From Sunset to Stitching – Creating Colour Palettes from Your Holiday Photos
- Sandi Millichip-Massocchi
- Aug 12, 2025
- 4 min read
How to Turn Your Travels into Sewing Inspiration
From Sunset to Stitching – Creating Colour Palettes from Your Holiday Photos
We all return from holidays with dozens (or hundreds!) of photos… but what if those snapshots could be more than just a memory? In this post, we explore how to turn the colours, moods, and moments of your travels into beautiful sewing inspiration. Whether you’re making a memory bear, a set of cushions, or a perfectly coordinated bag, you’ll learn how to capture the essence of your trip in fabric and thread – and take away a free printable to help you build your own “Holiday Colour Palette Collection.”
The Colour Wheel of Nature
As makers, many of us are taught to use a colour wheel, and it’s a brilliant tool. Complementary colours, analogous hues, warm vs. cool tones… it’s all wonderfully helpful.
But step outside into a flower-filled market in France, a sunset over the sea, or a cobbled street bathed in golden light, and you’ll see that nature has its own colour wheel.
It’s instinctive. Soft ochres next to cool greys, pops of lavender beside dusky pinks, or the way a green vine climbs across a faded stone wall, these are the colour stories that stop us in our tracks. And the best part? You already have these palettes… in your holiday photos.
In this post, I’ll show you how to use those beautiful moments to inspire your sewing, from fabric pulls to memory bears, cushions, and colour-coordinated bags. You’ll also get a free printable download to help build your own “Holiday Colour Collection.” Let’s turn your travels into stitches that last a lifetime.
STEP 1: Choose a Photo That Feels Like Something
Don’t worry about technical quality, you’re not entering a photography contest. Instead, choose a photo that captures:
• A mood
• A moment
• A colour that drew you in
Great examples include:
• A basket of fruit from a local market
• Your favourite doorway, building or café scene
• Sunset over rooftops
• A close-up of flowers or a shady corner with dappled light
Top Tip: Scroll through your phone and notice which photos make you pause. That’s usually where the magic is hiding.
STEP 2: Extract the Colour Palette
Now let’s pull the palette from your photo. You’ve got two ways to do this:
1) DIGITAL TOOLS
Upload your image to:
• Coolors.co – Quick, easy, and free
• Canva’s Colour Palette Generator – Beautiful and intuitive
• Adobe Colour – For more precise editing
They’ll give you a 5–7 colour palette instantly, you can save it, download it, or screenshot it.
2) HANDS-ON FABRIC PULL METHOD
Print out your photo and try this:
• Lay it on your cutting table
• Go through your fabric stash and pull scraps that “match the mood”
• Lay them around the photo like a frame
• Adjust as needed until it feels right
• Take a photo of your final pull and pin it in your sewing room
Top Tip: Use paint charts (like the free ones from B&Q or Farrow & Ball) to help identify tonal shades and pairings!
STEP 3: Translate It into Fabric – Without Overthinking
You don’t need exact matches. The joy of a memory-inspired palette is that it’s emotional.
Choose:
• 2–3 main colours
• 1–2 supporting shades (tonal or neutral)
• 1 surprise colour that adds personality!
Name your palette if you like:
• La Rochelle Lavender & Stone
• Sunset Over Sainte-Gemme
• Market Basket in Marciac
Top Tip: Keep a basket or folder where you collect your palettes, they’ll become a treasure trove of ideas.
Project Ideas To Use Your Colour Palette
Once you’ve created a palette from your photo, use it to inspire:
Top Tip: Repeat a colour in both the top thread and lining of a bag for a subtle but elegant finish!
Wrapping Up
The colours of our holidays often stay in our hearts far longer than the souvenirs. They’re warm, they’re nostalgic, and they hold a story that’s entirely your own.
So next time you sit down to sew and feel stuck on what colours to use… go back to your photos. Let nature’s colour wheel guide your next creation.
Closing Takeaways
Quick Stitch Summary - In a Nutshell.
Your Creative Souvenir Checklist
Choose with your heart – Find the photos that make you pause.
Extract your palette – Use digital tools or a good old-fashioned fabric pull.
Don’t overthink it – Let emotion lead over perfect colour matches.
Name your palette – Give your colour story a personality.
Put it to use – Apply your palette to your next sewing project, big or small.
The colours from your holiday are more than pretty shades – they’re tiny time capsules of joy. So the next time you’re feeling uninspired, look back at your photos… and let them guide your stitches.
FREE DOWNLOAD – My Holiday Colour Palette Sheet
To make this even easier, I’ve created a printable A4 sheet where you can:
• Paste or print your holiday photo
• Extract & name your colours
• Add fabric swatches or thread samples
• Note ideas for what you’ll make
Here’s your free downloadable Holiday Colour Palette Sheet, beautifully styled with a rustic French border, perfect for printing, filling in, and popping into your creative journal or sewing binder!
Click here to download the A4 sheet (PNG)
FAQ's:
Q1: How do I choose the right holiday photo for a colour palette?
Pick a photo that captures a mood, moment, or standout colour.
Q2: What tools can I use to extract colours from my photos?
Try Coolors.co, Canva’s Colour Palette Generator, or Adobe Colour.
Q3: Do the fabric colours need to be exact matches?
No, focus on capturing the mood rather than exact shades.
Q4: What sewing projects work well with these palettes?
Great for memory bears, cushions, bags, and quilts.
Q5: How can I keep track of my colour palettes for future projects?
Use a journal, folder, or the free Holiday Colour Palette Sheet.
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