Backgrounds: A Jewel on Velvet

blue and off white

For the next several posts we're going to talk about backgrounds. We spend a lot of time looking for patterns, and searching for the right pattern. And we know there needs to be a background color of some kind. Probably white. How important can it be?


How important can it get! Your background color is the velvet your other colors shine out from. It makes a HUGE difference in how our colors look together.

blue and black

There is an illusion that only your pattern colors count. But, in truth, colors are always seen in relationship with each other. We perceive them as different with different colors around them. We usually perceive one of them as being the background and the other as the foreground, but that perception can shift in a heart beat.

The old saying about 
fabric selection is
"You can pick one  fabric for your lover. And then every one else has to dance with him."

blue and khaki

It's true. Find one color or fabric you are head over heels in love with and every one else has to show them to their best advantage.

It's also true that white isn't white and black isn't exactly black. Walk into the paint store and you'll find at least 50 different whites at least. 

Do you need all of those? 
Actually yes. Different whites will change how you see your color combinations. Ecru and Khaki are also neutral. And they change the look completely!

For the next couple sessions we'll look at how we pick up backgrounds, what they accomplish for our finished quilt, and how to pick the prints that will make your lover shine.