Choosing fabric

[qltsbme]

It might sound weird, but I take my glasses off to see if fabrics "go together." I am very near sighted and, for some reason, colors are more vivid without my glasses. I can see immediately if there's a clunker in the group that way. I don't know if it's my nearsightedness or the astigmatism that helps but whatever it is, it's a great tool.

[Judyb]

I also agonize over fabric choices. After several times of agnonizing, I decided that if I liked it then it was ok.

[1quiltinnana]

The dots on the selvage help a lot; also, get a light, medium and dark in your color preferences. Some little prints or whatever to highlight with, and, select a pretty border print that goes with your color choices. Purples, Greens and Blues work up pretty together with some creams....Batiks are always nice and Moda marbles; Thimbleberries and Eleanor's fabrics all have nice colors/prints.

[ollie1shoe]

the little cheater dots on the selvage i think means any of these colors would go good with this piece of material seems like i have lots of fabric in my stash but can never seem to get it together to make a quilt that would look good does that happen to anyone else?ollie1shoe

[Ozquilts]

The selvedge dots are the individual colours that have been used for the production of the individual print you are looking at, so they naturally are a great starting point for reference if you want to match a colour..BUT....if you want complimentary or contrasting, then it needs a little more work.

There are many colour wheels around for quilters and they are similar to the ones artists use in colour theory. Try a google of color theory or colour theory (yeah, try the British spelling too, the results will be broader)

Test drive the basics of the idea with a colour calculator like this one at the Sessions Design College site in NYC, it's a great free reference to get you up and running with the concept, even tho' it is supposed to be for web colours, the principal is the same, just be aware that colours on a monitor will vary from the real thing, then there's dye lot variation, whether the object is viewed in natural, incandescent or fluoro light...blah blah...anyway...just have fun with it !!http://www.sessions.edu/career_center/d ... index.asp#

[may]

Ozquilts, I looked at the site you mentioned. It was worth the read and had some good information. Carol may

[jtyree]

Just look at the colors found in a flower garden. Look at the color of leaves in the fall. How beautiful are the colors of a rainbow. There is no rule about what colors should be used to make something beautiful. Just have fun.

[QIAD-Linda]

I want to put my two cents worth in too! lol

One way to ensure that the fabrics in your quilt are color matched is to buy fabric from the same fabric collection. When Eleanor is working on a fabric collection, she always makes sure to use small, medium, and large scale prints. This gives your quilt texture so it doesn't look "flat" and unexciting. She also makes sure that there are lights, mediums, and dark tones in the fabric to give depth and distinction. And, always tone on tone fabrics to use for backgrounds. If you look at the "Through the Seasons" fabric collection on this website, you will see what I am talking about.

We have set our sale fabric "Fabric Frenzy" up to allow you to see companion fabrics in the same collection if we have them in stock. This is very helpful in planning a quilt.

You can also go to your local quilt shop and ask for help. There is a lady who works in our shop and I love to run my ideas of fabrics by her to see if she approves. I always love her quilts and know she has a good eye for putting fabrics together.

And, lastly, I agree with selecting a focus fabric, usually for the border, and pulling colors out of it for my companion fabrics. I have made a lot of mistakes in selecting fabrics over the years, but you can learn from this too.

I know I gave you 10 cents worth instead of 2 cents, but Oh well! lol