Help with color selection for Surf Song Bargello
 

I hope you aren't sick of this question..... I am sure it probably comes up alllllll the time! :)

I want to make this quilt for my daughters swim coach (a man), so I want it to look like lots and lots of water. I am afraid I don't have enough variety......

Any suggestions?

The bottom picture is all of the colors together. The other two are close ups of the two different color schemes.

Have you tried converting your photo to black and white? That will help you see if there's enough contrast. You might also try looking at it from a distance or blurring your eyes. I'm seeing a lot of the same values scale of prints in the darker blues on the left. How about introducing some larger prints?

I am trying to figure out how to turn it to black and white.......and that is exactly what I think, that the darker blues are all going to blend......I have looked and looked and looked for more blues.................

Ok...figured it out. :)

I think it will look fine. I have made two Surf Songs....one in blue and purple, and one in blue and yellow. I was told the blue and yellow one looked like water on a beach, or sort of. I am going to include pictures of both, in case they help you.

But I wouldn't hesitate to use the fabric you have selected. I am very much in favor of two color quilts, and that is what you will basically have. I always add white to my Bargello designs, as I like the contrast that creates. You might like that too?

I love the Surf Song design.

Dina

How about some batiks? I'd also look for prints with more white, maybe even a large floral even though it's for a man. Once they're cut up they'll look more like waves. I used florals in a Bargello for a man. I'm off to find a link.

I am pretty sure I have seen your quilts on this forum....I have been searching and searching and SEARCHING.....it seems like everyone else has picked awesome colors, and then I look at mine and think, "Blah!" My next one is going to be a purple one.......I LOVE purple, and I love yours! Both of yours are awesome.......It is such a gorgeous pattern. You did an amazing job.

This may be a dumb question....but can you find batiks at Joann's or Hancock? Those are really the only places around here. I have ordered online before, but for jelly rolls....not sure about buying these online.

Can't wait to see your link, quiltsRfun....................

Couldn't find a link but here are some photos of the quilt and a closeup of the fabric. This was made for my boss when he retired.

Yes, both JoAnn and Hancock have batiks. Not a wide selection at the ones I shop. Thousands of Bolts has a good selection and fairly good prices.

OH MY GOSH. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the one you made for your boss. This is what I hate about myself....looking at your prints up close, I would NEVER think to put, for example, the one grey with the purple dots material in with the rest of them. HOW do you guys do it???

Wow, that is definitely a gorgeous quilt.

Ok I am a Coastal woman. If you want surf you need some white, waves are white when they break.

Where I love the water has quite a bit of green, which is lovely.

I love your blues, but you need a really deep colour, remember that blue darkens to purple. You also need some very pale to white.

Sigh...........

This is THE hardest part of quilting for me, and since my mother in law, my quilting buddy, died, I have no one to go to for help and inspiration! You guys are being SO helpful. I really appreciate it!

I still think your fabric selection is okay, but if you add some white and some really dark, navy blue....that might also help you... When I said you had two colors, I was counting the two shades of blue....dark blue and light blue.

Thanks for admiring my two Surf Songs.

Since you have mentioned purple....I have to share my purple Bargello. It is just purple and white. Pretend it is what you are playing with in blue. Might help. The one fabric that has purple and white in it added a bit of surprise, I thought. Everyone told me not to use it....but I like it. Visualize blue where the purple is, and I think you can see that it might be a good look. Your blues are not as dull as you are thinking.

Dina

Oh, my....I LOVE your purple......can you take a close up of the fabrics?? I really like the one with the white in it, too....it adds a bit of zing. I HAVE to make a purple one. I took a class with my mother in law years ago where we made an around the world quilt....I did green, but someone in the class did a purple and it was far and away my favorite.

Here's mine[ATTACH=CONFIG]535684[/ATTACH]

I was going for this look. It's a place in Utah called The Wave. My boss had hiked to see it and had a picture in his office. I chose colors that I thought would give me that look. You should look at pictures of water/waves and choose colors from there.

I think your fabrics are fine! If you wanted a little more contrast, add a dark navy to one end and an icy blue/white at the other end. The only other thought is to add a few in the Aqua tones to add a little green that you see in water. It will be lovely!!

Love the pattern on your quilt. Would you give us the name of the pattern? I like the waves more than the peaks in a bargello. TIA

The Surf Song Bargello is all about movement and to best see that movement, you need some contrast in your colorway. Dark to light fabrics...your fabrics all look the same shade of blue to me.

WOW, Misty's Mom.....LOVE your quilt.....Love the movement.

QuiltsRfun.....I live in Utah and have never been here. Your quilt is even more fantastic-er :) after seeing this picture. WAY impressed over here!

I just got home from shopping! Got even MORE material now!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to play with it and get some movement in mine! Got some batiks!

You have to get a permit in advance to hike in. Don't think I'll ever make it but it sure is fantastic looking.

Looking forward to seeing how you work this out.

Play and enjoy the process. Keep us posted. We want to know what you come up with.

Dina

This is the best picture I have of the fabric. Hope it helps.

Dina

I think her pattern is also Surf Song. It is just the bed sized one and not the lap size. I believe she and I had a discussion about Surf Song when she was making it.

I could be wrong though....:)

Dina

Yes, it is the surf song

So if one is collecting up fabric to make a double bed size bargello; what would be the best amount of fabric to get--in yardage of each fabric? Would Fat quarters work for a lap size ? All of your bargellos are beautiful.

I am looking at the pattern, and for a quilt 98" x 96 1/2 you need 5/8 yard of 24 fabrics...16 fabrics in your main color group and 8 in another. (She says the 8 should be a similar color group.) Fat quarters won't work, as you need at least 42 inch width of fabric.

For the lap size you need 1/4 yard of 20 fabrics. That is two color groups, 12 in one and 8 in the other. Fabric needs to at least be 42 inches wide. Lap size is 46 1/2 by 48 1/2.

Dina

I have made many bargello probably over two dozen and I still fret over which fabrics to use. There isn't anything that looks out of place with your fabric. Have you thought of added some tans/ecru for a beach?? Scroll down to Sharonsquilts:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...g-t262619.html
I usually put my fabric up on the design wall. I would suggest staying away from large prints because they can easily look out of place when cut into small pieces. That is what I had with making this table runner. But I wanted to make this table runner using the fabric that RK had donated to our church:

Thank you Dina, that helps me a lot.

I went again today and got three more pieces of material!!!!!!!!! I haven't had a chance to play with them, but I will definitely post some pictures soon so I can get some opinions. I LOVE forums like this. It is amazing the kind help you get from others who share whatever passion it is....thank you all so much.

I was going to add some tans, but since he is her swimming coach, I want it to look like a pool, not so much with sand. I thought and thought about adding other colors in, but.......we will see how it works out. :)

I did stay away from large prints, though I found some beautiful prints. I don't have my design wall up at the moment, but as soon as I start cutting my fabric it will be up again. I am very busy at the moment and really shouldn't be quilting, but.....it needs to be done by the end of the school year, so figured I would get started early and work on it as I can.

I really love the colors in your table runner. It is amazing to me when I see people make things from donated material. My mother in law made gorgeous quilts out of some ugly material before. That is what has helped me more than anything....to see how weird and sometimes UGLY material goes so well mixed in with other material.....but still, this is the hardest part for me....figuring out the material (and the funnest, really!).

How about this?

Much better....and arranging them light to dark shows how they will "wave" in the quilt. Picking fabrics for a bargello such as "Surf Song" can be a difficult task. I think I looked for weeks for the last two dark teal fabrics in my avatar quilt!

I think you need more batiks to give the quilt more motion.

bayyjayy, I like your colors. I remember how difficult it was to find 24 different fabrics. Whew! I probably went to a dozen stores and then didn't use all the fabrics I purchased. But with the help of our wonderful Board members, I found a combination that worked great for the beachy theme I was after. If you are like me, I was intent on getting the fabrics right. Ha.

ManiacQuilter2, thank you for referencing my bargello thread. I hope it is helpful. Unfortunately, mine is currently a UFO (life got in the way) but plan to get back to it after the Holidays. BTW, love your table runner.

Buckeye Rose.....your quilt in your avatar is absolutely stunning. I wish I could see it big. The colors are scrumptious. I have SO many different materials that I have purchased for this quilt. In addition to the 24 in the quilt, I have THIRTY SEVEN other pieces of material. Granted, I probably had at least 10 from my stash that were big enough for this quilt, but still! I can't find any more batiks around here that would go with my quilt. I have one more piece of batik I bought the other night, but I am not sure I love it. So, yes, Sharonquilts......Whew, is right! :)

Can't believe that I took a picture of the colors on my design wall before I started sewing, but here they are:[ATTACH=CONFIG]535803[/ATTACH]

The green is actually bright green and not yellow as it appears in this picture. [ATTACH=CONFIG]535804[/ATTACH]