Nilla

I'm making a scrappy with blues and neutrals right now. Turns out most of my leftover blues have a royal/bright tone to them and I'd imagined this one being more dark/sedate blue. So I started mixing what I had (since it was supposed to come from leftovers in my stash ie:scrappy) and ended up purchasing more 1/4 yd pieces to cut up for strips, to mix in. As of last night, I was starting to like the look of the mix, but yesterday morning I was thinking I'd end up splitting the blues and making two smaller quilts, one bright and one dark.

This is definitely one of the reasons I have such a big stash. I change my mind on colors as I'm going. I just don't have the ability to envision what all the fabrics will look like when they're cut up and put next to one another. Not a bad problem to have in the big scheme of things though...

zozee

I once saw a quilt titled "A Glad of Blues." That name has always stuck with me. The quilter had at least 9 different blues, ranging from navy to turquoise to powder. If I were to "dissect" the blues, I would second guess whether they "went" together. But seeing it all together in A Glad of Blues convinced me: the turquoise (which I would have left out if I'd been to critical) really was the one that gave it the zing.

zozee

But to answer your question, yes, I have been doing the same thing (back and forth to the shop) for the right pink. I am making a baby quilt for my newborn niece and I am new to this, so have little stash.

omacookie

Be different and throw in a lime green or two. Hugs

KwiltyKahy

If you think blues are hard, try grey. I've been trying to collect some for a bargello for my son for quite a long time, still searching.

alikat110

Well...I usually carry my fabrics I need to match with me whan I go. But, at least you worked it out. Can't wait to see your quilt....

Judi in Ohio

OK, can I say this, in the kindest possible way, that you are being way to anal? The purpose of scrappy is to throw all sorts of colors together and have them sing together. They harmonize well, you'll be surprised. You must go to Quiltville.com and read what Bonnie says and does with color. I loved scrappy and then I found Bonnie. She freed me to think differently and it is wonderful. You can do controlled scrappy, I've made several blues/wh/cr/neutrals quilts. They are gorgeous, I get jaw dropping comments that I really don't think I deserve, but evidently they do. I use pale blues to navy with a little blue tourquoise thrown in. If it's blue, in it goes. I say throw all your blues in a pile, stand back 8 feet and see what you see. Remember you will only see a small portion of each fabric once sewn. Bonnie says if you can't see it from the back of a galloping horse it's fine. And the impression you get from it further away is what it really will look like. Remember the old camera trick? You squint thru a small box that your fingers make in front of your eyes. Try that, I bet all your fabrics will be great together. Actually, co-ordinating is not something I try for. That says boring to me - anyone can do it. Just saw Dunsters comment, I agree - if they don't look good together, throw more in.
I want to see when you are finished - it will be gorgeous.

toverly

When I find myself looking for that "perfect color", I find that I just need to stand back a little. Usually, I have one that will do fine. I have also used that trick where you photograph the fabrics to see if something stands out as being "off". But then it never hurts to have a good stash.

Snooze2978

Been there, done that. I'm glad I have a fairly decent stash to pick from. When I need to add more fabrics, I take my entire selection with me to match up. Sometimes I end up with a whole new collection as my eyes tend to wander over all the beautiful fabrics and if one of them speaks to me, I grab it with no idea what I'll do with it later. I'm my own worse enemy in a fabric store.............:-)

willferg

I've had exactly the same experience with blue fabrics. For me it's an issue with the neutrals – some blues pull toward being matched with creams, some more towards white. It's the difference (to me anyway) between the subdued and the bright. Yes, you could probably throw them together, but you are right, the feeling isn't there...