Recently Stephanie from Modern Sewciety had me on her podcast to chat! Which was SO much fun! I hadn’t really listened to podcasts before so I took a crash course and listened to a bunch of her shows and now I’m hooked!
While Stephanie and I were chatting we talked a little bit about picking out fabric so I thought I’d share a tip for beginners who might be struggling with fabric choices…
Picking Fabrics
Beginners Tip
So here we go!
I’m going shopping in my own stash to show you a tip on selecting fabric for your next quilt.
If you don’t know where to begin, start by finding a larger scale print that you’re attracted to. It should have at least 4 colors in it. I fell in love with this large scale fabric and bought some for a future project… Isn’t it gorgeous?
I was originally attracted to the fun design and I also found the colors appealing. It’s not a good fabric for piecing… but I bought it anyway! I knew I’d use if for something… pillow covers, a quilt border, placemats, a quilt back… lot’s of other possibilities! Plus, it was on sale… no brainer! So let’s see what happens when we pull the colors out of this fabric…
I picked out some solids to coordinate with the color palette. Don’t these solids look nice together?
Or we can select coordinating prints…
If you select coordinating prints, try to select some of varying scale – mix up some small prints and some medium prints.
Also, try to find some that are stripes/geometric, some that are floral and some polka dots/spots. They will magically blend together and add interest!
You can even blend the solids and the prints if you like!
Use the large print for your border or for the backing of your quilt! I hope this helps some of you when you’re fabric shopping for your next quilt, even just a little bit!
I’m feeling inspired to make something now! Don’t forget to tune into Stephanie at Modern Sewciety for some entertainment while you sew!
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As a new quilter I find that picking fabrics is the hardest part. Thanks for a great explanation! I’ll definitely try this during my next visit to the fabric store!
I love to listen to podcast while I sew. I just listened to Modern Sewciety for the first time today, and really enjoyed your conversation. So of course I had to check out your website and I LOVE the Dear Daughter quilt. I need to make it for my grand daughter!