Ask for help from your LQS. Most staff menbers are happy to help you choose fabric and they usually have a good eye. They do have a vested interest in helping you so that you will buy fabric from them. Just remember that it is your quilt so SPEAK UP if you do not like the combinations! (their feeling will not be hurt).

When my mom was making my log cabin quilt, she told me to pick my blues from her stash, which I did. She looked at the fabrics and said, those won't look good together. We layed them out on top and next to each other and boy she was right, sometimes if she is not here, i look at the fabric for 2-3 days before i pick. But I think the ladies are right if you buy a charm park or jelly roll, the fabrics will always go together.

Colors are a big problem for me also but mainly cuz Im color blind !! I have a great quilty friend that helps me a lot, and there are times I just "go for it" lol I do think kits are great .

I agree. My quilts are generally only two or three colors. When I have more than that, all of the colors read as solids. I love earthy tones but my quilts are usually brights with either a black or white background. I have many fabrics to pick from so I think one day I will just cut up a bunch of squares and put them in a bag and then not look while I'm sewing them together. Maybe that will work. :-)

Look at garment fabrics for inspiration. When you see a print that you like how the colors blend and complement each other. Then, look on the selvage and a lot of them will have "polka" dots with the color palette of the print. You don't have to use all the colors, but the palette is ready made! Good luck.

As someone who's fairly new to quilting, I've been relying a lot on using kits. I'm finding that it's helping me begin to see how to choose a little better. I also bought a book (that I was skeptical about when I saw it on another quilt website) and it has turned out to be a great investment! It is "Color Play" by Joen Wolfrom. It has really helped me to understand color theory and I've decided my next quilt will be made using her book. You pick your main color and then she shows you everything that will go with that color and explains why. I think this will be a good resource for you.

As someone who's fairly new to quilting, I've been relying a lot on using kits. I'm finding that it's helping me begin to see how to choose a little better. I also bought a book (that I was skeptical about when I saw it on another quilt website) and it has turned out to be a great investment! It is "Color Play" by Joen Wolfrom. It has really helped me to understand color theory and I've decided my next quilt will be made using her book. You pick your main color and then she shows you everything that will go with that color and explains why. I think this will be a good resource for you.

The dots represent all the colors used in that piece of fabric. Sometime a few dots others lots and lots of dots. Like on some busy floral fabric there might be 15 or so dots. The dots will help you see what color of blue/red/pink/green would 'match' the fabric. Say you pull a bright blue out of you stash, hold it next to the dot, but the dots blue is a gray blue. So back to the stash for a gray blue. So keep pulling and match the dots. Then stand back and squint and before you know it you colors and quilts will be looking wonderful.

I've had trouble picking colors too. Shopping at the LQS definitely helps the learning process. They are so helpful there. Go where people will help you, let them know you want their help, ask questions, and you will learn from their guidance. The big corporate stores don't hire people based on ability to make quilts. Go to stores that do. When you are comfortable with your own choices you can shop anywhere.

Years ago I bought a kit for a sampler quilt that had a lot of colors and prints---- things I would never put together on my own. I really learned a lot sewing that quilt and got over my fear of putting colors and prints together. My friends often compliment me on my selections and say they would never think of putting the colors together .

Choosing fabrics that go together can be filled with frustration for many quilters, so you're not alone. Years ago, I was helping my customer pick out 12 darks and 12 lights for a log cabin. When I had them lined up on edge (don't look at the side, just look at the rolled edges to see a smaller area) I realized what I'd done. Here is my Pattern Mixing Formula (forget the color)

1. Little background and heavy design
2. Equal amounts of background color and design
3. Lots of background and little design

Add color to the formula and repeat it as many times as you need to get a pleasing mix of fabric design. This formula was published in my first quilt book, Quilt-As-You-Go.

Sandy

Wow!! That sounds simple! Thanks. I will never be able to tell all of you how much I appreciate all the advice and tips I am hearing! Thank you so much!!

seems to me like you are a customer for the precut collections.

I just love picking out the fabrics and colors of a new project. Many of my friends do not.
The way I started was to pick a focus fabric first and then go from the colors in that. I have worked lots with the color wheel in my past life, so I think that has helped me some with colors for quilts. Many times, when friends are with me, they kind of look at my choices and say, "are you sure you want to put that in?" They are usually surprised how it turns out when I'm done.
It does take time to get the feel of it. If you're really not sure, just ask someone in the quilt shop and they will help. Even other customers will chime in. It doesn't hurt to have more opinions. Relax and enjoy the process, and don't be afraid to ask for help.

Check the selvage edge of a print you like. They usually have little circles of each color used in the overall print. Choose those colors to coordinate with the print and you'll do just fine!

i am the same way i dont have the talent to walk into a fabric store and pick a variety of colors look great together , it takes me some long pondering time and then i usually end up asking for help!!!

Don't feel bad - you would be surprised how many quilters
have the same problem you do. I have taught many beginning quilters how to make quilts, and the first thing
we do is take a trip to a fabric store so they can pick out
the fabrics for their quilt. I try to use that trip to help them
start to learn what works with what.

Choosing the right fabrics, colors, value, and textures just
happens to be my forte, and it is one of the things I love
to do. But I have seen many a quilter really struggle with
this. It does become easier as you go along, especially
if you can find someone to help you learn what to look for.
If you have a friend, quilting buddy, or even a favorite
quilt shop with someone who does have a knack for this,
ask them to guide you through the choosing of your fabrics
for your next quilt, and I'll bet you get the hang of it soon.
Have a Blessed Day!
Marcia

This is the 2nd time somebody mentioned the color dots on the salvedge. Can some one explain how you use them to match colors. Thanks

The colored dots on the selvege edge are actually all the colors that were used in printing that fabric. So a multi-colored print could have an orange red, a teal blue, black, lemon yellow, lime green, etc. This will help you with the shade of color to look for. (For example an wine red probably wouldn't look good with your orange red, unless you are making an all red quilt.)

Take the main bolt of fabric and compare those dots with some tone on tone fabrics and/or different size prints to draw your colors from. If you have a large scale design for the multi-color fabric I usually try to pick a mixture of small and medium sized print and maybe a tone on tone or solid-looking fabric.

Stack these bolts of fabric on top of each other so that you see the smallest area (the thickness of the bolt) and take a few steps back then look at your fabric. Do they look good together? Sometimes I rearrange the stack because some fabrics look better next to each other than another one in the same stack would.

If this still isn't clear send me a PM as I am afraid this response is probably longer than most folks wanted to read anyway.

Don't give up!

Peggy

I'm color-impaired too. Recently I gathered a few tips on colors.

:arrow: Select a print you really like. Look at the selvages and you'll see a series of dots that indicate the colors used in the print.

:arrow: Select some fabrics you like (or you think you like :wink: ), place them on a table, step back and squint at them. Do they do what you want them to? Also, the colors may work but you're not sure--it may be a matter of moving the colors in the stack.

:arrow: Lastly dealing with color-value from fabric in your stash, place them together on your printer and print in B/W. The value will become more clear.

Hope this helps.


I see this note fell right after one with the previous advice. :roll:

Yes, but you said it without ramblin' on like I did!

I agree with all that has been said about how to pick out colors, and I have some problems doing that. But a lady gave me the best advice. She told me to pick a piece that I really liked, then to look along the selvage and there are dots of colors that are used in that piece. Then you can choose the color from those dots which ones you want to use. That advice has helped me a lot.

Lots of good advise here on the Quilting board.

My favorite part is to pick out colors! I'm retired, but I wish someone would hire me to help people pick out fabrics.Here is some advise from some folks who teach Interior Design at the University level. It is for designing a room but I think it also applies to quilts.

First find a print fabric that you absolutely love (Or the person you are making the quilt for would absolutely love.) Priortize (Lordy, where is spell check when you need it?)the colors in that piece of fabric.And then relax and start playing And trust your instincts. All quilters are creative people-- otherwise they wouldn't be quilters.

Also try playing on a web site where you can put fabric on "a wall". I like it a lot better than toting bolts of fabric around a store. lol from wild Granny

I had someone do that when I made my first quilt - problem was I love Oriental fabrics & picked a fabric with white & black Cranes flying among gree trees - I sued it as my quilt backing- When I got the quilt done, I hated it. It is laying on the back of my sofa with the crane fabric side up.

I get really nervous about trying to pick out colors for quilts
- which is probably why I have so many UFO's

I love picking fabric colors, but if I'm trying to make a quilt with a lot of colors I pick up a fat quarter that has a lot of color and then I pick other fabrics that have the same or close to the same colors. See the 12 wonky star blocks I made.

What an awesome quilt - love your color choice

Thanks. I loved making it. The 12 blocks took me 4 hours, the cornerstones and corner blocks took almost 8 hours. Go figure.

i also have trouble with colors, and what goes with what...some of that is my upbringing with my mom, and her "checks and stripes do not go together" and "do not where blue and green together" (ya'all know, you had mothers too)...so i am color challenged when it comes to picking......good thing, i am so lucky that one of my sewing buddies is a natural at picking colors....so the rest of us always auditions our color choices at her house before we quilt..........gina

:lol: I restrained myself. :lol:

My mother used to HATE the choices I made when dressing myself!! Too funny!! :lol:

I enjoy picking out fabrics and color schemes. One time a student of mine said to me - You can take the ugliest fabrics and make them work. I guess that was a back handed compliment, but I'll take it.

Get a color wheel and play around with it. Another oldie but goodie hint is to find a print that you absolutely love. On the selvedge there are usually dots that are used by the fabric printers to create the print. Each dot represents a color in the print. Use these dots to find coordinating fabrics that have those colors in them. Sometimes, I don't even use the original print in the quilt.

I love the idea of cutting up the catalog and playing with the swatches.

Picking the colours is most of the fun for me - my friends even get me to do it for them, so we have a nice arrangement where I get them to choose the focus fabric and we do it together after that. I look on it as a time to teach them some colour theory and that's really what they want me to do.We have stages of "graduating" and doing it independently along the way. Perhaps you might have a quilting friend who can assist you at times?

My Quilting Guild has a library of books and you can check them out at the meetings. The color books have help me. try that, and you will get better at it.

Do you ever go to a quilt show and just enjoy looking at quilts from a distance, forget the details for a moment, enjoy the color! Do you get that same sense of excitement when you walk into a quilt store, do some fabrics "speak to you"? Let yourself go and enjoy color, don't over analyze. I think the difference between those who say they enjoy picking colors and those who don't is self-confidence.
Let yourself be a kid again. There are too many color police out there that will stifle you. You will get everyone else's reactions but not your own and you owe it to yourself to see what pleases you.

Sometimes (for quilts and for glasswork) I print out several sheets of a colouring page and get out my pastels or crayons....or you could use the Paint program on your computer to do the same. That lets you audition some choices before heading to the stash or fabric store.

[quote=grammy Dwynn]Picking colors for me, is fun. (I guess I was in the correct line :) )

Another thing that can help you, those colored dots/numbers that are in the selvage. Use them to help you choose your color(s). Line up your choices, stand back 5 feet or greater and SQUINT (or remove your glasses). The squinting helps you see just the colors and not the prints.
...

I love finding fabrics that have those colored dots. Wish they all did.

Another helpful way of looking at your work is through a peephole device from the hardware store (designed to check out visitors before you open the door). I saw that hint on Simply Quilts one time, and it's a good one for anyone whose sewing room is smaller than a basketball court. Also, I have a red cellophane values finder, which was another suggestion I saw on Simply Quilts years ago. I don't know if they're still being sold, but it does help you decide if there's enough contrast among your fabrics. If you can't get one of those, you can take a digital picture and change it to gray scale on your computer. That will reveal the levels of contrast, both of color and pattern variations.

i love to pick colors and coordinates. generally i fine one main print that i really love and then work around that finding other pieces that work with it. i usually end up putting in one solid with 5 or more prints around the main piece. and i usually end up making the body of the quilt first and then going and getting fabric for borders and backing that i like with it.

that is actually one of my favourite things!!

People tell me i have a knack for it

I am not sure I do but I still get excited when I lay out the fabrics and imagine them in a quilt.

Wish I lived closer to you....I LOVE to pick out colors, prints, etc. I could spend all day in a quilt shop just pulling fabrics together for people...........so much fin for me.