keep a colour journal or mood board with fabric swatches, thread samples, and screenshots from tools like TinEye.
Looking for seasonal inspiration? Don’t miss our previous post on Spring Colour Palettes for Embroidery Projects — it’s full of fresh, floral-toned combos to spark your creativity!