kathbug

I just wanted to thank everyone out there in quilting land !!!! I don't know what I have done without all of n help, support and comments. Being a newbie to quilting it can be very intimidating starting and even moving to the next project . I do wonder how all of you choose the colors for your quilts. I find patterns I love but not the colors. I have a very hard time matching new colors that I like. Hard to imagine the new colors in the quilt. Any suggestions would be oh sooo appreciated AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP AND GUIDANCE KATH

GammaLou

It is easy for some folks to put colors together and much harder for others. Find a friend who will go with you as a color coach (not dictator) to help you choose fabrics for your projects until you feel confident doing it yourself. An alternative is to get collections which are designed to go together. Enjoy your quilting!!

#1piecemaker

If they are the same color combination, I can do that pretty well, but when you get into a whole group of colors that don't have a common bond, I'm lost too. Don't worry about it. I think that is something that comes natural. If you like it, its okay!

joyce888

I do find the color wheel to be of help. But with the fabrics having the color chart on the selvage is the biggest help of all. I like to look at the selvage and see where all the colors are in the fabric. If a color is the majority of the fabric I see what they complimented it with and choose fabrics with that dominant color. If I'm doing a quilt in all shades of one color I make sure they have the same undertones of blue or yellow. Color is the biggest thing most quilters struggle with. Look at home decorating and fashion magazines for how they use color.

Tartan

I find a focus fabric that I really like. If you look on the selvage, they have little dots of colour that went into that fabric. I use the dots for a starting point to choose other fabrics to go with it.

PaperPrincess

I do something similar to Joyce888. I find a fabric I really like, then use that to pull other fabrics that match. I had a friend help with fabrics for my first quilt. She had a stack of gardening magazines and catalogs. We looked at them upside down (so you weren't focusing so much on the actual picture, just the colors), then brought the picture to the fabric store. She said home dec magazines are also a good choice. You want to view your selections in natural light, so I always bring my stuff over to a window to double check before I buy. i also have a small portable Ott light that I use in stores where there's no windows available.

Lori S

Sometimes when I get "stuck" on color .. ask at the local quilt shop for assistance. If that is not available I use photos or magazine clippings for color inspiration. I have a large bulletin board over my cutting table where I clip and post color combos of interest to me. I once saw a instructor tell a group always pick a light and dark and a medium in the colors of interest. She went on to say most beginners fill quilts with medium and lack the contrast. Additionally she stressed a variety of scale of prints. I can still hear her voice when I go to pick fabrics.

Gatormom3

I have found the folks in the local quilt shops to be very willing to help - they are a great resource. Of course, it does depend on the shop but generally, they enjoy helping you choose fabrics.

carslo

I do the same as Tartan does with the little dots on the selvage. Or I just take all th ebolts of fabric I like and lay them all out and then mix them up in different order to see if anything clashes. Sometimes the one I loved the most is the "clasher"and has to go!

auntpiggylpn

I will sometimes use fabrics from the same collection. However, if I find a fabric that I love and want to use, I just go throught the LQS with the fabric in hand and try on different fabrics. When I pick my fabrics this way, I rarely go with "matching" but more of a "Go with" mentality. I look at different colors and values and sometimes a fabric that is standing by itself and not a color/print/pattern I would normally pick will actually look wonderful with my focus fabric. I go with colors that compliment and enhance each other. I've always had a flair for colors and picking the right colors to go together and that just spilled over into my quilting.