ckcowl

Sometimes I print a black & white copy of the pattern picture, make a few copies, then get out my colored pencils and start coloring the picture to help me decide what colors I want to use

rjwilder

I make charity quilts and have a lot of small scraps left over. I sort them in two bins, one for larger pieces, one for smaller ones. Then I just pull them out randomly and start sewing them together into a crazy quilt square. I do this until I have enough sewn together to trim up to a 7" square. I do this until I have enough for a quilt, then I lay them out and pick a color I like and use that for sashing between the blocks. The sashing helps the quilt to not look too busy.

toverly

An easy way (for me) to collect fabrics for a quilt is to start with a focus fabric. One of those fabrics that I couldn't live without and had no idea how to use it. With yardage, I look to the dots in the selvage and start to pull from the stash. It is important to get lights, med. and darks. I always have a simple neutral in white, beige or grey. Don't lose contrast between the lights and the neutrals.

Onebyone

Use one constant fabric and use it in every block. For scraps I usually use a solid color for a constant.

Jshep

My name is Judy also in Ft. Smith, AR

juliasb

I use a color wheel and go from there. The other real good way for me is to pick the primary fabric and then coordinate that to different colors in the fabric. Works for me.

Iceblossom

Oh, I wish I was closer to you guys. I love making more work for other people by kitting up fabrics. In my old guild when we had our big Ronald McDonald work weekends, that was often my station, putting together the fabric donations.

Right now I'm really trying to find ways to use large novelty prints because I happen to have a number of large novelty prints that need being used... I've found some good (and easy) setting techniques for collections of fabric that maybe don't connect well together but are a similar theme. Other times I look to see what I have in terms of strips or colors that need to be used. In my latest fabric reorganization round I find I have a full box that is getting too full of just solids. I'm hoping to use those this year in the Bonnie Hunter Mystery. All solids, but if there is a good choice for a consistent fabric, I'll probably pick a print for that and use it to pick the solids.

I used to agonize a lot over the best possible use for a piece of fabric. I've come to the conclusion that the best use is whatever use you can use it for!

petthefabric

TallChic; Bookmarked that site

cashs_mom

Thanks for the site Tallchick. That will be really helpful. Lately, I've been doing a lot of scrappies and just using bright scraps. In the past, I've used system of picking a focus fabric and then go-with fabrics. It works well and is relatively easy.

I have also used the constant fabric that is in every block. I find that unifies the finished quilt nicely. Especially if I have enough to used it for borders or binding.

sandy l

I make mostly scrap quilts and it doesn't always work, but I use the "everything including the kitchen sink" when it comes to putting colors together, so I'm not going to be very much help