Help with fabric choices, please.
 

Hello, all. I'm considering making the Cuts and Bolts New Years Eve mystery but it's a Facebook page and there doesn't seem to be a place to post pics or ask for help.
The instructions read: Medium#1, light pop of colour, medium #2, dark. I'd like this to be suitable for a man, so wonder if you think the following might work? The light takes the most fabric. The dark really isn't dark, but it does contrast well with the other two mediums.
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I like the colour combination, but I struggle with the light/dark part. I turned the picture to black and white and it seems like your darkest brown and the red have similar light/dark. I don't know if that would impact it at all or if the colour difference is mainly what matters? I'm sure someone with a lot more experience than me will respond.

The problem with a mystery quilt is that you can't tell whether the design will be fine if you use these 4 fabrics, or whether it will be lost. Since the red reads as solid, it may very well take the place of a darker fabric. Will you be making the quilt as the mystery plays out, or do you plan to wait until you see the finished design? I know some people love the mystery, but I want to see what I'm making before I select fabrics.

It's hard to say if the fabrics will work for a mystery.

They play nice together but perhaps are a little safe. Do you know what colors the person likes? The two fabrics seem to be florals so not totally sure if they work or not.

Do you have to use 4 fabrics? I love the first 3 fabric together from left to right.

Thanks for your comments. This is a mystery quilt so I have no idea what the pattern will be. It does call for 4 fabrics. I like the two brown prints and hoped to use them even though they aren't exactly medium. I make prayer quilts and we are out of the more masculine ones. Even though these are florals I'd hoped they might work for a man since they are predominantly brown. What do you think I could use instead of the red? I chose that because the smaller print has red in it. I do have black, but there's no black on either print. Ack! I much prefer mysteries when I can share pics back and forth with other participants.

I wouldn't call any of your selected fabrics a true "dark". The three non-light fabrics I would classify as medium and darkish medium. Given the instructions, I suggest getting another fabric that is clearly darker than the rest, such as a very dark brown, very dark purple, navy or black. Personally, I really like quilts that include a very dark fabric; I think the contrast with the rest of the fabrics makes everything more interesting. The very dark also helps the piecing stay distinct. Sometimes without enough contrast fabrics can end up "mushing" together.

As a woman who is married and has only sons...if you want it suitable for a man, consider taking out the flower fabrics.

That was my thought.

Maybe a bright yellow or bright green instead of the red?