Color help
 

Color is always a challenge for me and so I thought I would check with the smart ones on this website.

I just completed 12 blocks of a block a month series that has black as the background on all of the blocks. Then all the blocks have a variety of batiks in a star design. I wanted to do the blocks on point. I have 12 of them but I’m trying to decide what color to use that will work well. I think white is to stark with the blocks. I didn’t really like the cream tones with it. Just wondered if somebody had an a suggestion that might get me started looking in a different direction. I did look at a lilac-ish color that might have some possibilities. But just thought I’d check and see if any of you folks had any suggestions.

Thanks for your help.

Any chance you could post a picture of the blocks? I love black with batiks and would generally agree that white would be too stark but hard to say without more of an idea of what they look like.

That lilac-grey-greenish sort of family often works well with batiks which tend to be a bit grey.

I laid the blocks on a quilt top I use on my bed and I thought maybe the brown might be a good neutral? Still not sure.[ATTACH=CONFIG]616532[/ATTACH]

Thanks for your input.

I think teal would look so nice, great blocks

I first thought teal, but anything from cream to beige to grays would work well too.

I'd like to see pictures where you audition teal, pink, grey, turquoise, mint, lilac--any of those brights you have in the blocks. I bet one of them will really pop.

How about sticking with background black also for the joining squares?
The blocks you have will start to float as they lose their black parts meld with the added black.
Then pops of colours in your borders.
Perhaps a variegated thread for the quilting?

I agree with quilte...black squares. I would do a bright pieced border, then a black border.

I don't care for the brown as the alternate squares. I think any color that is already represented in the blocks would look fine, like the lilac, green, rose, yellow, or black. I would use whichever color you want to emphasize, because whatever color you use for the alternate squares, it will dominate, and the quilt will become a "lilac" quilt, or a "black" quilt, etc.
Very attractive blocks, btw!

I would also stay with the black and use a coloured thread for the quilting. Or maybe use a grunge black if you want a little texture.

Watson

If black, I might consider adding a sashing and cornerstone. My first thought was, what about a medium gray?

I would stay with the black, with maybe a jewel toned variegated thread for the quilting.

Agree with black with a pieced border - piano keys or a braid, maybe. I like variegated thread on black, too.

Thanks for your suggestions. I thought if I did the black, the edges of the blocks would disappear but i’ll give that a look again.

Appreciate the comments. Good advice.

I love the brown. Or any tan would work, too.

I too think Black. Do you have any of the batiks left over? I have enclosed a pic of a BOM that I did with a dark purple grunge background where I took the left overs and broke up the solid squares. Might be a great option.

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I see pink in a lot of the blocks and would see how it looks with different shades of pink. Green might be another one to look at since there's also a fair amount of green. I think the black would also work.

Your blocks are gorgeous but I don't think the brown works with them.

A black background will make the blocks float and look stunning. A different color will define the blocks to look like stand alone blocks and show detail. It's a personal choice. Both are great.

Great idea but don’t have leftovers. Like how it outlines your block!

If the look strikes your fancy - you could still go with the black using something that would "coordinate" with your blocks - maybe a pink, purple or teal. Imho, the black would really make them pop and the addition of some color in the plain blocks would soften the contrast. By the way - your blocks look fantastic. Nice job!!

What about, rather than a solid black for the alternate squares, you made square in a square blocks using fabrics from your pieced blocks as the inner square and black for the outside. This would bring out more color and also pick up the design of your pieced blocks as most of them have a square at center.

I agree with black - but be careful, as black can be very difficult to match! Can you contact the shop that ran the BOM to see what black they used? It will almost certainly be a different lot, but at least you could then use the same manufacturer. If that doesn't work, I'd use a sashing to avoid the blacks of the blocks and the blacks from the alternating squares. The one Betty shows above is gorgeous! It's a pretty thin sashing strip. Using a batik that has some of the colors of your blocks would work. Alternatively, I'd go with a gray or a color that you want to pick up from the blocks. If you go with a cream, be careful as you don't want the block on the bottom right to get lost.

Looks to me like grey would be a good choice. However, as with all colors there are many different greys. Do you have "stash"where you could try different colors. Usually you will find that you really like one --often one that you never thought of trying.

I think this is a great idea. The grunge black would give you black without being plain black and I think that would work well. I don't like the idea of using one of the colors in the blocks unless its a being or black. If you get too much color in the setting squares I'm afraid it would detract from the blocks themselves. They might even get lost in all the color.

I'd go with a black batik that has just a hint of multi-colors in it--like little dots or something. I don't like the tan or cream with this as your alternating blocks--distracts too much from your lovely blocks!

There's an aqua & green mottle that I'm liking. It's in the outer sawtooth points of the top row middle block and also in the inner star of the far right block in the second row. I would make alternate blocks of simple irish chain with this mottle for the background fabric and a dark for the chain squares. The black would be preferred but if there's hardly any left maybe just the center square of the chain blocks. Then I'd use a straight set so the chain blocks create the illusion of the quilt being set on point. I don't think a repeated alternate block would detract from the BOM blocks if done right. Same idea as eparys' quilt only with a twist. That's a well done quilt BTW.