Usually it is the color in the pattern that attracts me, but I find it is often the fabric dictates the pattern to me. When Turning 20 first came out, I didn't care for it, all the fabrics seemed smashed together. Then a friend and I wanted to make a Halloween/Birthday quilt for another friend and I had so many different fabrics to use, it was perfect for what we wanted to do. So now I am more likely to find fabric then find the pattern to compliment it.

When looking at quilts, I don't think I register primarily the color. I think it's first an overall impression of the genre of the quilt that makes the impact -- that is, whether it's modern and bright, reproduction and traditional, etc. I'm able to separate the genre of fabric and colors from the pattern; I'm not sure how this works. Sometimes a color scheme will definitely make an impact and I'll admire it, but that won't incline me to make the quilt. It's the pattern that gets me.

I often look at design and envision it in a different color scheme. Sometimes I like the colors it is but I am drawn to design unless it's just ( perfect colors ) in my mind. I've found I used to purchase kits because I loved a quilt, but when the kit arrived I would swap out most of the fabrics. Dumb for me to buy a kit- I don't think I've ever made a kit quilt using the kit fabrics. So -- I see design, don't pay attention enough to the colors ( otherwise I wouldn't buy a kit I'm not going to use) :)

I am sucked in by the colors. It takes determination for me to get past the color to study/appreciate the pattern if I don't care for the colors.

Lands, long before all our fancy technical tools were even invented, I was 'seeing' quilts in terms of pattern rather than color. What I couldn't quickly see, I drew out on graph paper and colored in whatever way came to me. I still do this, but, now I often graph in the Paint program on my laptop.

I believe if you will train yourself to "find the block" it will be easier for you to see the quilt as pattern, beyond the color.

Jan in VA

Color is what catches my eye when I look at pictures of quilts--with magazines I will see a quilt and sometimes the fabric (seems they try to use every fabric in the line when making the quilt) seems to busy and lacks the needed contrast--or just plain seems boring to me. So I make a habit of always looking at the schematic drawing that shows all the blocks and is often in black/white/gray or solid colors--same with patterns--cause that lets me see what the block & quilt design really is.

I seldom have this problem since I never can follow a pattern exactly anyway. I always tend to change it up a lot and make it mine ...the last Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt I tried I did not like the colors together so I broke it apart and made two quilts...one black, white, red and the other browns and neutrals...they both came out very nice. If I ever made this quilt again, I would definitely use my own colors...Bonnie even encourages this.

I'm with joes mom. I pick a pattern by the over all aesthetically pleasing vision it gives me. And then I go home and change the colors and whatever I want as I go along. THe pattern is just a starting place, so to speak. It's hard for me to visualize the finished piece. I just keep going till it looks done, to me. I just know, somehow. I guess I'm just an old fashioned quilter with crazy ways.

Sometimes I have trouble choosing colors-especially when many different colors are involved. So, if I am drawn to a pattern because it is vibrant and nicely balanced, I like to take a picture (if appropriate), print it, enlarge it in black and white. Then I cut bits of my fabric choices and paste them on the black and white picture. This way I can work in the light, medium and darks and the scale of prints. I am always drawn to any picture that has green and purple-but i can't make every quilt purple and green.

Like Ckkowl and Jan, it is a pattern that catches my eye. I may like the colors it is made up in but usually not. For me, choosing and coordinating fabrics is one of my favorite parts of the quilting process.