Complementary Colors

• Try deep green with a complementary reddish hue.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Complementary colors lie opposite one another on the color wheel. If you select carefully, you can remain within the scope of an earth-tone palette. If deep green serves as your main color, then a muted cranberry red complement would work well. Fill out the remaining colors with lighter and darker greens and a neutral cream or white.
  
  

Analogous Earth Tones

• A sunset illustrates an analogous earth-tone color scheme.Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images
  
  When you select a dominant color for your quilt, you can create a harmonious look by choosing earth-tone colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel. If you choose deep reddish orange, for example, you can work with warm red, gold, yellow and cream.
  
  

Colors of Autumn

• Red can play a starring role in a fall earth-tone quilt.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Autumn colors make a lively earth-toned quilt. With a focus on the deep red of maple leaves, you can add the yellow of aspen, the orange-red of sugar maples and the creamy tone of dried grasses. As you assemble your colors and fabrics, assess the overall impression and tone down the overall look with neutrals as needed.
  
  

Colors of Winter

• A winter snowscape has a surprising variety of earth tones.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  During the winter, a surprising range of earth-tone colors punctuate the landscape. The rough bark of a red pine tree has brown, gray, lavender and a rosy hue. Shadows on snow look blue, lavender or dark gray. The sparkles on snow add a glimmer of yellow.
  
  

Colors of Spring

• Spring colors add a lighthearted twist to earth tones.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  As the first leaves open and the first flowers of spring begin to appear, you can use a pastel earth-tone palette that includes the light blue of the sky and the whites of wispy clouds. Try a watercolor quilt that includes the yellow hues of daffodils and jonquils, the lightest lavender from the center of a crocus, and any of the hues from spring tulips.
  
  

Colors of Summer Foliage

• Light, bright and dark greens make a monochromatic summer palette.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  At the peak of summer, earth-toned greens form the basis for a monochromatic quilt. Select a range of greens from the deep green of pine trees to the medium green of grass and the pale green from the undersides of maple leaves tossing in the wind.