For those following my massive Zelda quilting project, I am very close to color matching all ther various colors in one of my wallhangings...10 out of 14.
A lot of the help of color matching was achieved with http://moda.fabricmatcher.com/. I had made color keys of each of the windows and then ran it through the fabric matcher website, selected Moda marbles as the fabric line, and out of the results that were given to me I looked through them to see which fabric was the closest match to the color. When I found one that looked close to what I was looking for I'd pull up the image of the stained glass window on Photoshop, delete the sections of that color from the left side of the window, put the image of the fabric on a layer underneath the window image (it would peek through the sections I cut out), and see if it matched the color on the right side of the window. If I got a match I wrote down the 4 digit fabric product ID. In other words, this took me a long time to do. At least a full hour total on the one I almost completely matched. Probably more like two. So I just went onto Hancock's of Paducah to see the availability of some of these fabrics. Out of the ten I had found for this image I could not find a single one. HOP has the biggest selection of Moda Marbles that I know of (12 pages, 80 results a page) so I'm shocked. I typed in the number. I typed in the number with "moda marble" or "marble". Nothing. I went back to the fabric matcher website and looked at the fabrics again to see if maybe they listed the color's specific name...it didn't get more specific than "red" or "yellow". Nothing like "burgundy" or "sunshine". The website with the fabric matcher doesn't actually sell the fabric or can tell me where I might be able to buy the fabric. Just to be sure the website wasn't giving me the wrong numbers I went to their line of Moda Marbles, pulled the number on the first fabric that popped up, and typed it into the search box on Hancocks........."Christmas red" comes up on Hancocks and both images match. I want to cry. The hardest part of this project is trying to match the 10+ colors found in the eight stained glass quilted wall hangings I'm attempting to make. And it was EXHAUSTING to find the ones I did find mostly because the windows are centered around one color and have so many different shades of that color its ridiculous. The one I was almost done with kind of makes me want to never look at another shade of pink or yellowish brown ever again. When I was looking for colors I'd have to take breaks because my brain would get worn out from looking at a lot of the same color in different shades. So I want to break down because all of this mentally exhausting work I did for my project was for nothing. |
Oh, I'm so sorry. It sounds like you need to step away and get a good night's rest. Trying to match that many colors would make me INSANE. Bless you for even trying.
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you are correct. trying to match colors exactly is exhausting and frustrating. that's true even if you're lucky enough to have an in-person place to shop for them.
consider changing your strategy a bit. remember that works of art inspired by other works of art are nearly always "interpretive". that is to say that they don't have to be exactly correct in order to be beautiful and appreciated. as long as the colors you use create the appropriate look, it won't matter if they aren't super-precisely accurate. cross my heart. ;-) is there a place near you that sells paint? they might not mind if you collected paint sample strips that show the colors you need. then, contact HOP to see if you can mail them the chips so they can go through their bolts to match those colors for you. if they can't, try contacting Mary Jo's. i don't think they carry moda, but they have a huge selection of tonals from a number of designers. (i'll bet it's the same at HOP.) it's possible that drawing your fabrics from different collections will add interest to the quilt you hadn't expected. :-) you might also consider buying a supply of fabric paints and some nice plain white muslin. you can mix and paint your own. i could be wrong, but considering the price of the fabs you've been considering, i believe painting your own will save you piles of money in the long run. when you've made what you need for your project, you can also experiment with faric painting for its own sake. there's a huge market for hand painted fabs. if you find you have a talent for producing beautiful fabs, you will most likely be able to sell them. :-) |
Try calling there customer service and tell them what you want with the numbers, a person might be able to help. Keepsake quilting (I go to the store) also has a lot of moda that is not in their catalog, you might try giving them a call also.
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Sorry that happened.That would tire me out pretty quick.Here's a site that carries all Moda Marbles. If you don't order on line, it does show all colors by number & name. Good luck in finding what you need.
http://www.craftconn.com/Main.asp?Ta...CategoryId=110 |
How frustrating. I sure hope you can find those fabrics somewhere else.
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You have probably already tried this but google the fabric ID number and if the same shop comes up on multiple numbers you could try calling them. You may have to end up getting the fabrics from different vendors. I had to do it that way once when I was buying a particular line of fabric. Good luck ... it's a lot of work.
Susan |
SO disappointing when best laid plans fall flat, isn't it?!! Sorry you couldn't find what you wanted at a store, no less, that everyone raves about.
One suggestion... have you looked at the Robert Kaufman fusions line? It's all the same (subtle) tone-on-tone pattern but comes in a great many colors. I use them all the time, especially for borders where I'm trying to blend with several other colors. Here's a link... scroll down... http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/fusions_5573/ Good luck! |
Try looking or contacting Webfabrics.net. They have tons of Moda Marbles and when you order from them, they all come with a little sticker on each piece with the color number on it. I hope you find what you want here.
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Be very careful trying to match colors on a computer monitor. Chances are excellent that if you matched a color perfectly to something you want on your monitor, it would not match in person. Fabric color matchers are made to match other fabrics, not graphics. They go by dye content, something you cannot duplicate.
Also be aware that Moda Marbles vary greatly between dye lots and today's Christmas Red will likely be tomorrow's Almost Made It. Patrice's suggestions are excellent, as always, and I would only add that Craft Connection generally has a larger selection of in stock Moda Marbles than HoP and they do carry all the colors. |
Originally Posted by QBeth
SO disappointing when best laid plans fall flat, isn't it?!! Sorry you couldn't find what you wanted at a store, no less, that everyone raves about.
One suggestion... have you looked at the Robert Kaufman fusions line? It's all the same (subtle) tone-on-tone pattern but comes in a great many colors. I use them all the time, especially for borders where I'm trying to blend with several other colors. Here's a link... scroll down... http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/fusions_5573/ Good luck! However, I did look on that website and discovered their Artisan Batik Prisma Dye line and I really like those. And they list the specific color name as well as the color number! If only I could find a place that sold the whole line I'd be in business. HOP didn't seem to have the whole line on their website.
Originally Posted by PatriceJ
you are correct. trying to match colors exactly is exhausting and frustrating. that's true even if you're lucky enough to have an in-person place to shop for them.
consider changing your strategy a bit. remember that works of art inspired by other works of art are nearly always "interpretive". that is to say that they don't have to be exactly correct in order to be beautiful and appreciated. as long as the colors you use create the appropriate look, it won't matter if they aren't super-precisely accurate. cross my heart. ;-) is there a place near you that sells paint? they might not mind if you collected paint sample strips that show the colors you need. then, contact HOP to see if you can mail them the chips so they can go through their bolts to match those colors for you. if they can't, try contacting Mary Jo's. i don't think they carry moda, but they have a huge selection of tonals from a number of designers. (i'll bet it's the same at HOP.) it's possible that drawing your fabrics from different collections will add interest to the quilt you hadn't expected. :-) you might also consider buying a supply of fabric paints and some nice plain white muslin. you can mix and paint your own. i could be wrong, but considering the price of the fabs you've been considering, i believe painting your own will save you piles of money in the long run. when you've made what you need for your project, you can also experiment with faric painting for its own sake. there's a huge market for hand painted fabs. if you find you have a talent for producing beautiful fabs, you will most likely be able to sell them. :-) And oh how I have tried the paint chip thing and then some. When I was working overnights each day when I'd pass by the paint station I'd grab a few paint chips until I literally had all the Kilz paint samples. But I discovered I couldn't put the paint chip up to the TV screen to see if the color matched because unlike a wall or paper its lit in the back. And for whatever reason my printer isn't printing the colors out right. I thought maybe my computer's calibration was off and thus the colors I was seeing were totally off. But the images I pulled off ZeldaWiki and the video I took with my video capture card were both the same. Even turned on the game and went to the windows are and sure enough the colors on the TV screen matched to what I was seeing on my computer screen. So I can't print off a picture and match chips that way. I even went on a website where you can match paint chips and it won't let me find a color by putting in the color the computer gives me (ex. #000000=black). Ugh...I just can't win. To tell the truth, dying isn't all that cost effective either between the dye, soda ash, the gallons of water I'd have to buy since we have rusty water, Retayne, that stuff that helps keep red dye from making your fabric looking spotty, and the fabric itself. I figure either I'm going to buy every color of dye under the sun or buy large quanities of red, yellow, blue, and black or have to experiment a lot or do quite a bit of research and hope for the best. Going to cost a whole lot more if I end up with something that I can't use. |
Glad I could help a bit, albeit not directly. :-)
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Just another thought if you want to look at a different fabric. Hoffman 1895 batiks (expensive though) are gorgeous and there's a website where you can get a snippet of their entire line. If you are interested in something like that I will be happy to find the website for you.
Susan |
Originally Posted by SuzyQ
Just another thought if you want to look at a different fabric. Hoffman 1895 batiks (expensive though) are gorgeous and there's a website where you can get a snippet of their entire line. If you are interested in something like that I will be happy to find the website for you.
Susan |
Originally Posted by Flying_V_Goddess
I'd definatly be interested. I don't mind going for different lines. Moda Marbles had been the main one because a lot of places carry them (but apparently not the colors I need. lol) and they have a wide range of colors. It kept me from having to jump around from fabric line to fabric line to find the 77+ colors I need.
You go girl! No wonder you're stressed out. :-) |
Originally Posted by QBeth
Originally Posted by Flying_V_Goddess
I'd definatly be interested. I don't mind going for different lines. Moda Marbles had been the main one because a lot of places carry them (but apparently not the colors I need. lol) and they have a wide range of colors. It kept me from having to jump around from fabric line to fabric line to find the 77+ colors I need.
You go girl! No wonder you're stressed out. :-) |
I hope this works. This is the link to the "color fan"
http://www.batiksplus.com/SuperStore...ProductID=5042 The main website is batiksplus.com. I've ordered from them several times and always had great service. You can also get free shipping and sales from time to time as well. Good luck! Susan |
Originally Posted by Flying_V_Goddess
But yeah, there's at least 75 colors. See why I was so upset when I couldn't find the fabrics I picked out for sale?
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From reading your posts I know you are a purist, especially with your Zelda project. With such a vast colour range needed, and the fact it is a stained glass window effect, perhaps you might consider using fabrics other than 100% cotton. Depending on what you choose, it may add an extra luminosity to your work. Now I'm off to hide from the QP!
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quilting is supposed to be fun LOL
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http:stitch-n-frame.net
moda marbles, patrick lose marbles, tons of marbles... |
Originally Posted by plainpat
Sorry that happened.That would tire me out pretty quick.Here's a site that carries all Moda Marbles. If you don't order on line, it does show all colors by number & name. Good luck in finding what you need.
http://www.craftconn.com/Main.asp?Ta...CategoryId=110 |
I don't remember which on line shop recommended this sight, but once when I was at my wits end, I looked up FabricCafe.com, and then I called them. The service was great and I got just exactly what I wanted. I don't know if it was as hard to find as yours, but it is certainly worth a try. Good luck.
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if you go to http:thousandsofbolts.com
they have a fabric comparison chart as well. |
My heart goes out to you in this project. Pull away for a bit of time, relax and then go back at it. You will succeed.
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Originally Posted by earthwalker
From reading your posts I know you are a purist, especially with your Zelda project. With such a vast colour range needed, and the fact it is a stained glass window effect, perhaps you might consider using fabrics other than 100% cotton. Depending on what you choose, it may add an extra luminosity to your work. Now I'm off to hide from the QP!
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What is the Zelda project, please ?
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Originally Posted by SuzyQ
I hope this works. This is the link to the "color fan"
http://www.batiksplus.com/SuperStore...ProductID=5042 The main website is batiksplus.com. I've ordered from them several times and always had great service. You can also get free shipping and sales from time to time as well. Good luck! Susan |
What's a Zelda? The only Zelda I know was in an old TV sitcom - Dobie Gillis.
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I am only a beginner but I have noticed that there are so many colors of fabric and materials it easily can put me into sensory overload.
Good luck and blessings... |
Oh my, you sound like me. I want my colors to match exactly...but, you know what, I am gradually learning that they really don't have to. They just don't. Close is close enough sometimes.
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Don't know if this will help, but crafttown fabrics carries Moda Marbles.
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can you post what you're working on so we can see it, please
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i love your zelda ideas. i've had to make the sword and sheild several times for halloween as well as the costume. my oldest has every zelda game and still has his original nintendo ones. he's 21 now and still the gamer. i showed him the windows and your posts and he is impressed. in fact, he's hinted several times that he thinks "I" could do that. i don't. i don't have the patience, but i think you are doing a great job and i can't wait to see the finished product. good luck.
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Try www.Fabric.com/Moda I looked and they have Marbles and you can check their archives Hope this helps
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Originally Posted by Flying_V_Goddess
For those following my massive Zelda quilting project, I am very close to color matching all ther various colors in one of my wallhangings...10 out of 14.
A lot of the help of color matching was achieved with http://moda.fabricmatcher.com/. I had made color keys of each of the windows and then ran it through the fabric matcher website, selected Moda marbles as the fabric line, and out of the results that were given to me I looked through them to see which fabric was the closest match to the color. When I found one that looked close to what I was looking for I'd pull up the image of the stained glass window on Photoshop, delete the sections of that color from the left side of the window, put the image of the fabric on a layer underneath the window image (it would peek through the sections I cut out), and see if it matched the color on the right side of the window. If I got a match I wrote down the 4 digit fabric product ID. In other words, this took me a long time to do. At least a full hour total on the one I almost completely matched. Probably more like two. So I just went onto Hancock's of Paducah to see the availability of some of these fabrics. Out of the ten I had found for this image I could not find a single one. HOP has the biggest selection of Moda Marbles that I know of (12 pages, 80 results a page) so I'm shocked. I typed in the number. I typed in the number with "moda marble" or "marble". Nothing. I went back to the fabric matcher website and looked at the fabrics again to see if maybe they listed the color's specific name...it didn't get more specific than "red" or "yellow". Nothing like "burgundy" or "sunshine". The website with the fabric matcher doesn't actually sell the fabric or can tell me where I might be able to buy the fabric. Just to be sure the website wasn't giving me the wrong numbers I went to their line of Moda Marbles, pulled the number on the first fabric that popped up, and typed it into the search box on Hancocks........."Christmas red" comes up on Hancocks and both images match. I want to cry. The hardest part of this project is trying to match the 10+ colors found in the eight stained glass quilted wall hangings I'm attempting to make. And it was EXHAUSTING to find the ones I did find mostly because the windows are centered around one color and have so many different shades of that color its ridiculous. The one I was almost done with kind of makes me want to never look at another shade of pink or yellowish brown ever again. When I was looking for colors I'd have to take breaks because my brain would get worn out from looking at a lot of the same color in different shades. So I want to break down because all of this mentally exhausting work I did for my project was for nothing. |
www.craftconn.com has a good deal of Moda marbles. You might find a few you need there.
Good luck! |
number contain a lot number too, and if you have a different lot number, your color could be off just a tiny bit. I would get as close as I could, and not worry about it so much
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Try the moda website, email them, or call, and ask where you can buy the colors?
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Originally Posted by GrandmaAva
What is the Zelda project, please ?
Originally Posted by ktmo815
can you post what you're working on so we can see it, please
For those not familiar with the gaming world, The Legend of Zelda (or Zelda for short) is one of Nintendo's longest game series. In the game LOZ: Ocarina of Time there are seven sages that you have to find and awaken as they have the power to seal away Ganondorf (or Ganon when he's in pig form) to the Sacred Realm. In LOZ: Wind Waker, as an Easter egg, the room where you find the Master Sword depicts six of the sages, the Triforce, and Ganon in stained glass windows. [IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/RauruTWW.png[/IMG][IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/SariaTWW.png[/IMG][IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...DaruniaTWW.png[/IMG] (Rauru, Saria, Darunia) [IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...ss/RutoTWW.png[/IMG][IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...ss/ImpaTWW.png[/IMG][IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...NabooruTWW.png[/IMG] (Ruto, Impa, Nabooru...the last one is the one I almost found all the fabrics for before finding I couldn't find them for sale) [IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Ganoncopy.jpg[/IMG] (Ganon) (don't have a picture up of the Triforce window) A few years ago around when I first started quilting and after I learned about stained glass quilts I had this idea to make those windows into wallhangings. And a quilted version of the sea map from the game as well. And last summer I thought of cross stitching the images in the beginning of the game summerizing the story of Ocarina of Time and telling the events of what happened afterwards. So actually The Zelda Project is several projects, but right now I'm working on the stained glass windows (and later the map) as I promised myself I would get the map and at least one of the windows done this year because I have been putting it off so long. |
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