How do you pick fabric colors for a quilt?

Picking fabric colors is the first step in putting together a great quilt. There are all kinds of bundles and pre-cut fabrics available, but how do you go beyond those to pick fabric colors for your next quilt?
You'll get some practical color choosing advice from Carolina Moore that you can use to design your next quilt.
If you'd like the Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids Color Card use this affiliate link: shrsl.com/3vkqb
If you'd like to check out other available color cards, use this affiliate link: shrsl.com/3vkqd

[@rebeccafoster-faith6647]

Use the dots on the selvage to help match fabrics. On a big Print there will be a main color and supporting characters. Match fabric #2, 3etc to the supporting colors and everything should come together. Also need darm, med & light. Take a black and white picture of your grouping to see if you hit all the tones.

[@CarolinaMoore]

Love these tips! 🥰

[@ginabethyoung3276]

Thank you for this video. I’m still learning also and the 2 friends tip is a really great one📍🧵

[@CarolinaMoore]

It is one that someone taught me years ago - so helpful! 🥰

[@AvivaHadas]

I love how you said, "I would put these two together..." The quilt behind you is those 2 colors! (Not exactly, but very close, totally close enough.)

[@CarolinaMoore]

I might have a thing for teal-ish colors and red/pink colors. 🥰😂

[@tamisullivan8705]

Love the two friends comment!!

[@CarolinaMoore]

I loved it when it was shared with me, too! Glad it was helpful! ❤

[@helenpeddycord2241]

Great tips Carolina!♥️🧵

[@CarolinaMoore]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful!

[@jmurphy7192]

I pull a group of fabrics that play well together. Then I pull one more ‘sour’ fabric that I like but doesn’t play quite as nice. Surprisingly, it gives a pop of color to what may otherwise be a “flat” color palette.

[@CarolinaMoore]

Oh, what a fun tip! Thanks for sharing!! 🥰

[@darleensanford7231]

Great tips. Thank you.

[@CarolinaMoore]

My pleasure!! 🥰

[@AvivaHadas]

My 2 theories: (1) More is more. Your 1 red doesn't have to be "the right red" if you are using 10 reds. (which is the basis behind the AGF basics having a base color and one or two similar colors on them.) (2) Value does all the work, color gets all the credit. You "can" use hunter green, navy blue, & black together as your dark value. Similarly, you "can" use white, cream, light gray together as your light value. (I prefer very high contrast light/dark like a log cabin, or mediyummy quilts with little to no value contrast quilts and the 2 types are all always scrappy. You make the kind of quilts that you want to make.)

[@dianelouise3944]

Aviva do you have any more info about colors online, or a gallery of your projects? What you said makes so much sense to me but I’ve never thought about it that way before.

[@AvivaHadas]

@@dianelouise3944 I over post on Instagram (same name)

[@AvivaHadas]

Actually there is an underscore aviva_hadas

[@dianelouise3944]

@@AvivaHadas thanks. Following

[@CarolinaMoore]

These are great tips! Thanks so much for contributing! 🥰

[@EstrafaDC]

“Play peekaboo with your fabric.” is going on my design wall!! 😀

[@CarolinaMoore]

🥰🥰🥰

[@maryjojohnson2316]

I follow a multiple color fabri and pull those colors

[@CarolinaMoore]

Yes! Love lots of colors!! 🥰

[@lizzybit9855]

This post is GOLD!! I had no idea AGF had color cards. I love their fabrics. The one thing I have trouble with on their solids is (maybe my eyesight) is determining which side is the “good” side!!! Any tips? I use a lot of their solids as blenders. Thanks so much for this post!!!

[@CarolinaMoore]

The solids are dyed in a way that there isn't a "right" and "wrong" side. (They are fully immersed in the dye, not printed.) But, AGF does have a "directionality" to the weave. I find that once I've quilted the quilt, I don't notice that anymore. 🥰

[@lizzybit9855]

@@CarolinaMoore TY!! I haven’t been able to notice either. And thanks for that explanation. That makes sense!!

[@CarolinaMoore]

I'm glad it was helpful. 🥰

[@JC-sf2qm]

I only sew on happy fabric!😍

[@CarolinaMoore]

I love that! 🥰🥰🥰

[@LoisMeikle-7878]

What is the name of the fabric company that you are using. I know that you said it but I missed it

[@CarolinaMoore]

I use all Art Gallery Fabrics. Ask your local quilt shop if they carry any - they feel *amazing*! AGF uses a higher quality thread count, and their fabrics are Okeotex certified, making them more environmentally friendly. artgalleryfabrics.com/

[@rebeccakamysz6660]

Will quilt shop offer color charts?

[@CarolinaMoore]

Ask them! If they don't have it in stock, they may be able to special order for you. 🥰

[@beautifulquilts1217]

I like bright colors. I have multiple "manly" male friends who request quilts in muted earthtones. Its torture, but I do it because I love them.

[@CarolinaMoore]

Yes... I've made many quilts that are not "my" colors, but I love the recipient enough to sew "their" colors. 🥰 You are a fabulous friend. ❤❤❤

[@darcisavelli546]

Where can you get those color cards that you used to match the fabrics?

[@lizzybit9855]

I googled the Color Cards and found some places…

[@darcisavelli546]

@@lizzybit9855 thank you🙂

[@CarolinaMoore]

I put all the information on where to get color cards in the description of the video. 🥰

[@CarolinaMoore]

🥰

[@BobbiSalvini]

Yes, Yes, Yes! Thank you! Here is my color journey, I hope you all like it. Why are there thousands of quilt tops sitting in closets, or for sale on E-bay? My guess is that people don't have enough information about color and end up with quilt tops they hate. We all learn about the color wheel, the one where the pure colors are around the ring half way out from the center, and then white is added toward the outside of the ring until you get to almost white and black is added toward the center until you get to almost black. But there are actually three color wheels and this is where people get tripped up. Let me explain in plain DUSTY colors. In the center is the pure color which is added to black and then to lighter and lighter shades of grey as you move out. Using shades of grey can add a calming effect and prevent that psychedelic look that is not for everyone. The third wheel adds color from the opposite side of the color wheel. Which means that the colors in this wheel includes all three of the base colors in different proportions, magenta, blue and yellow. For the purpose of dye, these mixed together in equal proportions gives you brown. Which means the color wheel shows a gradation of BROWNS added for each pure color. The Civil War quilt pallet is a good example of these colors in the extreme and are great for that log cabin look. There are no bad colors, but mixing colors from two or three of the color wheels can make them fight or enhance each other and look amazing or a disaster. So lets take out some of the mystery. If you are using pure pigments mixed with black or white, and then mix them with colors mixed with brown or grey, some of your colors may look dirty or old and yellow. Or they may just look wrong. Suggestions: 1) Pick colors from one of the three color wheels that are the same distance out from the center, then pick an accent or background. The accent can be on the same color wheel but lighter or darker to create contrast. Or it can be from the other two color wheels. A muted greyed or browned background fabric will make your design colors pop even if they are the same distance out from the color wheel, but pick a color either lighter or darker and the effect can be spectacular. Muted colors with a white or black background can also look great. If you pick a muted background of dark green, blue, eggplant, brown, gold etc. and chose medium to light pure colors you can end up with a fire works effect. Or use the same background but pick colors with the same amount of gray or brown. What you don't want to do is mix pure colors, dusty colors or brownish colors together for your design pallet as some will look dirty or old. 2) Chose many colors the same distance out from the center of whichever color wheel you like. Try not to pick colors too close together for this option. Try choosing colors equal distance around the arch on the color wheel. Make a set of clear templates like an asterisk using the points of a triangle, square, five point star, six point star or even more points. Rotate these multi point *s around the wheel until you find a color combination you like. Accent or background color is OK, but not needed. Try spreading your colors out in your pattern or group each color together to create a color wash. 3). Chose multiple colors near each other on the color wheel like all greens, all blues, all yellows. Again, try to pick from one color wheel. Try to space them equal distance apart within that part of the wheel. Now play with an accent color that can be lighter or darker version of the color pallet or a color that is not too close to your main color. First try the opposite side of the color wheel. It does not have to be right across but that always looks good. It can be the same distance out from the center of the wheel or a dark or light for even more contrast. An example would be a bunch of different yellows with white, and navy blue accent. 4) Interview your colors. Lets say you like lots of rich colors so picked around the middle ring of the color wheel, fully saturated colors. You lay then out on white background and the pallet looks like a kids room. So you switch to black and now it looks like a teenagers room. Not what you were looking for. Try different backgrounds. Different shades of grey or a white with black prints of different intensity can dramatically change the feel without changing the color. Now try a taupe which is a grey with some brown in it. And some other colors that are muted or not and don't forget shades of brown and others whites with colored dots, mini prints, etc. 5). Contrast problems. Not enough contrast can relegate a quilt to the closet. I have a quilt that was all in one pallet of green with some blues. The blues just made the green more blue and looked blah, even through I loved the overall color. Thin dark brown ribbon that matched my dark furniture all the difference. OMG it is beautiful. It was just stripes added from top to bottom, but turned this flop into one of my favorite quilts. I have also salvaged squares that were bright colors all mixed up but looked a mess when put together. My fix was to add much darker sashing of one color around all the squares for a window pane look. Another quilt of blue and green batik squares looked boring once I laid it out. I cut a large triangle from one corner of each square and sewed them back together at random using 1 inch black and white fabric strips so the squares ended up the same size. I rotated the squares so four made up either a black or a white diamond on point. Then I arranged the diamonds one white and one black, etc. I showed my neighbor what it would looked like while I was interviewing my plan and she said it was magic! The difference was so dramatic I think so too! Too much dark or light in concentrated places can make a quilt look like you ran out of fabric and had to substitute something not quite right. I have seen quilts made with layer cakes and the couple of dark accent pieces were used in a couple of squares and draw all the attention. This to me looks like the maker ran out of fabric. I think sprinkling the dark and light fabrics as accents within the blocks fixes this problem and makes it look more interesting. I have seen the U-tube videos from Donna Jordan and she pulls the colors that are too close to her background fabric and I have seen others use them in place of the background fabric. I think that is smart. I like to change a pattern a bit to spread the accent fabrics out in my quilts. For example you can make the tips of stars stand out with these contrast fabrics by snowballing the tips of stars with the fabric. Or you can turn a center square into an hourglass using these fabrics. 6). Plagiarize. One way to hit the mark on fabric designs you will love is to copy something you already love. A scarf, a favorite blouse, a quilt in a magazine, drapes, a piece of art or your favorite photo, etc. A lot of this I learned from various sources including a well known colorist named Patricia Patterson that I had the fortune to work with; and I am sure people trained in the fashion and arts industry understand all this. However, I figured out much of what I have learned by trial and error and by looking at quilt tops that are for sale on E-bay and trying to figure out why they are bad and what could be done to redeem all the work and expense. I am an engineer with a cognitive brain so could not help but try and understand the puzzle of color. I have never heard anyone talk about three color wheels. This to me is the main way to explain why colors from year to year often don't look good together. I love all colors, but am so happy to no longer just know what looks good, but know what to do when it does not. I hope my examples help you to translate knowledge to understanding how this all works. I hope those reading this find some tidbit that helps you love all your creations and helps you to better appreciate the color in your life. Happy creating! Barbara A. B. Salvini, P.E.

[@CarolinaMoore]

Oh wow! Thanks for your detailed response. I have a feeling lots of folks are going to enjoy reading all that you've laid out here... ❤️

[@sonyamarshall2763]

I cannot understand the name you said were the only fabrics you used. What is the name, plwase.

[@CarolinaMoore]

It is Art Gallery Fabrics. 🥰

[@Possumsrock]

I get confused with hues and how to work a color wheel.

[@CarolinaMoore]

I'm not a color wheel expert. To me, colors are like speaking a language. If I said "The red big bicycle," that sounds wrong. It should be "The big red bicycle." I couldn't explain to you why... I've just lived with the English language enough to be able to know. That's how color is. You just get a feeling. And just like we have different accents in language that add variety, there are different "accents" within color. 🥰

[@kathleenpriestman553]

@@CarolinaMoore exactly! Great way of describing the way we know colours work

[@CarolinaMoore]

🥰🥰🥰

[@heidim7732]

Oh dear. Picking colours that go together is apparently my 2nd language, then. I'm going to get a friend who is a graphic artist to help me.

[@CarolinaMoore]

🥰🥰🥰

[@michele.the.quilter6174]

Found your channel on KZbin. New subscriber. Nice suggestions. Hello from New York. 🧵 Can’t wait to see your haul from Hamilton!

[@CarolinaMoore]

Hi and welcome!! I did post the Hamilton Haul... but I haven't had time to play with all my new toys (yet!)

[@rebeccakamysz6660]

Are you saying “Gallery” fabrics? You speak very fast!

[@CarolinaMoore]

So sorry! Art Gallery Fabrics. 🥰

[@kathycritser3932]

You just kind of get a feel………..😔

[@CarolinaMoore]

When you go to your closet to pick out clothes for the day... you have a feel for what you like, right? Picking out fabric uses that exact same instinct you already have!