I have a friend who I wanted to make a quilt for but he is color blind. He can see yellows.

I don't want to make an all yellow quilt. So I am looking for some ideas. I was hoping someone here has encountered this issue before. I think he can also see blues but I don't remember and I really hesitate to ask. LOL.

Any guidance is valued!

I have a friend who I wanted to make a quilt for but he is color blind. He can see yellows.

I don't want to make an all yellow quilt. So I am looking for some ideas. I was hoping someone here has encountered this issue before. I think he can also see blues but I don't remember and I really hesitate to ask. LOL.

Any guidance is valued!

I have seen some beautiful yellow / blue quilts maybe a black/ white yellow I have not heard of this but will keep watch!

I don't think there's any harm in asking your friend.

Having said that I saw a fabric line on an online store that I liked, that was in yellow/black/white. Some were more delicate patterns, others quite bold. I think you could do a lot with that colour scheme and by using a mix of large and small patterns.

Good luck. Sounds like a fun challenge.

Although colorblind, he can still see shades/ tones.My sil is colorblind, can only see yellow, everything else is a shade of grey, but he is terrific in picking shades, even very slight variations.

I made a quilt for my son with yellow and blues. It was a running patch patterm and came out very pretty. I have 2 sons that are colorblind one with red/green and one with brown/black

I made one for my nieces husband who is color blind. And per his request, he wanted browns, tan & black....something masculine. Said all the quilt his wife made looked femine...guess he can distinguish some shades.

Isn't there something you can buy at the quilt store to look through in order to view contrasts?

Something may look beautifully coordinated to us, but if the colors have the same density(?) it might appear as the same fabric.

Maybe you can try some of that wildlife fabric that Favorite Fabrics was showing.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-67025-1.htm

It's very masculine and has some gold tones in it. Use a big piece of the fabric for the center of the quilt - like a Medallion, then put some yellow flying geese or star blocks around it.

I made one earlier this year.
Here it is:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-53950-1.htm

Good luck with yours.
Post pics!
2 Doods

I would concentrate on the pattern and contrast. Use colors as usual for the non color blind, but make yellow a focal color and be sure there is a nice contrast so he can see the pattern. You could take a selection of fabrics for him to see and let him help with the contrast.

thanks everyone! this really helps!

does he actually see yellow or does another color 'look' like yellow. i work with a man that 'sees' colors different than what it really is.

Don't hesitate to ask what he can see and work from there.
He should want colors that he is comfortable with. Don't forget shades of the colors and values and especially texture and design.
I'm glad you ask this question. The quilt is for him so do what he can enjoy. And don't hesitate to use funky colors that you might not use together. You might assembly a pallet of color and show to him before yu begin.

another thought. Don't fall into a trip and make a quilt that you think the colors should be and what you believe go together. It is his quilt even tho others might not think it is perfectly color coordinated.
Many men are red/green color challenged and purples look like blue and sometime greens appear to be browns. I might take him to the shop and let him pick the colors that are pleasing to him.

My husband was like this, so it might be a good idea to ask more questions. Blues were purples and purples were greens to him. Colors that I would see as brown were just ugh to him, and I always knew he would say yuck. If I wanted him to get me something I had to be really careful. Then I have a friend who is color blind and has to help choosing her colors for a quilt, so that it doesn't clash big time. When I taught school I had a child in second grade who would read the names of the colors on the crayons so he could color.

Exactly what I was going to suggest. Take him with you, or have him come see your stash. He can pick out things he can see or that look good together. Even if they're not your usual color pallette, if it's something he likes and can easily identify, that's all that matters. Plus you don't run the risk of trying to do yellow and blue and then, oops, he actually can't see those.

Even if it's a surprise, you can probably still find a way to get him to pick out the fabric without expressly telling him it's for a quilt. Make up a male color blind "friend" and ask your friend for help, and then, surprise, there is no friend, he picked out his own quilt fabric :)

Maybe pick out a pattern, then have him pick out the fabrics for it.
I really like the idea of not worrying about the colors matching to anyone else, too :D:D:D

Go check with an Optomologist and see what he/she has to tell you. Go to the hospital, it is free there. Go to the clinic and even ask a nurse, they might be able to help you out, even try on line and see what you come up with. Post the answer here for others who would like to know.

I made a black and white quilt for a friend who was colour blind. You could put yellow in as an accent colour.

Best wishes,
Pauline in England

Have him go to the store with you and pick out the colors he sees then u can suprise him with how you make it! Many still see shades of color. I agree yellow/black/grey would be awesome.

It would not matter what colours you used. If your friend is colour - blind his eyes would adapt the colour to what he compensates for in the spectrum that he perceives. Being colour - blind does not mean that he can't see the colour - it means he perceives it as something else. For example, he could see orange, but when he sees green, he perceives it as a different shade of orange.

I am color blind and do have problems picking out colors for a quilt---I usually need a little help. I see colors but they arent always the color I think they are :)

lyn

going along with this, if it is possible, why not take him with and let him pick out the material?

my husband is color blind; he helped me pick out a dozen fabrics when I made a star stack and whack; I couldn't decide which colors to use and he came right up and pointed to about 8 fabrics that went perfect with what I had already agonized over and selected so carefully; took him all of 5 minutes!! And the quilt is gorgeous.

My son has cortical vision impairment, and in his infancy he was actually diagnosed as legally blind. Bright yellows and orange shades were the first things he showed any hint of seeing, so I made him a quilt with high contrast and lots of orange. I'll see if I can dig up a photo of it.

You may need to get more information about what your friend's condition actually is. There are different manifestations of color blindness, and what works for one may not be what others experience.

RST

I can totally relate to this. I am a color blind quilter. Mostly red/green and Holice explained it pretty good. Many primary colors are mixed together to get secondary colors and so forth. So, if a color has red or green in it, it won't "appear" as it's true self to the color blind. I mistake one color for another all the time. I had help sorting my stash and everything is labeled. But, when it comes time to make a new quilt I work mostly in shades and tones. I've not had a problem yet. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to PM me or we could discuss it right here for all to see so everyone can learn from this.

Because purple has red in it, it appears blue because I can't see the red in it. I get brown and green confused all the time. Unlike your friend I have a problem with yellow. I like it, but it gives me trouble. For instance, I can't read anything that has been "highlighted" in yellow. The yellow acts like invisible ink, so if you highlight something, it's as if you just erased it. I get dark colors confused all the time. Black, red, dark brown: I can't always tell which is which and could possibly think they are all the same color.

As I said before, I work in color values to do my quilts. You know how they say use a piece of red film to look at your fabrics to determine value. Light, medium, dark. Well, I don't have to use the red film, I have it "built in". LOL!

In my experience I've "learned" what color is what. I may not see it the same way as you, but I have learned to know (most of the time) what color is what. For instance, grass is green and we all know grass is green. Therefore I know grass is green. Fire engines are red and we all know that, therefore I know red based on fire engines. Another example, I know stop lights are red (top), yellow (middle), green (bottom). I'm looking for which one is lit up, not at the actual color, lol. (It's the red flashing and yellow flashing ones that are confusing. Don't worry, I don't drive anymore, but if I did and you were coming the other way, not to worry I'd stop at the yellow light just to be on the safe side.) I hope this makes sense. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Also, if he/she knows you are making the quilt and they told you they are color blind. More than likely they aren't ashamed of it and are willing to discuss it with you. So, as stated before, feel free to ask questions and take them with you when shopping for fabric. It could be fun and you might learn something unexpected.

You can also go to my profile and check out the quilts I've made.

Oh, I just went and looked. I don't have many quilts posted on here. If you are a member of The Quilt Show you can see all my quilts there. (Actually, you don't have to be a member, I have it set up for all to see, enjoy!)
Just search my user ID, it's: generik4u

I would just ask. I doubt your friend would be sensitive about this. You can even preface your statement by telling him/her that you want to make something especially for them, and so I'm wondering what colors would work--something like that.

My son in law is colorblind except for blue and yellow so I made him a blue and yellow -- in varying degrees of light and dark. Not my fave, but he can see it!

why not a Black and White with Yellow for interest?

I've never heard of a colorblind person ONLY seeing certain colors... My father is colorblind ( as are both my boys) an dthey SEE all colors... they just SEE it as a different color than over one else.. such as when I see red, my dad sees green, when he sees green he sees brown...

You should ask, because some people can't distinguish between red and green, and others blues, yellows. I once had a client who saw all reds and greens as beige, and if the color had red or green in its base, then the color was perceived as dull. A person with this limitation would appreciate a frank discussion and even being shown some samples to look at so don't be afraid to ask the question with sensitivity. :-)

Okay... I LOOOOOVE that quilt! I think that is exactly what I am looking for! thank you!

I have asked him, he doesn't live near me and it's more a surprise for him than anything. So I can't take him with me. Thank you everyone for the advice.

I don't think the color is as important as the shades. Just so the pattern stands out. Possibly solid colors in varing shades. Use the yellow as a focal point in the quilt. No matter what the colors, I'm sure he will love it since you are making it just for him.

Thanks--
It's one of my favorite quilts I've made, even though it's not fancy or technically proficient -- just because it was specially made for my son, who we were originally told would not be able to see it at all.

It's just a basic log cabin block, in the star setting, with some piano key strip borders. The back is a very vivid orange and yellow flannel.

I think the graphic nature of the log cabin block, with its light and dark sides, might be well suited to your purposes.

RST

RST

We have a gentleman who is colorblind and quilts. He can see value, but not colors. So he brings in his design to the LQS and tells the gals what colors he wants, they pull fabrics of that color, and then he chooses by the value that he can see. He makes very wonderful quilts and its amazing how he can tell value and make it all work.

There are many, many different kinds of color blindness. I used to think it was only boys, but more and more women have a version of tonal blindness.

A previous poster is correct, if he told you about it, he's not ashamed of it and is willing to talk about it. Don't talk to him about fabric, quiz him on what color he sees when you see a red apple or a yellow banana. Start with basic things. This way, you can have a basic idea of what he can see as far as correctly on the spectrum and what he can see that's different from what someone else would see.

I have major problems distinguishing between pink and orange. Give me a peach, coral, shell, melon any of those and I have no clue what they are. I made a sampler once and picked what I thought was 2 pinks. One was hot pink and one was neon screaming at you for your attention orange. They totally clashed. A dear friend helped me label them as I cut out pieces. I used both of them in the same small sampler quilt. I made sure I didn't use them next to each other. The quilt turned out beautiful. When my beloved grandmother asks me if I have any of that pretty orange left, I always forget and tell her I only put pink in her quilt. It's pretty funny.

Here's and idea for a blue and yellow quilt. I made this several years ago.

If you look thru red cellophane, it cancels out the colors and all you see is the value (light,med,dark). I would think the contrast would be more important than the color in this case.

Some of the color combos mentioned really appeal to me, especially the yellow/black/white. I made a blue and yellow string quilt which turned out very nicely. It was an online block exchange.