Maybe this is too simple an answer for your question--------but use tone on tones instead of solids-----------or simple batiks. Or find a neutral with a tiny figure.

Poison green????????? Never heard chartreuse called that before. Surprisingly, I use a lot of chartreuse in garments.

Sewmary your quilt sounds gorgeous. Do you have a photo to share?

I am with others who rarely use solids. Tone on tones, blenders, marbles, and so on do add a lot of interest. Even the neutrals can be fun... white on white, cream on cream and very pale blenders are among my favorites when I need a background or something to go with other colors.

First off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with 'winging' it in quilting. It's called improvisation and is a highly desirable aspect of both modern and art quilting, plus it adds creativity to any other style of the craft. Don't be too eager to follow what someone else says is the 'right' way to do things. If it doesn't feel right to you, it's usually not right for you, no matter what the 'experts' say.

While you may find it boring to piece whites, neutrals and solids, I find it mind-numbing to piece the same block over and over and over again, no matter what the fabrics are. My solution? I stopped doing it. I work with my own designs for functional and art quilts and haven't had a boring day in the years and years I've been playing by my own rules.

If something bores you, find a substitution. A different fabric, a way to avoid hand stitching, a different way to baste the sandwich, there are numerous ways to accomplish whatever it is you want to do in the quilting world...and almost everyone here can give you personal examples.

I have to say, I use solids extensively...along with prints, tonals and batiks that read as solids...because fabrics are my 'paint' and I don't want individual fabric designs taking attention away from the overall quilt design. It's clearly my style, but I have good friends who are all about big, bold, blasting prints and I love their work (just wouldn't want to make it). We're all very different, yet have much in common...and that's exactly as it should be, worldwide. :o

Bottom line: Trust your gut, experiment, never stop learning, and have a good time. Never be afraid to fail, for failure makes the path to success so much clearer. Not every quilt is a masterpiece, and not every quilt has to be finished. In fact, not every quilt even deserves to be finished!

Poison Green and Turkey Red are old terms for the dye colors used in the 30's. The green is a dull med. light green.

I guess I misread--------------I assumed the poster was using poison green as another name for chartreuse-----------which is NOT a dull green.