color matching

3 solid fabrics on left are from Retailer #1. 3 solids on left are from Retailer #2.

I had forgotten how much I love fabric until I decided to start making quilts.
I also forgot how unreliable online shopping can be when it comes to color.

I know almost immediately I wanted to do something with this funky print fabric by Michael Miller called Cuban Beat that includes some of my favorite hues of blue and green. I have a few solids of Kona Cotton by Robert Kaufman that I've enjoyed working with, so I also knew that was what I wanted to use to coordinate with the print. Since the only real fabric store in town closed about a year ago I've been buying fabric online. Kona is readily available but each retailer seems to carry different colors and I was finding it hard to find the right matches for my print. After some comparing, I realized how unreliable my monitor was. Which retailer was displaying the colors better - Retailer #1 with the lighter shades or Retailer #2 with the darker shades? Checking a 3rd and 4th retailer only added to my confusion. I could match the color names, but no two color displays were equal on any color.

Kona Cotton Color Card

I was quite distressed until I found that Kona manufactures a swatch card that includes  tiny fabric swatches of all 340 currently available colors. I ended up purchasing this Kona Color Card for $30 with free shipping. It arrived folded neatly as a letter-sized card. Each indiviual piece of fabric is 7/8"x1-1/8" (2.2cm x 2.8cm) and when it's unfolded the card is 11" wide and 50" long (28x127cm).

A digitally printed collection on paper is also available for under $10.

I was willing to spend extra for the actual fabric samples because I'm planning to use more solids in future projects and I'm particular about matching colors. Someone who is less of a control freak could probably make do with the printed samples.

You may have to hunt on google or wait for a sale for a similar price. I purchased the card through Amazon, but ass of this writing I can't find the swatch card for the same price I paid.