I think the more things you do, the better you get, at least you get better at knowing what you like, and I think that is the key.

Fabrics have colored dots on the selvage. These dots show the colors that went into the fabric. Try to match fabrics to the colored dots.

You'll get there. It will all come to you as you progress and keep looking and trying. Pay particular attention to pictures of quilts that you like and dislike. Discover the whys of your likes and dislikes and that tells you which direction you need to go in.

On choosing colors for quilts, the fabric companies usually can help us with that. First, pick a focus fabric with a lovely print, then look at the selvedge edge where the design information is printed...see the dots of color going on there? Those are the colors used in making that fabric and if you use them to find other fabrics for your quilt, it makes the process easier. (If you use the 5th dot of color as your "punch" color it's :thumbup: )

Also, your local quilt shop can help you with your fabric selections and tell you why the colors work together or why they don't while you train your eye. This is where a LQS stands head and shoulders above JoAnn's and Wal~Mart and it is an invaluable resource for all quilters!

Above all, have fun and relax...it's not brain surgery and no one will die if you make a mistake of any kind with choosing your fabric or pattern! :D

All good advice above!!! Welcome from Illinois.

when it comes to color matching, you can't beat the paint swatches at your nearest home depot or lowes - they are usually coordinated and dont mind you taking a few strips at at time! tlhe hardest part is deciding what pattern to use. my suggestion is to start with a simple one (courthouse steps is quick and easy) then just go with your favorite colors and fabrics! good luck

CKCowl, I see you said you print out in grayscale to check colors. Someone else asked what grayscale is and I was also wondering what you refer to. Thanks....

I would begin with a simple two color quilt pattern...baby size. Then progress to three colors. Or, choose a print that you like and pick colors from within that print. Incidentally, I should mention, that most of us, including myself, have been in your position. Go for it......

Why not try the rule of three when choosing fabrics....
The rule of three means what ever part of element of the design you are working on choose three to work with.
For example:
color value; light, medium, dark
size of fabric pattern; small, medium, large
Pattern elements; curvey, geometric, solid or works as solid
You can mix hues of the same color family as long as one of the mix has some yellow in it. For example all kinds of red as long as one is an orangie red, all blues as long as one is a blue/green, or greens as long as one is a limey green.
Add a little pure yellow to the mix if you can, like choosing a large scale print that has a strong yellow element.
Try not to get too matchy matchy as it tends to blur the pattern when viewed from a distance, same with choosing too many medium values even though you have lots differing hues. Mix it up with different hues or values of the same color.
A good trick in choosing colors is to look through the view finder of a camera at the fabrics you are considering using, do they mush together...too many of the same value, is one overpowering the others, choose a lighter or darker value.
Look for a zinger fabric that makes the others sing in harmony.
And the most important rule is....It is your quilt so do it your way and if you are happy then all is well. :thumbup:

I do it as I go and once in a while I get into trouble. I'm on my fifth quilt this year and have had fun.
I just
let the creativity flow. My fifth one is just beautiful, if I say so myself. They are all Christmas presents. Don't be afraid to try something new.

I get my best inspiration from this board. Use the pictures of completed quilts and or blocks to see what catches your eye. Is it the color combinations, the block, the pattern, or the item itself. I just finished a quilt that was pictured on this board a couple of months ago. I used the same fabrics and the same block pattern. I did use a different background in the blocks and a different fabric for the borders. Copying someone else's colors or patterns isn't a bad thing - it's the sincerest compliment.

The more quilts, large or small, you make the more you find your "niche". Colors just pop out at you. Blocks will become your special friends and you will make them over and over. Each time you will try a new scheme. Jump in!!

I am horrible with color. I will buy it at the quilt shop and think it looks amazing, then bring it home and it just doesn't have any pizzazz. 2 Hints---go to your local paint supply store(Lowes', Home Depot etc. ) and pick up the paint cards with 5 or 6 colors on them. Then when you decide to do a quilt choose one card and use that to select the colors for fabric. Or another thing that I find helpful---use all fabric in quilt in same line, etc. Moda(company) Fandago(name of line). Good luck and just so you know----Quilting is addictive.

If you have a pattern you like, your local quilt shop can help with fabric and color choices. It takes time and practice ; you will get there.

Go with what YOU love and it will work. The first quilt my 15 year old granddaughter made was red, purple, and orange. The LQS clerk kept telling her they won't work together and made other suggestions, she said no, this is what I want. When her quilt was finished it was beautiful and worked out perfectly. My 8 year old granddaughter was making a pink quilt and wanted green camouflage fabric in it and I thought no, but that too was a great quilt. So go with what you LOVE!

Go to a good quilt shop with a simple pattern in hand. Look until a fabric jumps out and shouts at you, "Take me home!" Then find 2 or 3 other fabrics to compliment that one. Think light, medium and dark. Stack 'em up and step away. Look back at them and see what you think. Then ask a few other people for their ideas. Other shoppers and the store clerks will give you their opinions. Quickly buy your best choices and head out the store to enjoy them! You will forget about all those other choices as soon as you are in the car on the way home. Then jump right in and begin. There is no better way to learn how to quilt than by doing it! Enjoy!

I quilted many years without a pattern--couldnt afford one--just looked at others and copied best i could.They mare all good--maybe not perfect but loved all the same.And as for the color wheel---well i flunked art in high school because i couldnt make a color wheel.Lttle did i know--i was partially color blind!!didnt find out till i went for a job when i was older!!I just pick material i like and go with it!!

You've got to walk before you can run, and also keep in mind that you are not a machine but a human being who will make something warm and beautiful, but not necessarily perfect.

A good way to start is to pick one print that you love for a feature fabric and then find solids and subtle prints that pick up the colors from it. Look for a fabric that has the colors in dots along the selvage. That will make finding the coordinating fabrics even easier. Another excellent alternative is to make a two-color quilt, such as a hunter's star.

I'd also recommend hooking up with a guild, if possible, and especially doing quilts to donate. You will find that just knowing you are filling a need will help keep you moving forward. An extra benefit: In our guild the fabrics for the charity projects have been donated, so you can get lots of practice without a big financial outlay.

Here's a list of quilt guilds in Minnesota:
http://www.quiltguilds.com/minnesota.htm

I, too, noticed the question unanswered. If you open a picture in a program (Picassa, for example, is a free Internet download and very useful.), you can convert it to black and white, which is also known as grayscale because that more accurately describes what happens. All the colors are changed to shades of gray, allowing you to easily identify whether there is enough contrast to show up your pattern.

Take a small piece of each of your fabrics and make a black and white copy of them. Then you will see the contrast between them and know if you have enough. You don't want all darks or all lights or all mediums. You want a variety. Try it!

Sometimes I think taking a quilt class or two may be all you need to start the wheels in motion. I do know that many times I've heard quilt teachers say that if you don't know what colors go with what, pick out a focus fabric, then look at the salvege edge where there are color dots showing the colors used in the print. That will tell you what colors will work with that fabric.

I would avoid doing something with curves to begin with. Start with something small- like a baby quilt- that has a simple, straight-edge pattern. Squares or rectangles would be simple. Don't overwhelm yourself with a complicated pattern while you're trying to learn the basics of quiltmaking.

As far as color, a fun way to figure that out would be to just browse through some fabrics until you find a print that you like, that has at least a few different colors in it. Then pick some fabrics based on the colors that are in your original piece of fabric. For instance, say you chose a floral fabric that consisted of green, purple, pink, and cream- you could then look for some fabrics that coordinated with those colors.

Two hints about that- first, try to find fabrics that are not all the same value. Meaning, mix some variety of lights, mediums, darks. They don't have to be extreme opposites, but try to avoid all pale shades or all darks- having some variety in value makes it more interesting to look at. Second, vary the "busyness" of the prints- If all of your prints are super boisterous, the quilt will look very chaotic. And if they are all solid colors, it will look flat and boring. So mix it up a bit.

Sorry, didn't mean to make this so long, hopefully I haven't overwhelmed you! The main thing is that it should be FUN and just view every project as an opportunity to learn something new! The more you do it, the better you'll get. Just jump in and have fun! : )

Welcome to the forum. Ask away and no question is a dumb one. When I first started quilting it took me 3 hours to pick out 3 fabrics!! I used to make clothing so puting 3 patterns went against me. Now I laugh. Pick out a light, medium and dark that is how I usually start out. To make it easier on the pocket book, try table runners. Something small and fast.

piney

A quilter told me if I wasn't sure about values put a range of folded fabrics (overlapping folds) on a printer bed in the order you want. Copy it in black and white. The result will give you a clearer picture of the values of your chosen fabrics.

I hope this helps.

I was at a log cabin workshop recently with a woman who had never quilted before. The woman had a handful of fabrics that she liked, but they didn't seem to go together...one in particular. Long story short, her project turned out beautifully. It was a matter of moving the fabric pieces into different positions until the the colors were pleasing.

I go to the library to go thru all the quilting magazines and books...gets me goin'

This is why I buy kits or follow patterns, helps me with some of that stuff

I quilted for 10 years by copying other peoples quilts & then my DIL started quilting with me & really blasted me out of my doldrums. I wish I had gotten started earlier with her as you can really bond when you work together on quilts. Just let go & do it!!!

a good way to learn is if you have a LQS that is offering a quilt lesson. It helps, and you learn a lot of ways to do the piecing, etc. When you start to make quilt blocks you will get addicted to it. I know

My favorite way to chose colors for a quilt, is to find a print I really like, then find fabrics that match the colors in the print. Works for me. I have no color sense either. When I start making the blocks, if I decide I don't like it, Oh well, charity quilt!

just start off following patterns and instructions and youll grow into it and have beautiful quilts to show for your learning process. ive been quilting around 6 yrs and i still follow patterns mostly although i occasionally wing it
or get carried away with color choices. i like the traditional styles and blocks for the most part. ive learned from experience when you do your own thing your own way the most important person is happy, you !!!!
by the way when i started quilting i couldnt even thread my own machine the teacher i took my first classes from really earned every dollar !!! im still not an expert by any means
but i love quilting and will quilt til i cant do it anymore.
carla

The first is to realize that -- there are no rules. That can be hard to believe because you'll get close to 20 ideas from 20 quilters.
Find a pattern/block that interests you. Pick out colors that you like, that work for your home, your tastes. Give it a try. If you don't like what you make, learn from it.
I can still make an ugly quilt! The fabric looked good next to each other, but in the block--eww!
Quilt because it is enjoyable to you. You'll do fine-- you started out right-- you're on this board that will help you grow and give you support. good Luck!

...........all of the above, and just love it!

I think you may be trying too hard, been there, done that. I always had to ask my sister if I had the right things together. Finally she said, "Do it yourself". That was a good thing. I get a little better each time. Sometimes I just go with whatever the pattern shows. Sign up for the quilting catalogs that we all get in the mail. They have absolutely wonderful color combos. Sometimes I even tear out a page with colors that are beautiful to me. Don't be so hard on yourself. Trust your instinct. Usually the first or second color scheme that you lay out is the one to go with. I squint my eyes to see the lights, mediums, and darks, etc. Just go with it, dive in and have fun. It will fall together, and the light will go on for you soon. Have faith in yourself. You are creative. You just need to let it out and have fun.
"TO HAVE A CREATIVE LIFE, WE MUST LOSE OUR FEAR OF BEING WRONG"

hang in there! you'll get it! I usually just wing it! I put 2 fabrics next to each other and say, that looks good then cut and sew. Sometimes I don't like them right away, but they tend to grow on you, and once you're done with the blocks and put them together, they're really pretty. Try sewing your practice blocks together to make a sampler. Then it doesn't matter if your colors don't look perfect together.

I love colors, my mind visualizes colors that I would like to use for a specific project. I don't use a color wheel, I may look at it afterwards. I make my own choices. My first quilt I went overboard on patterns. 2nd one, got the colors I liked, they blended nicely, but, when it came to the backing took me almost 3 mths to decide
Just go with the flow, what you like and in your eyes look good together, and go with it.

Wow! Can't believe all the welcome posts and help with my creativity problem. So after reading over and over I've decided to do a 2-color quilted wall hanging for my first attempt. What do you think?

Ya, you betcha! Great starting point.

Thanks much, I'll give it a try....very interesting. I love quilting but have a hard time trying to figure out what material colors go together. This might be just what I need.

I think choosing a focus fabric print works for an easy quilt. Then choose colors from that focus fabric to go along with it. You know it will work together because the colors all go together. Just make sure you have some lighter values, some medium and some darks.