Picking fabric...

[biancatom]

Juliejaz,
It takes me a long time just to select 4 fabrics. LOL I usually find 1 fabric that really stands out to me, and I pick my rest based on that 1 fabric. Not always an easy task.

[gardenquilter]

linda is so right pick out a main that you love and look at the dots
you will eventually find youself picking out and not looking at the dots

i usually stack up many sometimes 15-20 bolts more or less i will arrange according to how i like them then i unroll a bit and restack usually takes 3-5 mish mash stacks then i stand back and start skinting and elimanating the icks will show up right away i usually add one or too more and take a few more away when i am done i have fabric that i can envision in a quilt and cnat wait to get home and start

fabric stores hate me until i offer to put it all away then they
laugh and say no thinks


anyway give it a whirl

[1quiltinnana]

I select fabrics after I look thru the Quilt Shop. I usually have a quilt in mind when I go....then, I look thru the name brands, like Moda's, Thimbleberries, Pandolph, etc.....I select from a favorite main color/print/design and then add my other colors of fabrics to that in a Dark, Medium and Light shade of the colors. Stack the bolts on top of each other and stand back and look at it...the wrong shades will usually stand out in the crowd, LOL. It takes time and practice to buy fabric and a good eye for color and how things look together.
Good Luck everyone.

[knitnoid]

Picking fabric can be challenging, but the more you do it the easier it will become. Sometimes, another set of eyes can be helpful.

If you have a quilting buddie with a stash, ask if you can come over and pet it. One of the most interesting lessons I and my friends had in color was picking fabric for this quilt:





My friend purchased the beige and burgandy, and we pulled the star fabric from her stash. As it turned out much of her stash was usable as she tended to lean toward fabric with grey undertones. When that grey undertone was missing, it was apparent. Occassionally we let one slip in for a bit of unexpected sparkle. It was interesting to see what she had accumulated over the years or had been given.

[LynnS]

Awesome quilt, knitnoid!!

[CindyB]

Wow - yeah, it takes YEARS for me, sometimes....

It is great when you go with someone else, like when I went with Grammy65 in SD, and with lifeisgrand over to Ames.... having someone else's perspective helps. If you don't have a shopping buddy, grab one of the store employees! (When I shop, it's worth the time they invest in me - and it is an investment - just ask Diane or Marcia!)

Another Wow - I used to know someone from American Falls...

[MAWmum]

Awesome quilt Knitnoid!

[Grammy2]

I do some of all of the above. I love spending time picking out the perfect fabric. That's probably my favorite part other than piecing it together.

grammy2/sharon

[sadiedaisy1]

Great quilt, knitnoid! Scrappy quilts are so visually appealing!

I take forever picking out fabric too. If I can drag my DH with me to the fabric store, he'll pick out fabric for me really fast and I always like what he chooses. I guess he should be the quilter! LOL I like to buy kits-takes away a lot of the stress of picking coordinating fabrics, but I like the idea of going to the LQS and buying in a certain line. I used to buy all of my fabric at JoAnn's and there you're on your own.

[knitnoid]

I'll pass your comments on to my friend Sheryl. It's her quilt, but another friend and I helped pick out the fabrics from Sheryl's stash.