I am trying to decide on a quilt design and palatte for my cousin.
She's asked me to keep in mind that her husband does share the bedroom, too, and would prefer something that, in her terms... is "a more feminine design using man colors"

Sounds simple enough, eh?

So, I've eliminated pink, purple, white, and at their request, green.

I know that there's a whole color wheel to choose from, but I'm stuck on "feminine design with man colors"

Have you ever had such a request? When I'm thinking of quilt design, unless it is for a very pink little girl, I don't really divide my ideas into fem/mas designs or man/woman colors...

Part of me thinks that darker no floral will be "mannish" enough for the job - and most common/traditional quilt patterns will work.

Thoughts?

Darker solids and simple prints sound good, definetly no floral. I think just about any design would be ok with the right colors. Do they both like wildlife? because you could use a wildlife print in the quilt for the "man" element. Maybe even brighten itup but use more modern geometric designed material. I think thats enough from me :oops:
GoodLuck :lol:

What about pale creams, fawns, and baby blue? They're soft versions of man colours. :-)

Earth tones are always a safe bet for a man's colour palette. Start with a cream and go 3-4 graduations, light brown and go 3-4 graduations and so on, right through to the blues and yes! blacks... Depending on what pattern you are doing and the numbers of colours needed. Log cabin is also a safe bet for a pattern, depending on the size of the quilt, the blocks can be arranged in so many interesting variations. Good Luck...

You could take your cues from what's in his closet. Men don't wear colors they don't like or those they don't feel 'manly' wearing.

did you see the"manly" quilt that Eddie made ?

It's somewhere in the picture section.

How about plaids and stripes?

The "manly colors with a feminine design" would throw me, too.

Maybe she's talking about the fabrics, and not the quilt design?

One could go with the fall palette - or patriotic (red, white, and blue) - patriotic might be different colors for different countries?

How about having her go shopping with you for the fabrics? Or at least have her say "This would work, etc." - until you have a pattern picked out, you may not know amounts to purchase

Are any of you old enough to remember when pink and charcoal gray were considered really cool colors for guys?

They never wore pink pants, but they did wear pink shirts.

Thank you, everyone, for your comments.
I'm glad to see that it IS a tricky one for y'all too!

i'd stay away from anything floral - actually i'd stay away from all novelty prints but thats just me - i see them as feminine regardless of the design.

if you have to use a pattern i'd go for a paisley. all colors are good except the pastels. red is a nice color thats pleasing to both men and women.

i'd opt for solids, blenders, tone on tone, etc - these fabrics are gender neutral - batiks would be nice.

then for a pattern i'd do a D9P - its a lovely geometric design, is to put together, and is gender neutral.

Here in Montreal, pink is still very fashionable for men, especially for dress shirts :) I'm guessing it's made a comeback.

I've found that most of my male friends, including my husband, are drawn to the darker (blues, browns, greens) batiks (ones with no specific design, like butterflies or anything). My husband is a color theorist (don't ask) so he pulled together some great batiks for me to use on his snuggle quilt.

I took my DH to joanns one day and I was surprised at what he picked out. It was an asia print and it actually had flowers but also had big birds on it. The check out girl questioned whether I picked it or he and he answered her he did, just a thought on men and how different they all are. My husband wouldnt be caught dead wearing pink on anything. Just goes to show you they are a unique species. LOL

i picked up a pink dress shirt for my DH and he never wore it.

How about blue batiks and black? Will they not tell you what colors they like?

Being a man, I may have some insite into this.

As for colors, either earth tones, blues and blacks/grays. You can always throw in some darker reds and yellows in there for contrast. Even a very dark purple is acceptable. Stay away from pinks, oranges, salmons and pastels, except maybe pastel blue. They are definitely not manly colors. Even though I do occasionally wear a pink dress shirt, I wouldn't want it on my bed.

As for patterns, log cabin is manly and can be arranged in many nice patterns. Anything with stars in the pattern is manly.

Maybe a nice deep blue tone Mariners Compass on a black background. You could even throw in some bright yellow or deep red for contrast, too.

There are a LOT of BEAUTIFUL tans and browns. Autumn leaves etc.

I recently made a "manly" quilt, using the Bistro line from Moda. You can see it at:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/15110.page

It had coffee-themed designs in the fabric, so it was still a bit whimsical. The blues, greens and the light tans were really nice together, so maybe use something similar? I would stay away from the really dark prints in the line, if this is for a bedroom. Happy quilting!

What color is their bedroom?

I don't think you're locked into neutrals or darks, though of course you want to stay away from Easter pastels.

Not that there's anything wrong with neutrals. Taupe with charcoal grays, tans and creams could be just fine.

Browns with small bits of jewel-bright color would look nice.

I've always loved navy blue, burgundy red and forest green together, perhaps with some gold for accent. (Surely they don't mean no green at all?)

Orange (you know this, right?) is a trendy color for this year. An orange-red with other oranges and reds would make for a bright, warm-toned quilt.

Gold and silver on black is very sophisticated.

For a beachy feel, maybe a sand color with light and medium blues and small amounts of peach.

'60s psychedelic colors are bright and you can even work in some hot pink and spring green with the turquoise, red, purple, orance and yellow.

Just ask her for some of those paint color things of colors that she thinks would be acceptable -

If she doesn't want to do that part of it, - - -

My sister once asked for some "blue" pillowcases - I asked her for a paint chip to narrow it down - her response was "what's so hard about blue?"

I had a similar challenge and ended up in fall colors with accents in a nice indigo. The pattern I used was bear paws. No cameras back then, but I wonder if it's floating around or gone.

I like the log cabin idea that mytwopals suggested. That would be wonderful in browns, rusts, blacks, etc. Would love to know what you decide on.

I've just started collecting fabric for my grown son's quilt. I am making a Hunter Star pattern in Batiks of Med-Dark Blues/Greens with the stars of bright yellow/orange (he LOVES orange). There are many nice "gender neutral" batiks out there. Geometric, Abstract, etc. I try not to pick anything flowery, but will use leafy prints or vines. Hoffman 1895's come in many colors and can blend in with just about anything else you use.

I think neutrals with accents in another color, like blue, burgundy, dark purple, etc. would be very nice.

what about 1800 repos, especially Civil War?

Some great ideas here....I like the idea of using a foliage print, if you wanted to incorporate a print that is. I would definitely get them to choose the fabric and the colours....and even the design if possible. You could maybe use their interests/hobbies for inspiration if all else fails. Maybe get them to go through magazines to help the ideas "gel".

I wish you well in your quest.

Very thoughtful replies from the group!
My two cents:
I would hope the two of you would decide on a pattern you liked, first. And if you aren't remodeling the entire room, choose colors that will not fight with the present color scheme (common sense, right?)
I would also ask if there are any colors he really dislikes (my husband thinks red is for women, so he avoids it, but maroon or burgundy are fine. And since I told him how nice he looked in his pale peach shirt, he wore it frequently)
I wouldn't rule out every floral in the world; just don't use large pieces.
I'm attaching two pics. The flying geese in flannels was for my son, and it was based on the colors of a rugby shirt that he really liked (also a color combination someone mentioned here). I just added some lighter/darker shades, and chose various prints (which may not show very well in the photo); the krazy quilt has some florals in it (not what you'd see in tapestry or upholstery, but they have flowers in them), and one of my uncles just loved it. So, as someone already pointed out, every man is different!
Good luck, I'm sure you'll find the perfect answer, and please post a pic when you've finished it!

I just finished piecing a top with Kansas Trouble by Moda. (15 different fabrics plus background) Although there are a few small florals in it because of the deep blues, reds and browns it definitely has a masculine feel to it. I told my husband it was for him. (yeah right!)

How about creams for the background combined with greens & browns like the pic on my avi? This is in the process of being made for the wall of my dad & step-mom's newly redecorated bathroom which is centered around pine cones.

It's not as one-sided manly as using blues, and I've used fabrics with specks of golds which dress it up and make it less harsh.

Men do flowers ... a few, the more deep the color, (although my man does love yellow roses <g>) Some of the best gardeners in the world are men, and if you think about it, most of the handwork we do today, thinking it is "women's work" ... was actually an industry done by MEN ...
The paisley is excellent. DD showed me the most favorite shirt of her husband, and I noticed a couple of things ... the paisley, and the light colored cream/background was MINIMAL.
The D9P -- excellent choice .... men like straight forward, easily comprehended angles ... it is just the way their brain works. There are exceptions (paisley, yellow roses, male gardeners), of course, but for most men, they worry about something that looks fragile, or too easily dirtied ("all that white scares me to DEATH!") ...
I love the log cabin, the D9P, even four patches and stars ... and, then, you will be surprised how much detail your friend's husband will see in your quilting ... they pay attention to some pretty amazing things. <g>

How about a mountain scene or a pictoral quilt with dark reds, greens, dark blues and browns. My 2 cents.

I just made a 16" mariner's compass with a cream background and Moda marbles in purples, teals and green (but you could substitute a yellow or red). I hung it on my design wall so I could live with it for a while before quilting it, and my husband really liked it. If you paper-piece, take a look at Carol Doak's Mariner's Compass book. It has 24 different blocks. You could choose one for your center medallion and make some of the others to place around it.

Depending on what their decor is, red, white and black always makes a striking quilt.

Navy blue, burgundy & tan is another option. If they hadn't eliminated white - black, red & white makes for an interesting combo - you could substitute light gray for the white.
Betty

When I was in NY I purchased Hoffman's Jelly Roll called Bali Pop in their pistashio (Ok, so I can't spell, LOL) line. It is 40 colors in greens, browns and blues, from lights to darks. I am making that for my DH, he loves the colors. But he also will wear a pink shirt so I don't know what to tell you, LOL.

How about brown, black and beige with a hint of burgundy? Those could be very manly colors and they are very rich looking together.

Ask for paint chips. You want to match their bedroom first.

I made our quilt for the bedroom from purples, greys, greens and creams ... thankfully my hubby likes purple ... but I think that with a more simple graphic pattern (squares & rectangles) it becomes less gender specific.

Good manly quilt :D
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projec...jects_ss4.html

I know you said not to ask....but I've got to ask...what the heck is a color theorist???