Thread: How do you pick your colours

I try to stay within one color family of brights, duskies, drabs, muted, or neutrals, etc. I'm mostly a scrappy quilter, so there's usually no dots on my fabrics to go by. Many of my quilts are just a hodge-podge of color, but when I'm going for a more, "designed look," I try to see how saturated the colors are, or if there are grey, or brown tones in the colors. There's also usually a contrast color used in the mix...say tomato red, or mustard yellow, to offset the drabs, or navy blue to offset the bright orange, or hot, raspberry pink.

I get a lot of my inspiration from modern quilters, although, I'm mostly a traditional quilter. The modern quilters have to depend a great deal more on color to make their impact, since they usually aren't made with complicated designs.

~ Cindy

I have often asked that question. I see some gorgious quilts but would never have considered those fabrics as good companions when seeing them on the bolt. Honestly, I think it takes time. I started by using a print, stripe or what ever that has multiple colors and then pull the colors from that as my companion fabrics. After I got comfortable with that, I began just diving into my stash. I would pull 5 from the same color family than toss in a sharp contrast color. Whoop-dee-doo, it works! You will get more bold and couragous as time and experience passes. And (shhhhhh) just go to quilt shows and look at magazines or books and see how other use colors. They will never know that you copied their color palettes.

I am fortunate enough to be able to shop from my stash. I am a fabriholic. I have more fabric that most WalMarts. But you can do the same thing at a fabric store. I just lay my colors next to each other and choose the one I really like.

My quilt buddy says I have an eye for picking coordinating fabrics. But I do use the colored dots on the selvedge to help pick out fabrics and I also don't rush. When I decide on my focus fabric, I then choose my others but I don't rush. I will sometimes take days to decide. I put the focus fabric down, start placing other fabrics around it, stand back and check it out. I will sometimes take pictures with my phone, walk away, come back at a later time with fresh eyes and do what needs to be done - either keep what I chose or change something. It's different when you only have 2 or 3 fabrics in a quilt but when you have to have more then that you really need to take your time. I generally shop from my stash when making a quilt, but if you don't have a stash you can buy your focus fabric from a companies particular line and all the coordinating fabrics they make to go with it. Can't wait to see some of your projects.

Here is my suggestion: You can develop an "eye for color." Take an afternoon and go to a bookstore that has a coffee section (in the States we have Barnes & Noble Bookstore, as an example). Go to the magazine rack. Gather EVERY quilting magazine in the rack. Find a table. Purchase your beverage of choice; coffee, tea, soda. Bring a notebook and pen. Take you time and flip through the magazines, paying attention to color and fabrics thrown together in quilts. Notice what "draws you" and what does not. This will help you define your own "colorway."

Jot down color combinations in your QUILTING JOURNAL (everyone should have one!). As an example, you might simply write: "Eggplant (deep purple)/yellow, orange." Certainly you may have never thought of putting these colors together, but the combination pleases you from what you see in the magazine. Believe me, you will slowly begin to grow your color confidence.

There's something else, too; the color wheel. Look at opposites on the color wheel. Did you know red and green are opposites? Merry Christmas! Now you know why these colors work so well! And, by the way, purple and yellow are opposites, as well!

Hope these tips were helpful!

to all thinking about throwing darts... I was kidding.
When I first started quilting I went to a very nice quilt store near my work at lunch. I made friends with one particularly nice young woman who took pity on me and walked me through my first couple of quilts. It helps that my taste is towards deep rich earthtone fabrics. I still see my color friend but been a long time since I needed help with colors.
Start with a simple blue on white or red on white quilt. Pick out a couple shades or patterned fabrics of that color and make a double or triple Irish chain. You will see how much can be done with just a couple of tones on a white background. Expand from there. tim in san jose