I've found that it often looks nicer if you find things that blend or "play nice" with the others than it is to try to exactly match a color. I usually have a focus fabric to start with and play around with my stash to see what looks good. If I don't have enough, at least I've got an idea of what to look for that will narrow down my choices. You don't have to have every color in each print. You might have a focus fabric with several colors, then each other fabric may have 2-3 colors that blend with the focus fabric. Sometimes what we perceive as an ugly fabric is actually the one that pulls it together!

Also you need to vary the scale of the design for added interest. If you used the same print in different colors or fabrics too similar in design, it can look blah.

Yes, this is my favourite way, especially if the "focus" fabric is a print with lots of colours in it.

I also sometimes want some contrast or clash, so I "audition" other fabrics against each other.

Sometimes I pull out so many fabrics, I just confuse myself and have to start all over again!! Still, its fun and never boring.

I have used the same fabric line, matched colors to swatches and just pulled what I liked. Now I'm working through a book called Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts. It is helping to explain color relationships. Besides it's fun playing with the colors.

I'm a sale shopper so it's not often that more than a couple fabrics from the same line are sale table. For me, the creativity goes out the window when I use fabrics all from the same line. Usually start with my focus fabric, and add several colors/patterns that are complementary. Am very careful about the scale of the prints I use as well as the textures. Seldom use solids as I prefer tone-on-tone. My goal is to create a quilt that someone wants to reach out and feel. So I also tear apart my stash, searching for the right pop of color. Taking a quick picture of potential fabrics combinations helps. Amazing how they can look so different on the computer. Plus it gives you a visual reminder when you decide you like the first group of fabrics you picked out!

I like to use a color wheel, it can help with picking out colors. Usually I just use the focus fabric or what I like. Something I neglected to do, which would've prevented a goof on my DH quilt-I couldn't decide which green to use in between star points- ended up using one too dark and the star is not as visible as it should be. I should have made a black and white copy of the greens I was considering. You can tell value that way. Lesson learned.

Glad to hear i am not the only one that has problems picking out fabrics for projects.. All the membes of my guild say it will get easier with the more you do, am beginning to wonder about that.........

Sue, I love your bargello quilt in your profile picture. The color idea is so cool.
peggy

I choose my theme fabric first. Then I select 2 colors from it, 1 dominant, 1 supportive. I don't consider the background a color.

Next, working on 1 color at a time, I select variations of the color; light, medium, dark. I place that color on the theme fabric and see how it impacts the fabric. I'm looking for that spark, that it doesn't create a matchy-matchy look, but accents the fabric.

Now, work with color 2 the same way, & continue with any other colors you have selected.

Once I have choosen all the colors, I lay the theme fabric out and place all my colors on the fabric and stand back & look at it for impact. Sometimes I hand them on my quilt wall and look at them for a couple of days & in different light(night,day,indirect).

Here is an example of one I am working on now.

I have found that you need a dark dark and a light light for contrast then a medium. Decide how many different fabrics you need. Some patterns show this and I like that very much. I was not using enough contrast. Also scale of print, large, medium, small, which is what most of the matching lines will have. I now make up a block to see if it is going to work.