I have a question that I hope I can get some help with. I am new at quilting, and just learned how to match perfect seams. My new problem is I have a hard time matching more than two colors at a time. I can't get three colors to go together. What am I doing wrong? Do I put prints and plain colors together, or use just plain or just prints. I am not sure just what to do. I don't want to cut into the cloth until it is correct. Any ideas I will welcome. Ina :?

Ina, there are many helpful books to help with color choices....Color Magic for Quilters by Ann Seely and Joyce Stewart, or from Rodales Successful Quilting Library the volume Creative Guide to Color and Fabric,or you could go to www.aboutsewing.com and find some answers to the question. I was once told to go look in my closet put together a few outfits....My color coordination and mixing shows there...not any different in quilting. Another way is to get a floral with many colors in it and then match the various colors with the main one. Prints or plain works fine. Nothing is one color in nature. These are pretty much everyday methods. Now if you are into a more modern approach....check your artwork. Truly though anything goes....quilts are an expression of your vision...See it, feel it, make it, share it! That's all there is to it. Would love to see what you do. Good luck.

I came from the generation that didn't mix any prints, didn't do brown with orange, blue with green, red with much of anything except navy or white. I had to learn to rethink what is ok, and go with stuff I like rather than follow the "rules" I learned so long ago. Look at lots of pictures of quilts in books, magazines, online anywhere. See what you like and what you don't and go from there. :-)

Ina,
I took a class on color that helped a lot. I heartily recommend it.
We used a book on color by Gai Perry. You can use this book and teach yourself, I'm sure.
We learned that ALL colors go together. It's what pleases YOUR eye, as Sandra mentioned.
One lesson that I really enjoyed was to pick a favorite vase, dish, cup, picture, whatever, and select the colors you find there to build your quilt. I did and it's the one quilt that I constantly get compliments on. I used my grandmother's candy dish. It was easy to select fabrics once I had the colors in mind. (I carried that candy dish all over the place!):lol:
I've learned to add some plaids and other prints to the mix of florals and solids. I love the tone-on-tone fabrics and blenders. They're awesome additions to any quilt.
Try to get different values (that's a hard one to learn), different size prints (large and small and everything in-between).
If you have a focus fabric check the side of the fabric they often have a line of dots with the colors found in the fabric. Look at your pattern and decide how many colors you want. I've mistakenly picked too many colors and then you have to weed them out. Argh! What a chore! I wanted them all!!!
Main thing is to play with the fabrics! Have fun with it and it'll show in your final project!
"Trust me!" :lol:

Lets see... Greens, oranges, and purples go together.

Yellows, reds, and blues go together.

Whites mute, blacks vividfy (I made that word up).

Pastels are for girls. Deep dark colors are for MEN. Greens are for spring, browns are for fall, white is winter, summers, we all just go swimming.

Now, everyone here will tell you... I don't know a thing about what I am talking about. They are right. I just pick colors I think go well together.

tim in san jose

I like that new word...vividfy... really Tim....such blase' standard is hardly up there with silly putty and glue... say it isn't so...lol! Color, Color ,Color!
Any shade, any combo, any way. Still the swimming is a great idea...speaking of ....how many colors are there at the shore?

One, blue of course... Unless you start talking about bikinis.

Not that I am guilty of ever watching those.

tim in san jose

and when he does, the color red shows up on his cheeks and ears.
:mrgreen:

You know me so well Patrice. I am just a little wall flower not use to the wild, bikini wearing women quilters of the big city (or the shore).

tim in san jose

Well if all you see is blue ....your head isn't buried in the sand! Take off the reflective shades and peek again. Ha! If you squint really hard you may see a pattern appear in a kaliedescope of color. It all goes together. I hope our nonsense helps relieve the tightness over color.