Alright so, I'm still a beginner, and I really want to get started on my second quilt sometime this weekend. I have all of the fabric purchased, but I'm sitting here playing around with photoshop and my design I've laid out, trying out different color combinations.

My problem is, I don't want this quilt to look too busy, and I'm afraid I may be over thinking this, or using colors I really even shouldn't be considering.

So ladies, will you be my clean pair of eyes and tell me what you think is the best color combo and which mockup looks the least busy? I want this to be a simple, elegant quilt and will take any suggestions for colors or print fabric you may have. Should I use a solid? a print? What basic color should I be focusing on here....

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...bluemockup.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...auvemockup.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...leseagreen.jpg

I had another mock up where the diamond color is like a tanish/champange color, but I could sit here all day long and play around with color combinations, I just need to make a choice and stick with it. Help?

I don't think you can wrong with any of your choices.

My fav is #1 if that helps at all. :wink:

my fav is #1.. like them all but #1 was my choice

Like them all... LOVE #1 , but I am a huge fan of blue ! :lol:
Sharon

I really like the 3rd one. I'm a big fan of contrast and I like the bright blueish green in there.

Lynette

All look good, but I really like #1! If it needs a home, let me know! :mrgreen:

I love the first one!

I am no lady, I like all three, but my fave is number 1. :)

I like #3- the contrast brings the quilt to life.
Cheryl

What goes in the white spaces?

1 or 3 but I can't wait to see what you decide. Be sure to show pictures along the way.

Looks like it should be #1. I to thought it was the best, but all three were fab.
Let us know which one you choose! :D :D :D

I really like #1 but #3 is a close second - either will be beautiful.

I really like the look of #1 as well!!!

I like 2 :lol: :lol:

I like #1...

well the results were overwhelming, so I'll stick with #1 :)

I'm gonna get started on cutting my squares later tonight! I'm excited for this!!

If I may ask a very newbie question to hyjack my own thread...

When I have the quilt topper done, obviously I choose some batting and then bind it together with a backing material...

The first quilt I made, my aunt and I stretched the topper out with tape on her really freaking large counter top to pin it together then I very slowly sewed the whole thing together.

I absolutely do not want to do this. I've heard rumors that you can send your quilt off to be bound by a professional. How does one find such a person to hire and do this?

I would ask at your local quilt shop. They probably have a list of longarm quilters that they recommend

Debbie

I like #1. Good luck deciding.

Personally, I like all of them but I like the first one best, but that's my opinion. You need to think about what YOU like.

I would go with the first choice too.

Looks like the #1's have it. I vote for #1 too!

I vote for #1 but any would be wonderful.

I really liked #1 the best. Very calming.

For what it's worth, I'd vote #1 too! ;-)

If you can't decide between the choices, walk away and stop thinking about it for a day or two (no peeking either!)

Then come back with fresh eyes and look at all three at the same time (so either open three windows on your computer and resize to fit them all on the same screen, or print them out and lay them on a table).

One will catch your eye... and there's your answer.

A friend of mine calls it the "wow factor". You can look at a pile of combinations and think "that's nice, that's nice, that's really nice, that's nice"... then there will be one that makes you go "wow".

I like #1 choice. Let us know what you decide. Keep the pictures coming.

I like contrast myself. How about if you took #3 pattern and replaced the block without the green with the plain purple from #2? That will give you a patterned light and medium colored fabric and a plain dark.

Just a thought...

Love No. 1 and the Toile fabric is scrumcious. (spelling)

Elle

I like #1 the best too!!!

:D

I really liked 1 or 3 :wink:

when you talk about sending it out to a professional, do mean for the actual quilting or do you mean that YOU will do the quilting and you want someone to do the binding only? there are ladies here on this board who do beautiful machine quilting if that's what you're looking for. i don't remember who they are, but you might be able to ask the moderators.

Rainforest_elf
thought you might be interested:
I bought a really great book a couple years ago on amazon.com. got it used. don't remember what i paid for it, think with shipping it was 8 or 9 dollars and brand new.
It's called: Color Magic for Quilters by Ann Seely and Joyce Stewart.
I have a lot of books, and under instructional ones I would say this is my #1 or #2 favorite. I learned tons about colors and how to put them together and it's just a well written book with all kinds of great examples of blocks etc. When I first got it I read it from cover to cover in one day.

I meant that I bought it used but it was in new condition. you can usually see books before you buy them there. C

I really like the blue. It is softer on your eyes. The Mauve is way to bold for me and when I close my eyes, I see the black diamond squares. I'm really not fond o fth green at all.
marguerite

Wow, a hard choice. Like so many have said, I really liked them all, but I guess if I had to choose, it would be #1.

Good luck on the quilt!

Are you planning to hand quilt or machine quilt? That could make a difference on whether or not you want to have the quilt machine basted by a longarm professional.

Machine basting is a great idea if you are going to hand quilt. If you plan to machine quilt it yourself, it's preferable to either pin baste or spray baste the sandwich. Spray basting is fast and easy to do at home, and considerably less expensive than having the quilt machine basted. When you are machine quilting, you do not want to have to stop every few inches to pull out basting threads and/or try to pull out basting threads after you have machine quilted over them. Machine quilters usually either pin baste or spray baste.

(I liked #1 the best too.)

Mary

I'll be machine quilting it. So you think getting it binded professionally may be pointless? I remember absolutely nothing of the original quilt I made and how I got the top, batting, and backing all together aside from my aunt helping me pin everything together and then I just stiched down the blocks I had made with my sewing machine....

Boy I really need to take a quilting class.

number one seems the least busy and most pleasing to the eye

No.1 is tops cause I'm a blue lover. BUT I did like No.2