Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
Use for posts written in 2017
Colleen emailed me and told me that The Peacock has been quilted and is ready for me to pick up.
I have to admit that I was kind of wondering where it was, so I was glad to get the email. The feathers look great and I can’t wait to see the rest.
I also can’t wait to finish it and get some fabric usage in the win column.
The first thing I noticed about this chapter was the sidebar on the chapter’s image. It says “Phoenix, Arizona yoga teacher Anton Mackey encourages students to turn off their minds and look within by closing their eyes as they practice their yoga: ‘You don’t need to see the pose, you just need to feel it.’ Trust your body to take you where you need to go.” (pg.56).
What I thought it said was that the teacher could teach students to turn off their mind. I got a much more adamant message from the sidebar than what is actually there. I need someone to tell the way to turn off my mind, because when I am not listening to something (usually an audiobook), my mind is reeling. This chapter’s main message is that “…sometimes you just need to get out of your head.” (pg.57). I do need to get out of my head, but I also find that if I let my head roam free for awhile, it goes crazy at first and then settles down to some interesting and, possibly, enlightening commentary.
Some of this chapter is about moving your body. I don’t want to use the word exercise, which has a billion nasty connotations, but moving my body helps my mind. “Regular exercise increases the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the brain and body.”(pg.57). More blood to the brain means more creativity, right?
The whole package, blood, brain and quietening the mind, is about providing “…space between yourself and your thoughts.”… “For creativity, it is important to turn off the incessant chatter of your mind and to bypass the intellect…” (pg.57) I really believe this. I listen to audiobooks when I am sewing, but more and more I am turning off the story to just be with my fabric. Sometimes I get the monkey mind and incessant intercranial chatter. More and more, I get peace. It is practice.
Is it connected that I exercise regularly (and I am not trying to make anyone who doesn’t move as much as I do feel bad-I am not judging!)? “The mind often seeks the comfort of the rational solution, the safety of habits and the status quo. It’s filled with those dudes that limit us: critic, judge, axman of dreams.”(pg.58). These guys are quieter when I exercise. I don’t always push myself, but I do always get my heart rate up and sweat. The more I do those things, the quieter the monkeys tend to be.
“Creativity comes from innocence, openness, curiosity, and playfulness.” (pg.58) and there are other ways to achieve these things than exercise. Exercise, IMO, is kind of a shortcut. “Your rational mind doesn’t always serve you. It can impede your intuition and the strong messages you are receiving. Learn to turn it off so you can get to the business of tending to your soul,” (pg.58) improving your creative self and being creative more frequently and without fear.
Nota bene: we are working through Carrie Bloomston’s book, The Little Spark. Buy it. Support the artist. There is a lot more to each spark than what I am writing and the original chapters will help you. Go buy Carrie Bloomston’s book, so you get the full benefit of her fabulousness! You can see my book review, which is what started this flight of fancy.
You can find the last spark on the blog a few weeks ago.
Yes, I cut out another tote. Are you screaming at me? 😉
Cutting out and prepping the Poolside Tote at the Scruffy Quilts Sewcial went so well that I decided to repeat the happiness with the Boxcar Tote. There were several factors:
Also, I need to get this tote done in the next week or so as it is a gift I am giving in the next two weeks.
I bought this pattern on a whim from Hawthorne Threads in April. I liked the shape and thought this would be a great bag for a friend. I have a number of bag patterns waiting to be cut out, so I kind of surprised myself by gathering the materials for this one then finding an opportunity to cut it out relatively quickly considering when I bought it.
Again, the Sewcial provided the right kind of space and also a bit of sociability which enabled me to cut out this pattern and prep the pieces for construction.
I am using some cactus fabric I bought plus some of the winnings from the recent BAMaQG meeting.
It wasn’t all peaches and roses as I ran out of the stiffener. Fortunately, oh so fortunately, Scruffy had something similar and I was able to move on. Still, it took me less than 3 hours to cut out and apply the stiffener to the fabric (one side was fusible).
I was annoyed at the pattern, because the designer expected me to cut out square pattern pieces, pin them to fabric and cut the whole mess out. For non-square pattern pieces, I always make a tracing paper pattern, so the original stays pristine. Since these were squares and rectangles, I measured them and cut them out with a rotary cutter, not using a paper pattern. Not sure why the designer didn’t tell me the size of the rectangles. It wasn’t rocket science and seems like a crucial piece of information. I’d like to make another one so I wrote the sizes on the pattern and cut them out with a ruler.
This is a pattern with all squares and rectangles, which means I will have to insert the bottom (a rectangle) into place by matching up corner dots. Not my favorite method of constructing a bottom, but I am reserving judgment. I am thinking that I may make it a little differently the second time around. We’ll see.
I can’t wait to see how this bag comes out. I really want to work on some bags. I am also curious to see the final size.
I decided to work on the Carpenter’s Wheel and move towards getting the top done. I have spent the past week making background blocks during every spare moment.
The bad part is that I had no time over the weekend to sew. I spent the weekend with DH on #politicalwifery. We didn’t get home until 7pm Sunday after leaving at 11:30am on Saturday. Very limited sewing time. Also, as an added ‘insult,’ we were so busy I didn’t even get to visit any quilt shops.
Still, after working part of Friday, I spent a few hours Friday afternoon adding to the section I finished last weekend (section 3).
I decided I would make the two blocks (far right) to finish section three. Once I did that I decided it would be easier just to add the three background blocks to the bottom of the section, making a giant 9 patch. What you see above is a giant 9 patch and the entire right hand corner of the Carpenter’s Wheel quilt.
I am using the same technique to finish the left hand side of the quilt. One background block, which is next to the bottom Carpenter’s Wheel, is finished and I have two more to make. The two sections will end up together like:
Finished 2017 Quilt Projects
Still none yet. Still sad, though I am getting the Peacock back soon, which after binding, should put me back in the black in terms of fabric usage. I hope. My fabric used list is still really suffering from frequent travel, tempting new quilt shops and fabulous fabrics.
Finished 2017 Non-Quilt Projects
While quilts are thin on the ground, I have been sewing and I have finished sewing a lot of small projects. I think that trend has mostly ended, but I expect to make a few more small projects this year.
Shockingly, the above along with donation blocks and tops is about 50 yards of fabric this year and I am not in the black in terms of usage.
Doing Good
In Process
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or pretending to stitch. I try not to put away projects, because that will ensure I never work on them.
Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
Ready for Quilting
In Quilting Process
Binding
Peacock Quilt – finished quilting; have to pick up from my quilter, so I can bind.
Hunting and Gathering
Other
What’s on your list?
I was so pleased to get so many comments on my Ugly Fabric post! I really enjoy comments, so keep them coming. 😉
The comments you added were full of great ideas. There was also a string of comments on FB when someone posted a link to this post on a secret quiltmaking group in which I participate.
Jackie said “I’m using my “ugly” (no longer my style) fabrics for testing pattern ideas and donation quilts. I know someone will love them.” I thought this was a great idea, if you can do it. I can’t always work with fabrics I don’t like which is one reason the nieces and nephews don’t get a choice in which quilt design they get for their quilt. I do ask them their favorite color, but they don’t get to choose the shade. If they say something like dusty rose or forest green, they are usually out of luck. I haven’t had a quilt returned, so I guess it is ok.
Nonnie commented “I have a ton of fabrics that may or may not be ugly but definitely fall into the WHAT WAS I THINKING category. I have been dividing my stash into two sections. …. LOVE THE FABRIC, use for family quilts and WHAT WAS I THINKING, use in experiments and donation quilts. I often trial a block or technique in a quilt I later donate to various charities or organizations. I work hard to make them beautiful and desirable but I am happy to know … I WILL NEVER HAVE TO LOOK AT THEM AGAIN. ” (Nonnie likes her capitals 😉 ). I guess a ‘what was I thinking category’ could be added to my list of fabric categories as well. I do pick up fabrics from the depths of my fabric closet and really wonder what I was thinking when I bought it. Often these are fabrics with some kind of strange dot or bold pattern choice. I have taken to pinning a note on new fabrics when I have an idea for them. I have so many ideas flitting through my mind that they don’t stick unless I make a note somewhere.
The other thing I noted was that was that fabrics that look great in a shop don’t always look great in my house. I have figured out that this is for a lot of reasons:
I have really begun to look at fabrics I am considering buying in order to think about how I would use them. I have thought about this with regard to Tula Pink fabrics.
TFQ asked “Now the question is, are you going to get rid of those napkins so you don’t have to risk having an ugly fabric reaction every time you see them?” This is a good question that cycles through my head as I unearth fabric. I have been picking out pieces and giving them to BAM when I don’t think I will use them anymore. The Charity girls cut the fabrics up into 2.5″ squares and my uglies, which may not be someone else’s uglies, get lost in the 16 patch blocks.
Napkins are another story. Despite the poor fabric choice, the napkins are actually really nice. They are thick and do a good job cleaning faces while hiding stains. My SIL volunteered to take them off my hands as the dusty pink goes with her Desert Rose china. We’ll see.
Peg commented “Why should spend my money or my time on something I do not like. But, we may not agree on “ugly.” ” Peg is a new quiltmaker, though an expert knitter so knows her way around textiles. She reiterated what I thought, which is don’t listen to those who say to add some ugly fabric to make your pretties stand out. My Scrapitude Carnivale quilt is all pretties and that is a gorgeous quilt, if I do say so myself.
Of course, we cannot agree on ugly. I like pink, but not dusty pink. I like bright clear colors which may come from living in an environment that has bright, bright sunlight alternated with grey foggy days. Both of these weather phenomenon require colors that can stand up to those kinds of light. I find that bright, clear colors do that. I would be interested to hear what colors you find you use a lot and why you think that is.
For Sale Items: Take a look at fabric, a design wall and more! Buying helps me get a new design wall.
Get some discounts on Craftsy.
Projects, Exhibits & Shows
New Zealand creatives are hosting a 100 day paper cutting project. which started on May 22. I saw it on Ms. Lottie’s blog. She and her daughter are participating and each have their own pages to show the results of that day’s cutting. I like seeing each day’s work all together.
I am sure you have heard about the EPP Party going on around Pat Bravo. Today’s Quilter published an “Essential Guide to EPP” on their blog. Take a look.
Patterns, Fabric, Supplies & Tools
As you know, I am a huge fan of Judy Martin’s patterns and techniques. She operates a small business in Iowa and has a wonderful newsletter that reads like a friend is sharing news with you. You may have heard (did I mention it?) that Judy Martin has launched a new eBook venture called Judy Martin eBooks. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, I have rebuffed all other offers to become affiliates with other ventures. I am delighted however to be a new Judy Martin Affiliate. I love her patterns and books and, most importantly, her sound quiltmaking techniques. I have a goal to take a class with her sometime. This means that I will probably have to travel to Iowa since she rarely teaches outside the area anymore. Anyway, she already has some of her eBooks up on her site. I encourage you to look through her offerings and purchase some. Yes, I will get a cut if you click on the links listed, but you will also be directly supporting her hardworking family. Links:
Hints, Tips & Tricks
We all need some help in the measuring department. Riley Blake and Sew4Home are there for you. Riley Blake tweeted out a link to Sew4Home’s post about deciphering measurements on a measuring tape. This can be used as a guide for other measuring tools also. The post comes with printables for your wall. For you enlightened users of the metric system, there is a conversion chart from fractions to metric as well. If you aren’t following Riley Blake on Twitter, it is well worth the follow. They have clever quips and tweets that entertain me.
Charlotte of The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady has been working on her sewing space. Her most recent blog post talks about her new pressing station. She has ‘made do” with some things she had around the house (or boat, in her case). The thing that impressed me most was her testing. She used a folding table with a plastic top. Melting plastic could be a problem. Her tips for testing to see if the plastic would melt were helpful. She links out to a post on her cutting station rebuild and her new studio (few months old now), so you might want to check those posts out as well.
Media
Frances has a series of posts on process. One things she says, which is absolutely true is “One of the things I enjoy about the creative process is the serendipitous moment.” I find I really have to play around with pieces (making visual decisions visually) to get to where the quilt should be. I am very interested in process and I like the way she has put all the pieces of the process together into a couple of posts. This is different from me where I post what is currently going on in my projects and don’t usually put them together. I’ll have to perhaps do something about that. At least I’ll think about it. In meantime go read Frances’ posts.
I thought I would be able to sew the Poolside Tote together over the weekend, but no such luck. The project is still waiting for me to have time.
I was engrossed in En Provence and the Carpenter’s Wheel, as you know.
While the pieces laid on my floor (all horizontal surfaces are fair game for storage), I noticed that the random letters, in certain cases actually made words.
Hhmm.
I am not sure how I feel about that. I have pointed out some of the words I see.
The text fabric will be on the inside of the tote, so they won’t be very prominent. Making up stories using the words is a challenge.
On another note, the text fabric is VERY loosely woven and frays quite a bit. I might stitch the edge like I would a quilt with no border. I am just worried that another layer of stitching will make it hard to sew a bunch of layers together.
Monday was a day of outings. Friend Julie came up on Sunday night to stay. She, DH and I headed off to the SFMOMA at the crack of dawn (ok, 9:30, but it was a holiday) for our appointment to see the Diebenkorn/Matisse exhibit that was closing that day.
We had a 10:30 appointment to get into the exhibit and arrived at the museum before the galleries opened. We had about 20 minutes to look at the other galleries on the 4th floor before our entrance time. One of the artists at which I looked was Ellsworth Kelly.
Kelly has a long history with the SFMOMA. The Fishers (founders of the Gap) bought many of his works and donated (or loaned) them to the museum. The SFMOMA has also bought pieces of his.
I have a checkered history with Kelly. A number of his works I have seen in the past were “color fields,” a canvas of one color. I am sure critics and art historians have a lot of positive things to say about such work, but I have never liked them. No matter how famous the artist I see these types of work as works they made phoning it in. This view comes from a very limited knowledge.
There were different works on the walls by Kelly this time. There were two that I particularly liked. One was Spectrum I from 1953.
As you can see, Kelly gradates the color from yellow to yellow. The information said that the yellow is the same on both sides. It doesn’t look like it because of hte influence of the green on one side and the light orange on the other. I also like the series of violets in the middles -an indigo with a touch of violet, a violet and a red violet. The canvas looks like it bows in the middle, which is an added bonus.
Second, was a piece called Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance, 1951-53. He did not phone this one in and I don’t think that blue tape was available at the time (though I really have no idea) to help keep the lines straight. DH found it hard to look at, but I found it inspiring.
You might have noticed that June is nearly upon us and I have not sewn FOTY 2016 together yet. I wasn’t feeling the love. After seeing “Spectrum Colors” I feel a renewed sense of purpose. I am seriously thinking of putting charcoal (not black) in between the colors, but doing it like he has done so there is some interaction between the colors. He uses solids and not all of my fabrics are solids. Still, I think using a solid charcoal or even the cool grey of which I bought about 1000 yards might make an interesting piece.
There are some issues:
This is why it is good to go to art museums or see exhibits outside of your field. You never know when you will get inspired by an artist or piece of art.
I had such a nice weekend. I was able to, essentially, spend two days sewing after really missing it during all of my #politicalwifery over the past few weeks. As I mentioned, I had to cut a lot. I just didn’t have enough variety of text squares to make much progress on the Carpenter’s Wheel. I see to sew this piece in fits and starts.
After sewing the cut squares together into 4 patches, I began to assemble the blocks. It takes 64-2.5′ squares to make a block. As you have seen in other posts, I do put a larger square in to the blocks to add interest, so I don’t always have to sew 64 squares together. Still 60 squares or 56 squares, because I usually don’t sew more than 2 large squares into one block, is a lot.
The section above will fit on to the bottom of the two sections I already sewed together, shown above.
I was able to finish one whole section and make a good start on the last section, shown right. I really enjoy making progress on this quilt. I only have about 10 seams to have these four blocks sewn together. I do need to make two more text blocks (like the lower right) in order to finish the section.
Definitely progress.
I had to bite the bullet over the weekend and just cut like crazy. I can’t finish any more of the Carpenter’s Wheel sections until I cut some more background patches. As I have said 3,000 times, I desperately want to finish a quilt top and so certain tasks must be accomplished.
I can’t finish the 4 patches for Step 3 of the En Provence Mystery Quilt until I cut more blues.
I have had some bits of times to cut and have made some progress, but I really went at it on Saturday and spent nearly the whole day cutting both blues and the text fabrics. It was kind of crazy, actually, because I really cut a lot of squares.
I should have used my Accuquilt for the 2.5″ squares, but the blades on my die have never worked quite right. The pieces I cut last time were more trouble than they were worth. I have to get a new die. In the meantime, I am going through rotary cutter blades.
I first mentioned tracking my fabric usage formally on a V&S post a few months ago. Peg recently asked about it, so I thought I would write more about it.
First, if you are a beginner, stop reading and go sew. You are too young a quiltmaker to be worrying about fabric usage.
Second, if you are prone to anxiety, stop reading. Fabric usage is not something you need to add to your list of anxieties. Go sew and enjoy your quiltmaking.
Everyone else may continue reading with the understanding that this tracking system is not to judge, but to understand how much fabric my projects actually take and my fabric usage over the course of a year.
I have been tracking my fabric usage since 2015. I did it all last year as well. Having more of a handle on how to use the spreadsheet helped me to understand what fabrics I was using and how much. I made much better choices about fabric purchases and continue to do so. I am not perfect, but getting better and fabric is so yummy that sometimes it is hard to resist. 😉
I use a spreadsheet that I originally got from Pam of Hip to Be a Square podcast. I have modified to suit my needs. Pam has a blank copy of her fabric usage spreadsheet available on a post from a few years back. It is a good way to start tracking your usage as long as there is no guilt involved. Cheryl, a BAMer, wrote a great post about her spreadsheet for the BAM blog. She talks about her theories around it, why she does it and how she does it.
While there is no shortage of fabric at my house, this spreadsheet is not intended to keep me from buying fabric. That would be a effort in futility and acknowledging that fact feels like a victory. I started so I would know how much fabric I am using per year as well as how much I am adding to my collection. I have a good idea of how many different fabrics I purchase in a year based on the Fabric of the Year quilts, but quantities were always a mystery.
Knowing that I used:
2015: 107.16 yards
2016: 181.34 yards
2017: 62.48 (YTD)
There is no adjustment for how much fabric I have purchased and that changes the numbers a lot. The numbers above are gross, not net. I have to say that knowing how much fabric I used in 2015 spurred me on to sew more in 2016. Using a 100 yards is not out of the realm of possibility and if I made goals like that, that would be my goal. Less than halfway through the year, I am already well on my way.
I find the statistics interesting, but I don’t think you should track your fabric usage unless there is no guilt involved.
After putting the used napkins from last week in the wash I pulled out new ones. I had rearranged the napkin drawer in order to circulate in some that hadn’t been used in awhile. One was folded back to front and I immediately had an ugly fabric reaction. It really isn’t hideous fabric, but not my colors. The print is interesting. It is a classic design. I don’t think this particular shade of pink has really ever been my color, but I bought it at some point in the past so I must have liked it or had a use for it.
This napkin brought out a whole slew of ugly fabric feelings and thoughts. I was especially reminded of things I had heard I must do.
-Buy a little ugly fabric.
-Put a piece of ugly fabric in your quilts so your nice fabrics will look better.
-Sew ugly fabrics as backs.
You know how well musts work with most people.
I went through about 5 seconds of buying ugly fabric. Then I decided that, for me, that is a seriously dumb idea. I am not spending my hard earned money on ugly fabric when there is so much great fabric out there. I don’t have enough money to buy the fabric I love (bolts of Philip Jacobs prints, please). I also don’t want to devote precious space to ugly fabrics.
The other thing is that ‘ugly’ is relative. My ugly fabric might be your favorite color. I am not here to tell you what you should or shouldn’t like. Ugly for me will be different than your ugly. Buy your favorites.
Also, what I think is ugly today might not have been ugly to me 10 years ago. Tastes evolve. Also, as a new quiltmaker, you might be trying out different styles to find what suits you. You might also mix what you like. I don’t buy many repro prints, even the cheerful 1930s prints. They just aren’t for me. However, there is a blue in the Civil War arena that I love and periodically I will buy an FQ of one print. I am careful, though to make sure it is more blue than beige.
I worked on a quilt called Thoughts on Dots when I was having a big, fat creative block. This quilt was so painful to make, because I was forcing myself to sew. I was forcing myself to work through the creative block.I had a small child who was going through some stuff. DH was going through some stuff. It was a tough time. I moved around 6.5″ squares for weeks. I finished the quilt top and decided to use some ugly fabric for the back. To be thrifty, I decided to use fabric I wasn’t going to use for a front. The ‘ugly’ fabric isn’t hideously ugly, though it is beige. I interspersed the beige with leftover squares, so the back isn’t completely beige and hideous.
We act like we will never see the back so backs can be a dumping ground for ugly fabrics. Thoughts on Dots is on our bed, so I do see the back pretty often and I sincerely dislike it every time I see it. This is why I have used small pieces of beige for donation blocks. I don’t want beige in my fabric closet. This quilt is nearly the sole reason I use a lot of Philip Jacobs prints for my backs. I have decided I want to enjoy backs as much as my fronts. It doesn’t mean that I buy special fabric for the backs. It means I use fabrics I like from my fabric closet. Those Philip Jacobs prints are so well displayed on a back that I can’t possibly NOT use them now.
I also should have realized that being thrifty didn’t mean I had to use that beige fabric. It isn’t as though there has been a shortage of fabric at my house in a while.
My final thought is that everyone should just use the good stuff immediately. Don’t buy it and save it for some other day. That day is today and you will love whatever you make even more if you can see your new favorite fabric immediately.
Not long ago, I talked about assembling the fabrics, etc to make the Poolside Tote. I know you thought it would be forever until I made it. Angela inspired me to get off my duff and said she would offer advice. Then Tim (both BAMers) said he wanted to make one as well. Julie also said she is going to make one. I might be leaving my two pals in the dust, however, or inspiring them to get off their duffs.
I went to a Sewcial on Thursday and cut out one version of the Poolside Tote. I used all the linen I bought and the AGF text print. It was a three hour Sewcial at Scruffy Quilts and I was able to cut out an entire bag except for the Soft and Stable.
I was kind of shocked at how much fabric this bag took. I don’t remember using up so much fabric. Well, I don’t remember using almost the same amount of fabric that the pattern demanded.
The other thing that was a surprise was how loosely woven the AGF text fabric was. It was actually kind of a pain to cut because it kept shifting because of how loosely the fabric turned out to be.
Still, I got the whole thing cut out. I just focused and did it. I started to think I could do a second one, then I realized I probably didn’t have enough handle fabric and I had forgotten to cut the handles out anyway!
I spent a BBQ in a walled garden last week at Grand Parlor. In addition to the walls keeping the wind out and the cozy nature of the gathering, it was so gorgeous I could have stayed there all day.
There was a whole slew of different flowers. They were all different. I chose this one because of the cropping, to be honest. As I went through the Palette Builder options, I found that this picture came up with a lot of different color options.
The default again was very neutral with reddish overtones. I am sort of interested in the top color, Kona Cotton Earth. It reminds me more of chocolate than earth.
Again, there are lots of browns and other darks. The Kona Cotton Earth and the Kona Cotton Cobblestone are the two significantly beige-y ones.
Two interesting color options came up while I was playing, neither of them having much to do with purple: dark and light.
I continually find it interesting and entertaining that such differences can be made in the same photograph. To make it even more entertaining, the color palettes above have very little to do with purple, which I see as the dominate color.
The first palette that I made after the default was more purple, but still reddish and some neutrals.
It is interesting to me how Orchid and Pansy look so similar. Even I can tell they are not exact duplicates, but I like it that Kona feels that two so similar colors are worth making. It warms my heart.
Again, Kona Cotton Cobblestone and Kona Cotton Taupe are more towards the brown and beige tones. I don’t know why they show up so much.
I tried to get more of the purples in a palette and I pretty much succeeded. Kona Cotton Sienna is the only one that looks out of place in this palette. If I were using this palette for a quilt, I would remove the Sienna, maybe replace it with something else and maybe not.
The light colors are interesting. On the bottom, the second one looks like a blush pink, but it is actually Orchid.
I tried again to find a purple palette that excluded that Sienna. I went a little lighter (working my way to the very light one above), but got mostly purple tones.
I thought the Violet and Dahlia were very similar and I like the gradations between those and the Orchid.
I screwed up, though and Oyster is in there twice. Oops. I tried to avoid that .
I did a green palette as well just to do it. I thought the greens were a nice variety. I don’t know if Kona Ash is a green or not, though it looks green with the other greens.
So, go out and play with the Palette Builder. See if you can make something awesome.