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-   -   Does anyone else have a real problem with green? (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/does-anyone-else-have-real-problem-green-t212204.html)

weezie 01-29-2013 05:46 AM

I have a lot of greens. They come in very handy when I'm making controlled scrappies where each block requires just the right color combination. There's often floral patterned fabric in these blocks with a wide variety of shades of green leaves. I recently completed 20 blocks (ea. 12" sq. finished) for Blackford's Beauty. There's a lot of different shades of green in those 20 blocks. I use a lot of different shades of green for applique, too.

However, I have trouble with yellows and pinks.

Wonnie 01-29-2013 05:55 AM

Heard once to look around you outside at all the different shades of green ... you have light and dark and bright and dull and blue-green (blue spruce) and yellow-green (potato vine) and they all look wonderful together. Have also been told that green is the only color that you can use multiple shades and tones of and have it all work together in a project and I've found, for me, it to be true.

Jingle 01-29-2013 06:03 AM

I use alot of greens. I find all colors come in so many different shades. Some shades of colors just seem to not match.

jbingwell 01-29-2013 08:03 AM

I have the same problem with red. Green is my favorite color, so I have lots to chose from. I am not a big fan of red, tho and never seem to have the right shade when I need it, even though I have tried.

cheri stonespinner 01-29-2013 08:04 AM

How about starting with your stash, use colors that Co
mpliment them.

honeybee_2000 01-29-2013 08:06 AM

my worse color is reds..I think Im color blind when I have to choose colors of red..lol

2blackcats 01-29-2013 08:59 AM


Originally Posted by OCquilter (Post 5818941)
I think greens are difficult because the blue undertone and the yellow undertones are so far apart. I have trouble figuring which drawer it goes in..blues, beiges, browns or green. I constantly find FQs in the wrong drawer.

When I am using green I look at the other colors as well. If there are yellows in the scheme, then you need greens with yellow undertones, the same with the blues. If there are reds, it depends on whether it is an orangey red or a bluer red. Try using a color wheel to help figure out which greens to use.

par4theday 01-29-2013 09:16 AM

If you find storing your fabric and into what bin to place it, I might have a solution for you. I had a lot of scrapbook paper when I quit scrapbooking and started quilting. I fold a 12 X 12 piece of card stock in half and wrap my fabric around it, including fat quarters. As long as the fabric fits around the card I wrap it. They are organized on my shelf which is 12 1/2" high and 8 inches deep by color. All the greens are together. There is no deciding which bin it goes in as they are all there. I don't have a huge stash, and don't want one, but I find when I can see all I have at a glance, I use more of what i have, before I go out and buy a specific color to work into my project. Color shades are ever changing from year to year, and sometimes if you are using older fabric, it is hard to match up the new ones to it, especially green. Good luck I have the same problem matching greens.

kellen46 01-29-2013 09:32 AM

Orange Red is a magic color. You can mix all shades of reds from madder to strawberry if you include a bit of Orange red in the mix...maybe there is a magic green too. I sort my out my greens by yellow and black...some greens have a bit of yellow, lime, Kelly, and some have a bit of black, avocado, forest. You can mix all black/greens together with harmony and so also with all yellow greens. Go to the paint department of your local box store and gather up as many green paint chips as you can. Then go play with mixing green tones and tints to your hearts content and you will learn something about color theory. Also if you want a gorgeous mix here is one I have found...lime, avocado, forest greens mixed with dark chocolate brown. I brown is you major color then the greens smile and play nice.

becky65 01-29-2013 12:53 PM

cwessel, I have your solution to sorting greens. To handle this color you must break it down into its components. Green is a secondary color, ie. it is made up of two primary colors--yellow and blue. Divide your stash greens into blues, yellows and a few true greens. Done, easy! This also provides you with ease of matching to other colors.Choose yellow with yellow, blue with blue, and so on. Simple.Of course then we get into using complementary colors, red and green(opposites on the color wheel--and I strongly recommend that you get a standard artist's color wheel, if you don't already have one. It makes color matching easy.) And that is a whole nother lesson in color theory!
All that said, green is a color of poor reputation. It is the color of envy, a sin. It is also the color of war and violence--soldiers wear green to be concealed. Think of Sherwood forest and Robin Hood. It is a hue that tends to set off bad vibes in viewers. Every public school and hospital used to be painted that awful shade of green, remember? A bad choice psychologically. I too have a fondness for deep greens and have a huge collection of them. And almost never use them because people just don't want them. I've been considering pairing the greens with other colors to make them read more friendly. End of lesson, I'll go now!


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