Quilt for a customer with some interesting color choices.
 

I have a customer - a young lady who is in love with black, kelly green, magenta, pink monkeys and butterflys and of course pink/black leopard. She picked out fabrics from various websites - we have a pattern chosen - I talked to her about incorporating colors that work together - lest they clash (Hmmm I can't see that happening) - anyway its all ordered and on its way. I just hope this works out - I will post a pic when I get the top together. My question is - has anyone else faced a similar challenge with colors that seem a little too much? She is very excited so I guess if she loves it that is all that matters. Wish me luck.
:shock:
Otis

I have had issues with sewing for others and their fabric choices. It makes me nervous the entire time when I just can't fathom the fabrics together in a quilt... and the person liking the results. I found it to be so stressful I stopped making quilts for others when I don't like the fabrics... its way too much like working at a job a dislike.
Good luck with this quilt.

If I like the color choices and thepattern, I have no problem.

If, however, I don't like them, then I don't do it. I don't want to force myself to sew/quilt something I don't like.

In fact that is one of the problems I have now. I had put a charity quilt on my HQ frame but don't want to quilt it. It is a whole cloth panel and the material isn't square like a pieced quilt. Now I know. So those I don't want to do are last in my stack of quilts to quilt.

ali

Just cut the pieces small and they'll all blend together nicely. Actually, my own `19YO daughter would probably love the fabrics in this quilt herself. Times change!

Actually ... I think it could make a beautiful and vibrant quilt! Lots of bright colours that pops with the black.
And yes, I can understand your hesitancy, if "brights" are not your normal choices.

What pattern are you planning to use?

Otis, Are you worried about you not enjoying the process because you don't like the fabrics, or about your customer, who might not like the final result because the fabrics don't go together well? If it's the former, you can always bow out. If it's the latter, perhaps it would be a good idea to get all of the fabrics together, lay them out next to one another, and gauge her reaction to them. If she continues to love it, then she'll no doubt love the final piece. There is no accounting for taste. I've seen quilts in some magazines that I wouldn't make (in those colors) if it was the only quilt I could make!

Cheers!

I think those colors would look lovely together, nice and bright! I hope you have fun working on it.

I'd go with advice the opposite of an earlier poster - go with very large pieces and get it done ASAP!

The pattern has been chosen, but does it have sashing? Since she likes (and has chosen) black as one of her colors I would see if I could sash it in black. This seems to pull everything together. Look at all the scrappy string quilts you see. A single block looks a bit wild, add black sashing and it looks great! Post a picture when you are done!

I think all those together would go great!!! I love bright quilts. If she has picked out the fabrics, you know she is going to like it. My daughter picked out 4 fabrics for a quilt. The colors do not go well with each other at all, but she is the one that picked them out and it's been a few years. She still LOVES the quilt. The fabrics she picked must make her happy and that is what matters. :) So I hope you make the best of making the quilt. You will make one happy customer!!! :)

This is the perfect situation for EQ7. You can scan in your fabrics and use them in your design to see what it will look like before you make the first cut of your material. I had to do this with my granddaughter's quilt last year. Her colors of choice were black and white. She didn't want any other colors except black and white but I told her I wasn't comfortable with that and then showed her the designs I had made up in EQ7 that also had some blue batiks in addition to the black and white. She loved it and so did I. It was her Christmas gift last year. Ann in TN

My middle niece, 11 years old, would love it. She just made her first pieced quilt. She wanted neon colors but settled for black print and assorted bright tone on tones. It turned out cute and youthful and is already on her bed.

If its that bad try to put some on one side of the quilt and some on the other. Good luck and be sure to post the results Best stitches

I had the opposite situation when I said I would make a memory quilt for a dear friend who had recently lost her husband. A box of the dreariest old flannel shirts arrived a week later with mostly gray, brown, black plaids and stripes. I didn't know where to begin. Long story short; I made a version of a rail fence, then added red sashing and borders. I thought it was the ugliest quilt I had ever seen and didn't want to even send it. She has written 2 letters and called to tell me she was delighted. Absolutely thrilled with this quilt. (She sent a picture and I'll try to post it later.)
Moral of the story: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If this young lady loves these colors that IS what matters.
Good luck.

I decided to make my great niece Cassie a quilt. Her favorite colors are purple and lime green. We were at Joanns and I told her to pick out 15 purple FQs and 15 green FQs for her quilt. Well the colors were all over the map and didn't go together and I told her, but she insisted that these were the ones she liked. After consulting with my mom, Nana, she helped me with a pattern and in the long run it turned out well and my niece is in heaven.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...p-t135595.html

I find most people who don't do what we do are not very critical, they just love that someone cares enough to make something special for them. Don't worry about the fabric, just enjoy in the delight of making someone special happy.

It might be a good idea to give her a preview of what the quilt is going to look like before you actually start it. She may change her mind on the colors.

The process is what I love about quilting. I can quilt any colors for anyone. If I am working for them, the sky's the limit. I still enjoy every stitch, block and designing the quilting to go on the quilt. I am very picky about My quilts, colors, etc. Half the fun of working for others is watching it come together and their excitement at the finished product. I just did one for a college grad getting her first apt., lime green, orange, yellow and black. It was gorgeous.
i would never have chosen the colors but I may do another one for my CHristmas show.

That will definitely be an interesting quilt. Hope you post a copy of it when you finish!

Well I have received some of the fabrics in the mail (all fabrics were bought online at different retailers) so far the colors are working together fine. I do like bright quilts and not so bright quilts - I am just not a huge fan of bright pink and leopard. The pattern has four patch and a snowball type block - so I think the small pieces will help - all the big empty spaces will be black - I am sure it will turn out fine - I will wear my sunglasses while piecing it. All the fabrics should be here by the end of the week and hopefully I will have this done within the next week. I will definitely post a pic. Thanks for all the responses. Otis

I was helping the daughter of a friend make a quilt with lots of fabric the didnt 'go together'. We separated them with white sashing and it looked very dramatic and cheerful.

What is the saying ... Beauty is in the eye if the beholder? I'm sure the quilt will be perfect!

I agree, lay out all the fabrics together to see if she still loves this combination. If she does, I am sure you will be much happier making the quilt.

I think it will be fine. The colors are basically black and then kelly green and pink along with some leopard print and then monkeys. Actually it just sounds like an exciting quilt. We'd love to see the fabrics!

It sounds really interesting. Good luck and be sure to post pictures when completed.

If the quilt is for a customer, they have complete freedom of choice. If you don't think the fabrics will work together, it's your responsibility as the quilt maker to help guide their choices. What if you don't say anything and then the quilt comes out just horrible looking? Partially your/my fault, as we didn't make good suggestions to our customer. There are good ways to help them select fabrics they like so that the quilt will come out nicely. It's part of the design process...and it really is our responsibility for the finished product. Just my opinion....but just sayin'!!

Have to smile when I read these types of posts as I am always choosing colours in particular (or even prints)that others think don't or won't work together with usually fabulous results. If I had a penny for every time some one told " me "that wont work" or every time they say " I didn't think that would go together with..." I would be wealthy and have lots more money to spend on fabric. Yeah!

Sounds interesting. The customer is always right. Just grin and bear it! lol

Yes, My now 21 year old daughter picked out 9 different fabrics that none went together, but she loves it. Basketballs, lepoards spots,red and a border with Texas all over it to remind her where we bought it at. Then the backing is a white ,black and red plaid - go figure...

I don't do many commissions these days and have always had a lot of free rein anyway. If I were cconvinced that the plan would NOT work, I would say something because I would want a satisfied customer. Otherwise, I'm pretty agreeable.

Wait until you get all the fabrics together - then have the customer take another look at the - if it's still a go - deal with it!

From the description, I think it would be a "fun" quilt and very bright.

Now you know the difference in the business of quilting and the art of personal quilting. The business of quilting often turns out not to be fun, it's not meant to be. When you give someone their own color choice, it is your job to agree on a pattern, or pick a pattern that best works with the colors. That lack of fun is why quilter's prices reach four digit before the decimal point .

I could weell be that cleint - totally too brave with colours. It usually work our, so don't fret. Rather too much colour than being stuck in dullness - for me anyway.

Here is an update - I have the quilt layout - she loves it - in fact I put it on my facebook page and several people love it and I had another order for the same quilt. Guess they told me - its not my kind of fabric - but if it makes her happy - I love it. Here ya go.

Otis[ATTACH=CONFIG]329564[/ATTACH]

Here is what the border will be - small black border with a large pink/black leopard border.[ATTACH=CONFIG]329565[/ATTACH]

Here is the complete quilt top with borders.
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LOL...sometimes we need younger eyes to see new colors working together. I too my 15 year old granddaughter to the LQS last week and let her pick out something to make a new pillowcase for herself-teal, pink and zebra-I didn't say anything at the time but she sewed it together as soon as we got home and it looked so good together that she is going to make a collage on her bedroom wall with the same colors and I will be making her a quilt with those colors!

Not my colors, either, but when you put them together like that...downright exciting! Well done, and good for you for keeping an open mind!

I came across this only once. I had to keep biting my tongue not to say anything to offend her, but we got it done and in the end she loved it. The 'gaudy' fabric that didn't fit the color scheme of the quilt was used in the smaller pieces, and imagine our surprise when that fabric made the others around it just pop. Guess it belonged in there after all. As long as she was happy and excited about it, I felt I had to do what she asked, and did enjoy doing it for her.
I don't see a problem with the colors and theme of the fabrics she likes. I think they will all go well together. Think outside of the box and the end result and it may surprise you big time. If that doesn't work, look at the smile on her face when she receives it.