Favorite Fabrics

When you're planning on doing one of these type quilts, where it calls for a particular number of pattern repeats...

Do you just choose a fabric that you like, regardless of the repeat (assuming of course that is a large enough repeat)? Or are you looking for a particular SIZE of pattern repeat, because you are trying to reduce the amount of wasted fabric?

I've been wondering if we should have a specific category on our website, just for fabrics that are suitable for these types of quilts. And of course, then I was wondering if the category should be divided up according to the size of the repeat.

Would this be useful? Or not particularly so?

lallyann

Oh yes! I think this would be very helpful! I have avoided making these types of quilts just for this reason,,,,especially since I buy a gret deal of fabric online and cannot handle the fabric to count the repeats, ect. I do think it would be helpful!

MTS

You should include the repeats - that's a given.

However, instead of a separate category, can you not have a search option for "OBW" - because that great underwater fish fabric should still be with its collection (or however you would normally classify it).

Since YOU'RE deciding what might be a possible OBW fabric option, just add that parameter when you're adding the fabric so it will show up in a search.

jeaninmaine

It would be interesting to have something that would work with the OBW labeled as being good for it. Though I read through a set of directions for it online yesterday and she showed different types of fabric and if they could or could not be used and I didn't particularly like any of them, I would never have chosen one of them and after seeing what the blocks would look like, I still wouldn't. I was impressed with the blocks made in this forum, they used some great fabrics that could make tons of different blocks.

You could always use the 'waste' fabric in a scrap quilt. Especially if you really love the fabric. As long as you have enough repeats for your blocks, the rest will more or less be usable.

Marlys

I choose a fabric because I like it. But it would be nice to know the size of the repeat to know how much fabric to purchase. Shopping online would be much easier if you had a separate category for this type of quilt. Otherwise it's a bit overwhelming & much easier to do in person. I have never purchased Stack -n-Whack fabric on line for this reason.

Favorite Fabrics

We already do list the pattern repeats for most of our fabrics. (Some slip past us and we forget to measure them.) But as it is, you have to click onto a fabric first, and then you can find out what the repeat is.

So... what would be the minimum pattern repeat? I'm thinking that 6" would be the minimum for 4PP; the stack-and-whacks probably require 8"... but I have never made an OBW myself, so what would a good pattern repeat be for a fabric you'd use for that?

MTS

I think listing the pattern repeat is enough. If you start getting into what's good for a 4PP vs. S&W/OBW and try to give every option possible, you'd be writing forever.

You can't know how big someone wants to make a quilt, or how large they want to cut the squares/triangles, or if they've figured out you don't always need the yardage to get the total number of repeats needed for their pattern (as written in the books).

I think just mentioning the 12" or 24" repeat - and possibly showing a picture of entire repeat is enough.

And the repeats size has nothing to do with the type of quilt. It really boils down to how much fabric you want to buy. So if you're doing a large quilt, you'll need the yardage anyway, so a 24" repeat isn't the end of the world.

But if you're doing a wall hanging, that would be a lot of extra fabric you're buying to get the 4 or 6 or 8 repeats.

So it has more to do with size than the style of quilt.

greenini

I have not bought fabric online for these patterns because of this very issue...how much fabric do I need for the repeats plus some extra for "show" to see what the original fabric was. I think it would be super helpful to include that info before you click on a fabric such as being able to do a search for OBW in general.

The OBW book basically says 6" to 8" repeats will only make a very small project and more or less suggests doubling the repeats ie cutting them every 12" to 16 ". She basically suggests 24" repeats with 6 for hexes at exactly 4 yds, plus adding an extra yd or half yd = 4 1/2 to 5 yds total. Octagons she suggests 8 repeats at 24" = 5 1/3 yds exact or 5 3/4 or 6 yds with extra.
Hope this helps.

k3n

I like a 12" repeat minimum and staggered NOT parallel across the WOF, large motifs, limited colour palette (3 or 4 is ideal) and swirly patterns and not too much plain background. Having said all that, I have broken these rules successfully! So if you recommend a fabric as suitable for OBW, some will find it so and others not! Perhaps like MTS suggests, use the phrase as a keyword so it shows up in a search. Telling the length of the repeat and giving a pic with a ruler alongside for scale is enough to go on for me!

I don't know what you mean by 'waste' - if I buy six repeats of a 12" repeat fabric that would be 2 yards and I'd use all of it. I'd always buy a yard extra for borders or just to show in the backing. There's no 'waste'. :-D

Favorite Fabrics

Waste was when I was working on my first set of blocks for my daughter's bed-sized quilt and I cut eight 12" repeats, but only used 6.5" squares out of that 12".

Had I done this before, or been thinking harder, I would have realized that I needed to do this two more times, and I would just have cut 24", and gotten 3 rows of 6.5" squares out of it.

But you see I needed a lot of blocks because it was for a large quilt. If I was just doing a wallhanging or a tabletopper that would have been different.