Choosing colors for a mystery quilt

 One of the hardest things for me in quilting is choosing fabric colors.

This is true even when I know what the pattern is, but it's especially true when it's a mystery quilt/bom program. I've pulled some bolts of fabrics off the shelves of my local quilt shop (LQS) Graceful Marylin Quilt Shoppe to show how I find my color combinations.

Quilt kits already chosen for you are great ways to buy fabric knowing you are going to get a beautiful quilt, but with mystery quilts that isn't possible. Usually you are told a value (light, medium, dark) and a yardage amount. So how do you know what will work well together? Black and white photos.

Looking at bolts of fabric can get overwhelming, and sometimes it's hard to know which fabric is which value.

For instance I would have said the lighter brown (third from the right) reads medium, but when turned to black and white you can see it reads as a dark. Perhaps that is something you could use as a medium in a pattern you already know, but in a mystery quilt it might get lost and then you might lose the design.

Let's look at another grouping. Here I've chosen what I believe to be light, medium and dark.

However, when I switch it to black and white the fabric I chose as my medium definitely reads light.

Another fabric pull.

While the colors may be a bit different I wanted to show what a black and white photo looks like when you have reached light, medium and dark. There is a difference in value of each one, even if it's just a little bit.

You can also use this trick if you wanted to do a scrappy version and needed to pick out multiple fabrics with the same value.

From this you can pick out the fabrics that read light, medium or dark.

Now I need to go fabric shopping! What are your favorite tips for picking out fabrics for a mystery quilt? Let me know in the comments!

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

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2022 Monthly Color Challenge

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October 2022 Monthly Color Challenge

 What is scarier than Halloween? The fact that we have ONLY three months left in the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge!

This month's spice is Sage. There's something about the word sage that brings to mind relaxation, quiet, softness.

The Almanac has a lot of information on growing and harvesting your own sage. Have you tried growing this herb? I do not have a green thumb and don't branch out very far from tomatoes.

Green is always one of my favorite colors to work with. Add a couple of HST units and I'm pretty much happy forever.

Bloggers

Anja - Anja Quilts

Gail - Quilting Gail

Raylee - Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting

Andi - True Blue Quilts

Ready to get the pattern? Go to Payhip and download it now! The block is free for the month September! Each set of instructions includes a "How To" video, one for each size offered!

To have the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge blocks sent directly to your email sign up HERE.

It's too late to have the January thru September blocks emailed to you but you can download them from Payhip.

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here for early releases and sales just for subscribers!

Newsletter sign up

2022 Monthly Color Challenge

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.