I'm new to quilting, been doing it about 6 months. When I go to get fabric for a new project I have problems with putting patterns together when selecting fabric. Now I find something that "talks" to me and use it as a focal block then I use more solids that match it. When I see all the wonderful quilts on here I see all kinds of patterns in one quilt and they work. So how do you guys do that? We only have Walmart, Hobby Lobby and one LQS where I live and Walmart and Hobby Lobby are not very helpful and I can't afford to shop at the LQS at this point. Can someone please help? Thanks so much.

You should find a color wheel. And just have some fun playing with different colors and patterns. Sometimes things that you'd never think of putting together, work very well.

I still have problems with that. I bring my youngest daughter with me to pick out fabric. She has never sewn a day in her life but can pick out coordinating fabrics wonderfully. What am I going to do when she moves out.

Patti

That is when you call and take her for lunch and let her know that you need to stop by the quilt shop.

To mix patterns think big and small and add a geometric and then fill it out with marble type prints. Solids don't really have any depth or movement.

I spend a lot of time in the store pulling fabric bolts off the shelves. Pile them up, unwind and put fabrics together, and move, move, move them about.

Go to the library and find some books on quilting. When I first started I didn't look at the vallues of the colors (lights, darks and mediums) and I didn't have the right mix of large patterns, small patterns and solids. You are right about needing experience in some designs. I also have found collections even in Wall-Mart and then I just stick to those prints for one quilt. Hope this helps and just hang in there. You will get the pleasing results you want.

I try to mix patterns and use very few solids--a lot of fabrics read as solid when combined with othter fabrics. Dif fabrics give interest to the quilt. Plaids and stripes are especially effective too.

I just had to comment on this. Our new LQS has a big shelf area where bolts of fabrics can be laid out to look at. It is large enough that more than two people can do this at the same time. It is away from the cash register where others might be paying and bottling up. It was the wisest thing she could have done. We had to do in on a shopping cart in another store I was at recently and not fun!

Thanks for all the help. That makes more sense now.