Computer Color vs. Real World Color
03-12-2010, 03:56 PM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Gladys, VA
Posts: 1,626
I recently bought fabric on line for a geisha panel.
When I arrived I was suprised to find that the blues and the greens did not match one another and that the rust had gold in it.
So if I'm determined to do art quilts do I have to find fabrics that I can look at in the real world? Is online buying impossibe if I need a match?
When I arrived I was suprised to find that the blues and the greens did not match one another and that the rust had gold in it.
So if I'm determined to do art quilts do I have to find fabrics that I can look at in the real world? Is online buying impossibe if I need a match?
03-12-2010, 04:53 PM
#2
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Central FL
Posts: 4,829
That's where having stash comes in handy. You can also over-dye, use fabric paints, markers, or other pigmenting techniques to change colors. Some gold (metallics) come out in the wash, so you may be able to adapt what you have already.
03-13-2010, 11:15 AM
#6
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Location: Orchard Park, NY (near Buffalo, which is near Niagara Falls)
Posts: 3,884
Originally Posted by tkhooper
Is online buying impossible if I need a match?
First, the color that you see depends on your monitor. And they're all different... and the screens do change as they age.
As to buying fabrics that are all from the same line... that increases your chances of a match by a LOT... but it's not an absolute certain bet. I've seen it where colors don't agree within a collection. But probably 95% of the time, they do.
Most of the time, online sellers will use the pictures (digital images) that the fabric manufacturers create. The pictures give a good representation of the fabrics but are not necessarily completely accurate as to the colors. A good example of this is Moda's website; if you look at, say, all their green marbles some of the pictures are very muddy in color, and they (the pictures) do not have the same color flow as the fabrics do if you put actual cloth samples next to another.
A good online store will take a look at the fabrics when they arrive, and see if the pictures agree with the actual fabrics. If the colors aren't like the pictures, then that's the time they should color-adjust the images to correct what appears on the website. Some colors just cannot be represented well on a screen though, for instance a bright, clear, emerald/kelly green.
Bottom line, though, if you're in doubt as to whether the colors will work together, and you're shopping online, call the store and ask them to pull the fabrics and look at them all together and tell you whether they work. A good store will do this. It's called customer service!
03-16-2010, 02:38 PM
#10
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Home town: Rehoboth, MA Now living in OK
Posts: 7,774
Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics
Originally Posted by tkhooper
Is online buying impossible if I need a match?
First, the color that you see depends on your monitor. And they're all different... and the screens do change as they age.
As to buying fabrics that are all from the same line... that increases your chances of a match by a LOT... but it's not an absolute certain bet. I've seen it where colors don't agree within a collection. But probably 95% of the time, they do.
Most of the time, online sellers will use the pictures (digital images) that the fabric manufacturers create. The pictures give a good representation of the fabrics but are not necessarily completely accurate as to the colors. A good example of this is Moda's website; if you look at, say, all their green marbles some of the pictures are very muddy in color, and they (the pictures) do not have the same color flow as the fabrics do if you put actual cloth samples next to another.
A good online store will take a look at the fabrics when they arrive, and see if the pictures agree with the actual fabrics. If the colors aren't like the pictures, then that's the time they should color-adjust the images to correct what appears on the website. Some colors just cannot be represented well on a screen though, for instance a bright, clear, emerald/kelly green.
Bottom line, though, if you're in doubt as to whether the colors will work together, and you're shopping online, call the store and ask them to pull the fabrics and look at them all together and tell you whether they work. A good store will do this. It's called customer service!
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