The Art of Color Balance in Quilting: High, Medium & Low Volume Magic

by Bethany Jones May 9, 2025

Choosing colors for a quilt can feel like both a thrilling adventure and a paralyzing puzzle. With shelves of beautiful fabrics calling your name, how do you create a quilt that feels cohesive, intentional, and visually pleasing—not chaotic? The secret often lies in understanding the balance of high, medium, and low-volume fabrics, and how they play together in harmony.

What Are Volume Levels in Fabric?

Volume refers not to the color itself, but to how visually loud or quiet a fabric is when placed among others.

High Volume: These are your loud, bold fabrics—large prints, strong contrast, bright colors, or dramatic designs that immediately draw the eye.
Medium Volume: These fabrics bridge the gap. They have moderate contrast, mid-size prints, or subtle tones that neither shout nor whisper.
Low Volume: Often backgrounds or blenders. Think pale prints on white, tone-on-tones, or tiny dots and textures that read almost solid from a distance.

Recommended Volume Ratio for Cohesion

While every quilt has its own rhythm, here’s a balanced starting guide (unless you’re going for a scrappy or improv look):

Low Volume: 50–60% – These give your eyes a place to rest. They’re essential to avoid visual overwhelm.
Medium Volume: 25–30% – These unify the quilt and help blend highs and lows.
High Volume: 10–20% – These act like exclamation points. A little goes a long way.

Mixing Solids and Patterns

Including solids can elevate your quilt. Solids provide structure and depth, especially when balanced with patterned fabrics.

Tips for mixing:

Use solids to ground busy prints or define negative space.
If your patterned fabrics are highly detailed, let a solid step in and quiet the noise.
Consider textured solids (like shot cottons or crossweaves) for added interest.

Combining Patterns with Confidence

Mixing patterns is like conducting an orchestra—it’s all about harmony and rhythm:

Scale is key. Pair a large floral with a medium dot and a small stripe.
Color unites. Choose fabrics that share undertones (warm or cool) or belong to the same palette.
Let something lead. Choose one print to be your "star," and build the rest to support it.

Pro Tip: Take a Photo in Black & White

Still unsure? Snap a photo of your fabric pull and convert it to black and white. This helps you see contrast and volume without color distraction. You’ll quickly spot if something’s too dominant—or too flat.

Final Thought:

Quilt-making is an artform—there’s no single "right" way to choose fabrics. But understanding volume gives you a powerful tool to guide your instincts. Let your creativity bloom, and remember: sometimes it’s that one daring high-volume print that makes the whole quilt sing.