Ina,
Many years ago in an art class, the instructor offered this tip if one is confounded by combining colors. "Go look at a red rose and then determine if red and greeen don't go together."

What I took from that is this: Nature "knows" which colors will "go". Think of the green of trees against the clear blue sky. Here in California, at this time of year, the orange of the California Poppy against the green grass on the hills and along the roads, intermingled with patches of blue and magenta lupine, all with a backdrop of a blue sky is the definition of "eye candy".

There is the issue of value and hue, but to enjoy a real confidence-builder, just go outside and look around and key on some the magnificient color combinations in the landscape . Then, apply that vision to your fabric selections. I guarantee that 99.9% of the time you will be able to stand back, look at your work and smile.

Oh, one trick that does help with "mooshing" the various colors of the fabric together is to stand back, squint, and "see" what looks good to you. Or, you could find one of those door "peep hole" inserts (available @ the hardware store), and look thorough it...same result as squinting. And lastly, my favorite for those of us who are near-sighted, take off the glasses (or remove the contacts), step back and look at your selections.

Whatever you do, go look at the landscape around you for some color combinations that just POP!

Enjoy!

Gai Perry's book is called Color from the Heart:Seven Great Ways to Make Quilts with Colors You Love.

Also, there is a book called Quilting and Color Made Easy, and a book called Color Harmony: A Guide to Creative Color Combinations.

I looked these up on Amazon. I am self-taught on color mixing. Really it comes down to trial and error, but reading one or two books on the theory help a lot.

Jinny Beyer has one also, I don't remember the name, but she had a section where she explained how multiple colors are printed on fabric. The photos showed how very different a print looked with just one color missing. What a difference it made when they showed the finished product. It's worth looking at. Maybe you could find them at your local library?

When you have a few minutes to play, go to the RJR Fabrics website, and they have a tool you can use to auto generate color shading. (I've attached a link to it.) This tool can also be used to determine how certain colors/prints might look together. Of course, they use Jinny Beyer's fabric lines as their references, but you will get a real good idea of how your own stash fabrics will look if you select their colors that closest match your own. You can print your results if you want for future reference. It is a lot of fun for any skill level... almost like playing with someone else's stash!!

http://rjrfabrics.com/quilts/atw/rjrgrid.cfm

I like the way you explianed this.

DD

DD, thanks for the feed-back.

As a friend mine says, "Always look for the simple solution first." Confidence leads to creativity and creativity leads to confidence. Enjoy the process!

Not really this catagory. But can anyone tell me where to get the magazine Easy and Elegant Lone Star?

Hi Ina! One more book for your list:
Fabric Shopping with Alex Anderson: Seven Projects to Help You: Make Successful Choices, Build Your Confidence, Add to Your Fabric Stash by Alex Anderson

I have helped my friends pick colors for their quilts, using Alex's idea: I have them pick one multi-color print that they "LOVE". Then we'll go around the store picking fabrics with colors from that one focus fabric. When you then use those colors in a quilt, you already know they will go together 'cuz you loved them in the original print...even if you don't end up using that fabric in the quilt!

Personally, I've often been asked "How did you know those colors would go together?". My answer? Because I liked them! And, as MCH said, nature does know which colors go together...look at some gardens & landscapes: every color under the sun together (literally! LOL) & all of them beautiful! Go for it!
:D
sue

When I started quilting some time ago, it was suggested that I pick a print I love and look at the colors a designer chose for that print. I may not use that print in the quilt, but I know that these are the colors I am drawn to. Also notice that many fabrics have color keys in the selvage. They will show as color dots or squares. These are the exact colors used to create that print. After awhile you will become more comfortable chosing your own colors.
Freddy Moran believes that red is a neutral. She loves color! I have heard her say, why use 10 colors when 100 will make a more interesting quilt. Check out some of her books, and you will understand what she means.

Hi quiltmaker101,
I was wondering what the name of the pattern used in your thumbprint? I really like the design and the colors you used.
Thanks,
lk3910