5 Tips for Using Color and Prints in your Quilting 

I am learning so much from Melanie. She really gets down to the basics. I really appreciate these videos and this beautiful precious lady. I know she left a huge void in her family’s lives. I think she would love knowing that she is still teaching and guiding us. She was such a kind and patient teacher and friend to everyone who watched her videos. Thank you for leaving them up. She has inspired me to try my hand at making a quilt at 70 years old. Thank you Melanie.

Such a tragic loss to the industry. Melanie was such a talented young woman that inspired so many, world wide. I"m so very sorry to hear of her passing earlier this year and send condolences to her husband, son, daughter and family. Bless you all for allowing her to share her gift . RIP Melaniel

So Miss you Melanie. You were a great teacher and I thank you for your time and patience with us all. God rest your soul. Your our angel

Missing you so much lovely lady, you were one in a billion. Thank you for your amazing teachings ❤😭❤

Please keep showing her videos. Such a great and beautiful teacher💕

Please keep showing these past shows! I always learn so much and am encouraged to be creative in new ways.God Bless you all.

Melanie we miss you so much I found you during the pandemic and was in your Stay at Home QAL and loved your instructions. I love watching your videos and you were always so cheerful and helpful. I pray for your family when I watch your videos.

I wish she was my art teacher ... she is so sweet, calming and peaceful with a beautiful and soothing voice🌈😍❤ I love your videos ... I am following your tutorials to make a quilt for my mum for Christmas

Melanie, you are awesome. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Thank you.

What a dreadful loss. Such a wonderful girl. RIP. 🙏🏻❤️

Melanie - just rewatching videos because you taught me so much. We miss you. ❤🌅

My goodness! How is it that she is gone? I just discovered her videos this weekend and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy she made the topic of selecting fabrics, especially the print part (scale). I teach needle arts (quilting, sewing, knitting, and needlework of all kinds). So, I am always looking at how others are teaching a topic and look for things I might have missed or learn some approach I had never even thought of. I am sure she is missed so much and I will keep her family in my prayers. Now, I have to watch every single video she made and maybe the quilt mash up in her memory.

Now I understand of values of colors. Wonderful tips for picking prints and colors for quilts. You are amazing. Thank you.

Melanie, thank you! After watching so many videos and reading books, your explanation has helped bridge the gap in my head about color. I agree with you about experimenting and not beating yourself up about finished quilts. My motto is you can always use what you don't like for the back!

Thank you thank you thank you! This made a lot of sense to me. Lots of great tips I can use when picking fabric for my daughters quilt and for making it! So helpful. I'm sure I will be back to watch it again!Thank you!

I love your passion and encouragement...and experiment! I am making my 1st quilt using Harry Potter fabrics and literally winging it. It's been slow bc I look for different ideas all the time! Thanks for your explanations!

Great tutorial, Melanie! I have given 2 lectures on “Color Theory for Quilters.” I agree with you 100%! I will definitely check out your other tutorials! Thanks Melanie!

You sweet lady. Every video you put up is a treasure. Thank you again. You were poised and wise beyond your years. May you Rest In Peace now.

Loved listening and being motivated by what you shared! Thanks so much Melanie

Love all the samples you show/explain, especially that pink blanket in the beginning is so cute!

She’s beautiful, and so sweet. Will be missed.

These are my absolute favorite kinds of videos from you! So educational I'm soaking it up! I think I've watched this like 5 times now!

Hi melanie - the video was really helpful. Am a bit new to the quilting end of sewing as I have mostly sewn clothing or home decor items(curtains, pillow cases, tablecloths) over the years. Have decided to try a quilt that has accents to match a new sheet set I bought. The idea that came was to purchase a second sheet set in the same colour to utilize as one of the fabric choices for the top of the quilt.- most likely the fitted sheet. Then have the flat sheet to use as the backing. Just a thought right now but it would help me make a start to be able to coordinate other fabrics to go with once I decide on my pattern. Thank you for your inspiration.

I miss you Melanie - forever in our hearts

I'm so very sad to hear that Melanie has passed away. Such a beautiful person, and she will be missed.

I love your quilting videos. Please keep them up!

You are so helpful ! Thank you. I'm gearing up for some quilting. I am gathering as much info as possible before I start the my first quilt project.

Having a color wheel is absolutely helpful!!

Thanks for the video, great tip for taking a photo of a quilt layout and making it black and white

So much good information. So excited to start quilting my top. 💜

I love your videos, so easy to understand and helpful

Awesome tips! Loved it!🤗😚

Great video Melanie! Definitley good things to think about and you communicated it well.:)

You Are so inspirering, and a great teacher, i learned a lot from this video. Thanks Sweet heart🐞🥰

We will always and forever miss you.

I loved your video. I just purchased a cake layer pack to make a quilt. My problem is laying it out before I sew it. I am 72 and this is my first quilt. I have a lot of confidence watching your other quilt video for beginners. Any suggestion? Lot of value in this quilt. It is a Christmas one. Thank you.

It was a pleasure to look into your large beautiful eyes as you were teaching. Of course all your tips were very important and I use them to the best of my ability but it is a refining process. I've always been pretty intuitive about colour so I'm able to overcome fear and plunge right in. Your teaching as well as your diction is excellent and I look forward to seeing more of your videos as I imagine your quilts are as beautiful as you. Blessings.

Great video! I’m in Japan and want to buy fabric for a friend, but I wasn’t sure what to look out for. It seems kind of complicated, but I guess the take away is just buy stuff in her color palette and she can figure out a fun project for them. :)

Great idea about the black and white

Newly subscribed. Thank you for your wonderful content.

Melanie, thank you do ,uch. I a, a newbie and this is the mist frustrating part for me. I own tons of fabric that I buy because I love it,...but then I don't quite know how to put into a quilt. Like I would have never thought light green and pink that you mentioned;). I get so frustrated with myself because I just look at all my fabrics and by the time I try to decide what looks good I a, bummed. I love kits of course cause it's all there for me, but increased want to start using all the beautiful fabrics I have and not just stick with the obvious like blue and white , red white etc. so glad you had this video and a few more ideas to help me would be awesome. Sorry for the long comment lol. I enjoy watching your videos. Thank you

Very good information. One of the first quilts I made was from a Christmas line of fabrics. Unfortunately, they were almost all in the "medium" range, so when I put it all together, it was just muddy looking. I donated it, but it was a great lesson in what not to do.

Awesome tutorials !

So helpful, thank you!

Thank you so much! Yes I’ve needed this kind of video... can you show some slides of different quilts and share why they work? I would be able to purchase fabric online easier.💫

Black and white photo GENIUS

Please, please, please tell me where to find the floral fabric that you show at 9:00. I have been searching and searching and can't find anything near as beautiful and I can't get this print out of my head! Help a girl out. Thank you for all of the color tips while I'm trying to figure out how to make my quilts beautiful.

i am going to be making a baby quilt for my first niece/nephew due christmas eve!! i am wondering about the minky back quilt you showed. is it hard to work with? do you still free motion the whole thing? thanks Melanie. Really enjoyed this video. very interesting.

Just brilliant and missed ❤️

Where did you get that AMAZING focus fabric with the floral and cross-stitch?! Who makes it? XXOO 😍

Oh how I miss you💋❣️♥️♥️

Great video!!!!!

I'd love to see some examples of fabric pulls for quilts - how you audition and decide on what works and what doesn't. :)

Thank you so much for this video. It was very helpful! Also, I couldn't help but notice your gorgeous eye shadow and lipstick. I know its totally off the subject, but would you be willing to share what you are wearing?

thanks for new ideas

Thank you for your guidance. I am always a nervous beginner. Always afraid of screwing up.😜

Thank you so much. You mentioned that you would like to know if we wanted to learn more technical aspects of color and design. I very much would. Would you be willing to make a video explaining some of that (or recommend one?) . Very much appreciated. :)

This isn’t per se a quilting question Melanie, but what equipment do you use to shoot your videos? Your videos are always so clear and sharp when you focus even on small things. Just curious. Thanks. Btw, I LOVE your videos. You’re a great teacher! ❤️❤️

We miss you. RIP my dear. ❤

Hi, Melanie! My 1st grandbaby is due in Sept. I am wanting to make him a quilt. I have never made a quilt before. I have watched your tutorials. They are great, btw 😁 My husband and I raise Scottish Highland cattle so, I bought some minky Highland cow fabric for it. So fun!! I want to use flannel as well. Now, I hope my question makes sense. Would you suggest cutting the minky fabric into squares for a patchwork quilt or can I use it for the back, cut some squares with the extra and do patchwork on the front with mixed fabric textures and prints, or should I just do a solid flannel or minky on the other side? The minky pattern repeats itself. I'm trying to figure out how to send you a picture of the fabric. Thank you for any suggestions! ☺❤

When making a rag quilt will quilting cotton work for the top if I use fleece for center and back ?

Hi Melanie! Thanx for the video. What is a fabric name in the tip 5 part?

Hi Melanie I was wondering if u still post how to videos on Friday

Hey Melanie! Do you still take requests?? I love all of your videos so I wanted to see if you could do a video before Christmas about like quick or easy or just awesome DIY Christmas gifts? :) anyway, thanks for your time and keep up the awesome videos pleaseee! :)

Can you please do a video on how to quilt letters into a quilt to spell out a name? I've seen several quilts with people using fabric to spell and quilt names into their quilts. I'd love to learn how to do this with the fabric

Great information! I have chosen a fabric line that I absolutely LOVE, but I'm never sure how to choose a quilt pattern to showcase the fabric. This is always my dilemma. Advice?

Hey there! I would love a video on how to work with prints. A friend and I have had a tiff - I am making a quilt with a watery feel to it, and have blended a “dragonfly on the surface of a pond” print with a jellyfish print. The main color for both are similar shades of blue. She can’t stand it - apparently the dragonfly print was out of place and inappropriate??! So what prints should go together if it’s a theme print quilt?!

What is the minimum and maximum number of identical design fabric pieces should go into a quilt?

I love her! So enthusiastic and encouraging! So sad that she’s passed away so young. I pray she is with the Lord and that HE is comfortingly her sweet family 💔

Hello Melanie, I want start quilte for 1st time. How do I know how much fabric I need? For pattern like square design size 45"×60"?

Where do you buy your fabric? I'm searching for some cute Christmas fabric but don't know where to look.

Hi I am sorry to bother you but please can you help me with this problem I have lots of jelly rolls. How do you store them. Thanks Tracey from Chorley Lancashire UK

Please address the idea of clashing colors that are included in a quilt. Thanks..

❤️❤️😘

Hi, I'm new. You talked about exactly what I was looking for. Great job btw. I think ur art bkgrnd has made a HUGE difference compared to someone who didn't have the art knowledge in refr to what u spoke of. Have 2 questions. 1. Why did u use the black (or navy) fabric piece in block which had all sort of lighter shades of color. When I look at it, my eye is immediately drawn to the dark single piece rather than the block as a whole. Just wondering. I can't do that, it bugs me... But that's me. Maybe I'm not brave enough..probably true in some instances. 2. The other block (same pattern pc) u used various stripes, why? Nothing matched, to me it looked awkward. AGAIN, it could be me. I'm a 'MATCHY' type person. A Libra, so all must balance. lol I love stripes but they and plaids are where my fears comes in. I'm never sure where to use them in a quilt, even if they are a coordinating fabric. Please help me there. These are the things I need help with....desperately. I LOVE art. It was the only class I had straight A's in, except an award I won for making a dress in 9th grade. At age 67, u would think I'd not be afraid of anything, but I am. I LOVE designing quilts. I have all these great designs, most have appliqué and they are not made for fear of choosing the wrong colors. I can make a basic simple quilt, but I've designed a few quilts, especially 3, that I'm hoping when they are made, will be accepted into the Houston International Quilt Show (which is where I lived for over 40 yrs, now in PA). Paducah would be a nice acceptance too. But Houston is my dream. And if I pick the right colors, I feel confident, I have a good chance of making my dream a reality. One in particular, I consider my best, but it's not an artistic quilt. Please help me. My other dream is to still have a med-to- large quilt shop. Lord knows, we need one where I live. Must drive to a major city to keep up with what is being manufactured in the quilting world. I miss my quilt shops!!! Thanks for a great video!!! I subscribed, look forward to more fun. Blessings, Lana :)

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Do you have a video where it shows how to quilt with minky?

❤️❤️🤷🏼‍♀️

Sometimes I end up not being sure at all but in the end they seem to work.

Why is the QAL cheaper after its finished? I'm confused over your pricing.

Wanted to see more examples

I have a question about the color of thread to use... should it be muted or can you use a color that pops on the top of the quilt?

what is minky? am I saying it right? you said yr daughters quilt was backed with it?

nice

You are miss❤❤❤

Praying for you

درس مفيد

hey melanie! thanks for the great tips and video as always! I am new to quilting and i have a baby boy on the way. I bought some fabric to make into a baby quilt. I have a dinosaur print one. the dinosaurs are rather large and hence i am hesitant to cut the fabric to smaller squares. However to achieve some sort of balance or symmetry with large squares, I am worried that the quilt might turn out rather large for a new born quilt. Hope u can help!

good video friend

Miss you…

I need to know where you buy fabric, because Joannes is not it.

Hi. Hello. Howdy. Thank you.

Are you on Skill Share?