Contrast in Quilt: Enough? Too Much?
08-26-2020, 03:36 PM
#11
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Florida
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Originally Posted by Rhonda K
Love the blocks and the fabrics. Lime green is a favorite here.
Looking at the second, the lime against the green fabrics gets lost. The greens fade into each other. If you want contrast the greens need the darker blue. If you wanted blended greens, then they work.
The next question is what look are you going for in your quilt? Soft, quiet and blended? or do you want one with contrast as you describe?
Again, as you know there is no right/wrong. It depends on the look you want.
I like the layout with contrast fabrics in the first block. You might try that contrast with the DP center in the second block.
Looking at the second, the lime against the green fabrics gets lost. The greens fade into each other. If you want contrast the greens need the darker blue. If you wanted blended greens, then they work.
The next question is what look are you going for in your quilt? Soft, quiet and blended? or do you want one with contrast as you describe?
Again, as you know there is no right/wrong. It depends on the look you want.
I like the layout with contrast fabrics in the first block. You might try that contrast with the DP center in the second block.
08-26-2020, 04:36 PM
#12
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Waterford Michigan
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I love the lime green no matter how you place it in a DP block and the extra modification to the DP are great!! The way you have put you blocks together to show us make all the colors pop! Be sure you keep the mixture about the same through out and you will be fine. This quilt with these blocks will never be flat.
08-27-2020, 02:25 AM
#13
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Location: Morris Plains, NJ
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Watson, I know you made up your mind but I like both of them and think you should do the 3rd version and mix them all up. Nice fabrics and pattern.you’re doing a great job. Can’t wait to see the finished quilt.
08-27-2020, 05:21 AM
#14
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The lime green in the first block (on the left) draws the eye toward the center. In the other block the pieced arc in the lower left quadrant doesn't have enough lime green in it so it looks muddled. Ditto on other comments. Love your blocks and your "not afraid of color" samples!
08-27-2020, 05:46 AM
#15
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Location: The Deep South near Cajun Country, USA
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I like the first block the best. The second has too much of the lime green together in the center and on the sides. When you have too much of anything, it is no longer a pop, it is just a color.
08-27-2020, 07:34 AM
#16
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Location: Central FL
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I would use the lime green for the 4 corners and use a muted color for the center circle or it would look like lime green headlights with all of those lime green circles in each block. That said it is your quilt and you should do what makes you fell good when you look at it. Everyone has different taste and I hate to make a quilt to please others. I'm the one doing all of the work and I seem to enjoy it more when I love the pattern.
08-28-2020, 08:16 AM
#18
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SW Iowa
Posts: 1,137
I like the colors a lot. I think if you reverse the lime and blue outer corners in the first block, you will like it better. Maybe put the blue as the inner arc triangle to match the new outer corners, too, will help. Did I make myself clear?
08-28-2020, 07:08 PM
#19
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,866
For my tastes, I really prefer when different piecing elements remain distinct. In some parts of your samples, the contrast is there and I love it, but the sections with green elements near the lime makes it "mush" together and I'm not wild about that effect. In your first sample, I love the left two blocks, but the right two get the "mush" effect. If you want to have the variety of green fabrics in some blocks, you could substitute some other fabric for the circle element, say aqua in the top right and very light purple in the lower right. (And then maybe change the block positions so that the two blocks with lime green circle elements are in opposite corners.) That's one way to have the lime coming from both the circle arcs and from sections of multiple green fabrics.
Looking at the second sample, the upper right block has a lot of the "mush" effect. One way to keep the general color layout but get good separation would be to add a thin (maybe 1/4", finished) strip between the pieced arc and the lime green background. It would need to go on both the inside and outside of the arc. A strong contrasting color, say a dark purple, would separate the elements and make then distinct. This would be extra work, and I'm not sure it's a great idea. Just throwing it out there to see if triggers any interesting ideas for you.
Another great way to see if there is enough contrast for *your* tastes is to squint your eyes a lot (this reduces the color and makes it closer to black and white) or take a picture and convert it to black and white.
Looking at the second sample, the upper right block has a lot of the "mush" effect. One way to keep the general color layout but get good separation would be to add a thin (maybe 1/4", finished) strip between the pieced arc and the lime green background. It would need to go on both the inside and outside of the arc. A strong contrasting color, say a dark purple, would separate the elements and make then distinct. This would be extra work, and I'm not sure it's a great idea. Just throwing it out there to see if triggers any interesting ideas for you.
Another great way to see if there is enough contrast for *your* tastes is to squint your eyes a lot (this reduces the color and makes it closer to black and white) or take a picture and convert it to black and white.
Last edited by platyhiker; 08-28-2020 at 07:11 PM.
