Need help with colours
 

I am fairly new to quilting and am attempting to make a scrappy looking quilt on the diagonal using a jelly roll and charm pack of the same fabric (Moda - Collection for a Cause: Legacy). I have all my strips figured out (Pic 1) and picked a bright blue as the border (and thus the setting pieces) - Pic 2

I am not working from a pattern, but working off this general idea: http://www.thecalicocottagequiltshop...4#.UvP4vP20WZY
Which is why I made the mistake of putting those blue square pieces at the end of all the strips - they should be triangles!

So keep in mind that I am already resigned to taking those blue squares off, which has me re-thinking the whole bright blue border decision. I really like the color combo before I added the blue, which I now feel is just overwhelming, especially when I add more for a border. Pic 3 shows my brown and red backing and red binding.

There are also a few pieces in the quilt that I feel pop out too much (solid blue and red pieces) which I may take out.

Any insight would be much appreciated! I think I will switch to a more neutral (cream?) border and setting, although that has me concerned some of the pieces will blend into it too much.

How about leaving the blue pieces on (after all, they're already there!) and then putting side triangles, corner triangles, and border in the beige?

BTW, I think it looks great, and no need to change out any of the pieces. That's what scrappy is all about - happy accidents that bring your eye here and there around the quilt, investigating the different fabrics and shapes.

Personally I agree the blue and red sections do not seem to fit. I do like the black with the red - maybe some black with blue? Other than that, I would move towards more neutral colors in the body of the quilt and maybe a black or dark brown for the border so it frames it?

I think the blue and red are fine except the long rectangle of blue. If you break that up I think it would look better. Not that it is horrible as it is, you understand, it's fine, but shorter would look better.

I like the blue and would just trim the squares into triangles by trimming ¼" from the seam.

IMHO I would take out all of the blue and stay with the beige/brown theme. Having said that...this is your quilt and you shouldn't worry about what anyone else thinks. Please post a pic when you are done I can't wait to see it whatever you decide.

That's what I think you should do. I like the blue. However, I would take out that long blue strip and break it up with another color.

I like it. Yes, like the others, I think that one blue strip needs to be cut shorter. Maybe move a piece of it to the other end of the same row. I do like the blue squares on the edge but maybe put a brown border after that. The red border will blend much better with it. This is going to be a great looking quilt when you are done. I really like the colors and diagonal setting you have.

Thanks for all the quick replies! I will definitely take the advice to break up that long blue strip (if those pieces stay in at all).

I really do want to move to a neutral border that will frame everything, but of course all the creams, browns and blacks make it hard to pick one that won't find the pieces blending into the border. Which is maybe how I landed on the blue. So maybe just a milder blue? Or something in the reds (like the binding fabric in Pic 3?).

I love the blue! I'd sew it all together, then trim the blue squares evenly so they're triangles. Then I'd do a wide border of your brown floral with a thin flange of the red you're showing it with. The red will be like a line of piping (but not true piping; it's just fabric folded over once and sewn along with the brown border) between the blue and the brown.

I do agree that you should shorten that long blue strip, but I'd be sure to tuck at least part of the remaining piece someplace else in the body of the quilt.