AliKat

The longer I've been quilting the more color is first, because if the quilt doesn't have what I consider 'proper' balance/contrast I am not interested. Then overall & pattern together.

gerideboer

I have to say color and contrast. I like strong contrast and if it isn't there it doesn't matter what color it is, I won't be interested

RST

Balance and contrast are not equal to color though. You can have excellent contrast and balance in hues that may or may not appeal to you. What I hear most of you saying is that you are attracted by colors (hues) that you like.

I think color is an area where we quilters make big mistakes often. We fall in love with a particular fabric, usually because of the color. Then we make a quilt with the beloved colored fabric and some that we believe work with it. And then we give it to loved ones, who may appreciate it, but the colors are very taste-specific, and if they don't work well with current decor trends, that lovely quilt may end up being shelved for a long, long time. I'm thinking of a very beautifully made salmon and mint green quilt my friend showed me recently. Her MIL made it for her wedding, and while it's very nicely down, it just does not fit in my friend's home. She only gets it out when her in-laws are in town.

I see women (sometimes men too) in quilt shops agonizing over fabric selection and getting very very obsessed over just the right match of color, and honestly, I think it can all be a lot more fun if you stop obsessing over exact hue and embrace the fact that fabric is going to fade in the wash and in the sun. Those colors that you were so attracted to are fleeting. They are also not as appealing in a large concentration or without a range of colors near them -- often I think what catches your eye in the fabric store is the array of fabrics and how they interact, not just the one or two you pick out.

You can make a gorgeous quilt out of fabrics where not one single scrap was a color or pattern you like or are drawn to. Seriously. I think this is going to be my next big design challenge to myself. Using all the unloved and uglies in my big bin (most of them donated to me and probably dating from the 80s and 90s) I will make a quilt that looks modern, is visually appealing, and where the colors are not the thing that you notice or are drawn in by.

joe'smom

Some quilts are more about pattern (I think of these as traditional, with smaller pieces), and in these, I think the fabrics serve the pattern, holding a place and performing their parts like members of a choir. I gravitate towards bigger-piece quilts, which allow the individual fabrics to define the character of the quilt. For me thus far, the primary fascination in quilting has been with the effects of fabric and color combinations. But it depends on the individual quilt, as to what feature draws the attention first.

Jingle

I look at the whole quilt, then other things.

ghostrider

What do I see first? I'd have to say my first reaction is more 'feeling' than 'seeing', but it's always the sum total of all the parts plus, in good works, the spirit and voice of the maker. The ultimate goal is to have all the elements of the quilt blend together so ideally that none of them stand out above the rest.

Specific color isn't as important as the way color has been used to make a statement, enhance a design, and evoke an emotion. Specific quilting isn't as important as the way it has been used to enhance the colors and shapes, reinforce the design, and entice the viewer to come closer. Specific prints aren't as important as the way they have been used to support the design, add to the mood, and provide some intimate details.

Separately they are just instruments, together they are a symphony. The design, the pattern, is what unites the other elements...the conductor if you will...and facilitates the music that is a quilt. So, to answer the original question...first I hear the music.

LoriEl

I'm with RST. It depends on the quilt.

junegerbracht

The overall appearance catches my eye and then I look at the construction.

Texas_Sue

Mine is color first, and then pattern.

Rose Bagwell

1. color and color 2nd .