Color help
 

OK for my 2nd Paper Piecing project block I'm going to give a little more thought into what color I should use. This will be a 2 fabric/color block using the Altar Steps block pattern from http://quilterscache.com/A/AltarStepsBlock.html. I'll be using the fabric below but need to come up with the color for the center strips. The pic doesn't really show the color correctly on my screen but its a dark grayey purple. Would you pull one of the colors from the main fabric or use a different one altogether? Which one would you suggest?

For a color block, wouldn't you want a fabric that reads more as a solid? I'm having trouble picturing this fabric in strips for that pattern. I'm thinking it will have lots of bright splashes of color in the strips.

I would try pulling a color out of the fabric. I'd start with the smaller brighter colors, such as the bright pink dots or the mustard yellow. If the background color is as gray as it looks on my screen, the yellow dull the combo down too much, though.

To be honest, I would pick an easier fabric to start with. Maybe a mottled batik that reads as more of a solid.

I'm guessing you're using this fabric for the larger pieces of the block and looking for suggestions for the strips? I would pull one (or more) of the bright colors from this fabric. I think if you added something totally different it would get way too busy-looking.

I'm also guessing that this will be the main fabric and the color will be the smaller accent pieces. I would audition the hot pink and gold. The white or cream in there might be a bit much, but I would try it out too. I also agree that the new fabric should be solid or read as a solid.

This is just a small scrap and I don't have a whole lot of it so this is one instance where the fabric really doesn't matter all that much. I'm just trying to learn to figure out colors that would go best and add the most accent and pop ability.

I'd lay out some of the green and see how much I liked it.

OK I've decided to go with a totally different block pattern for this fabric. I'm still going to do the above pattern but I will use a solid type fabric for it.