For color knowledge, google "color wheel." Colors next to each other (called analogous) look good together. Colors across from each other (complementary) do as well. Warm colors (colors of fire--red, yellow, orange) don't usually blend with cool (blue, green, purple) except fall colors against a blue sky! There are no hard and fast rules, but you will find yourself drawn to certain colors and shades. I personally am like you in that I need some solids in all my quilts. I don't think some of the modern "collections" necessarily "go together", but apparently the market says differently. I find too many prints side by side are chaos and I just want to tame the beast! So I do. One thing I heard recently on Fons and Porter , when you're auditioning a bunch of fabrics and aren't sure about one, ask yourself, "do I like this stack better with this one gone?" You'll soon learn to trust your instincts. It's very personal. There are some things I will probably never do--a postage stamp quilt with 1.5 " squares, a bargello, a wedding ring. They simply don't "float my boat" enough to invest the time.