Should I make it "POP" ???
 

I am working on a wedding quilt consisting of sage green/white/gray. The mother of the bride told me her daughter prefers pastels and these specifically (a surprise quilt). I am NOT a pastel person, the brighter the better for my own taste. Soooo although I am including light, medium and dark sages and grays, do I need a bit of another color to make the whole thing "pop", or am I overthinking this as I find pastels blah? LOL Thx for your input. ;)

I definitely wouldn't. Trust the mother on this, especially if the bride is not a close friend of yours. You're not making it for yourself, after all, and if the bride decideds she wants 'pop' later on, she can toss on some pillows or a throw at the foot of the bed. Leave the wedding quilt calm and sophisticated, the newlyweds will surely add their own 'pop'. *wink*

You could ask the bride or her mother for the info.
The mother did say that her daughter PREFERRED pastels so ,if you can't find out any other way, I would add GLIMPSES of a 'pop' color.That's my opinion.

The quilt sounds wonderful. I'm not a pastel person when making quilts but sage and gray are a great combo that I admire in other people's quilts. Don't forget to post a pic of it when finished.

Make a bed runner with a pop or a pillow case to go with quilt

I do not believe I would, Mom said pastels so I figure soft it would have to be!

I would stay with the pastel look too. I made a baby quilt of pastels and ended up loving it myself.

Are you making it as a gift from yourself or is the mother paying you to do it? If the mother is paying and/or asked you to do the quilt, it isn't yours to add design elements to. If it is a gift to the bride from you and you only got input from the mother then make a pieced backing and add your 'POP' of color there.

i would leave out the pop

Not everyone wants POP. Some decors seem designed to be very subtle with little color variation.

However, perhaps you could contact the mother of the bride and have some swatches to show her that might add some spark to the quilt and ask her opinion.

It it is not meant to be a surprise, perhaps ask the mother AND the bride?

Leaving it pastels will allow her to change her room decor more easily over the years. I do the idea posted above of making pillow cases or an accent piece with pop.

A tiny amount of a subdued "pop" might make it more "you" without changing the overall theme.

what do you want to POP? the color you add or the pastels that are already there. To me, making something POP means that you are bringing out the value/presence of what is already there so, with the right medium to dark, the pastels will really pop, which should please the recipient in this case. I'd just be careful in selecting the med/dk fabric carefully...and a little goes a long way. How about a narrow flange around blocks or around the quilt - only about 1/8 inch visible? this would highlight the pastels by giving them a very small amount of contrast to be compared to.

Do you want the quilt to be used by the bride and groom or do you want it to end up as a dog bed, at the local thrift store or as a bargain at the happy couples first garage sale? If it is the latter, then by all means add the pop.

I agree with this suggestion. I usually do a narrow border or make the binding of the same/similar fabric I want to 'pull' from the top vs. making it 'pop'. Usually a less-used/prominent color from the top just so you can 'see' it a bit more.

That will be a very sophisticated and elegant combination. Adding any thing to make it POP will really take away from that combination.

I agree with feline fanatic, if you want them to love it just stick with their preferred color combo or it's likely to end up a dog bed or in a garage sale.

I would not add the "pop" .. if pastels is the palette leave it at that.

How about a compromise? Include a note with the quilt in which you offer to applique something in a complementary color of her choice on the center and/or border of the quilt if she chooses, with an expiration date so you're not fretting over it come Christmas. That lets the bride decide if she wants that added pop or not instead of chancing that it won't be used because it's "missing something".

Since she said pastels, I'd use the light and med, leave out the dark. Then another color of say pale peach pastel would add another color and maintain the pastel. MOB said white which you didn't say you were using. I'd use that rather than dark.

Yes, I am using as much white as the gray/green combined. The wedding is in October.

Is this quilt from you or did the MOB commission it? It's a key point that hasn't been mentioned yet...or that I missed?

If it's from you, you must know the bride pretty well in order to make such an elaborate wedding gift. And if you know her well (better by far if you know them both well), you may have a little leeway on any added colors. Still, it's very risky to add spice to a 'pastel lover's' wedding quilt.

If it's from the mother, there's no question that you should not be adding colors to those selected.

The bride is my husband's niece. The quilt will measure 64X64, not bed-sized, from me and my husband.

I would not bring in another "pop" color, but I Agee that you could make a couple of pillows with the "pop" color in them.

No pop. . . the mother of the bride told you what her daughter's favorite colors are. I'd go with that and welcome the challenge.

Ah, so the bride's mother is your SIL and the quilt is a throw size, not a formal 'marriage quilt' affair. I certainly think that gives you more freedom to put more of yourself into it, but I'd probably still err on the conservative side just to be safe. I'm sure you'll do just fine whatever you decide. :)

I would definitely go with the suggestions from the bride's family.

Not all quilts need to 'pop.' It is harder to make a quilt in colors that are not your style, however, think of the recipient.

I am normally a bright color lover too, at a class one woman did a pale yellow , white and grey quilt that was the favorite
of the whole class! I think I would have to see the fabrics laid out to see.

I guess the issue here is whether you need to like the quilt or does the bride? I have problems with this too but I have to remind myself that everyone has different taste and just because I think ugly doesn't make it wrong. I should probably have that painted on my wall.

Personally I like strong colors but if I was asked to do a pastel quilt then I would definitely omit the POP. You could include a few throw pillows and a neckroll in stronger colors because those she could either use or put in a guest bedroom if she didn't like them.

use a POP on the back or the binding!

I agree with ktbb

No "pop". The bride might be using a "pop of color" elsewhere in the room and you might not have the color she's using. For example, you put in a pop of red and she's using chartreuse as her pop of color - wouldn't be good. Make it in the colors the MOB said to use.

Don't add pop - this isn't your quilt - for your use. Make the bride happy. It sounds lovely and not pastelly at all. I don't consider sage a pastel, nor gray. This sounds like a neutral quilt, one that I would love. I bet you fall for it when it is finished!!
Good luck

I agree with this. I like pastels and softer color combinations because of the calming effect they provide. If you've got a good balance of lights, med, and darks (as pastels go), it should be a beautiful quilt. As ghostrider said, if they need more pop, they can provide it with accessories. Looking forward to seeing your pictures.

All the shoulds and should nots aside, a soft, gentle shell pink or peach might be the compromise. Is there somewhere in the design that the color could be added?

Although I'm not a pastel person, there are many who are. One of the hardest things I've had to realize is that not all people like the same things I do! I think I'd just finish it as the mother said, no matter how dull it looked to me.

If you think something must POP - give a box of Rice Krispies with the quilt. Or some overblown balloons that will explode at a mere pin prick.

Every time someone says "POP" - Rick Krispies come to mind - or breaking balloons.

You might use the white more sparingly, using it to make the quilt "Pop". If you want the bride to be able to use it long term, you need to stay with the neutral colors. She will make the quilt look great with her own bedroom color preferences over the years. If you want to give her a start with your own taste, pillow shams!

The quilt top will be finished this afternoon. I am assembling it in quarters. Although it is subtle in color, it is quite pretty and I'm confident the bride will be surprised and pleased.