Australia colored Quilt
 

Will you smart, creative ladies help me make a quilt for my niece. Over two years ago I offered to do one for her. She said it should reflect the country of Australia and I would know what that was. She was traveling at that time and all this was relayed through her mother. Trouble is I got a few yards of Aboriginal prints and black and started to put a quilt together. She saw it and I sensed that she wasn't happy with it, wanted me to downplay the aboriginal prints. How can I make one that will reflect this country and only use a few of the prints? Any help is welcome!

Here is a quilt an Australian member posted that she called Colors of Australia. It was beautiful

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...a-t185069.html

Here are some Australian themed quilts.

http://tinyurl.com/b8yxzwl

it also might help to know the places she visited when she was there - like the US and other large countries, there is lots of variation in what one sees. But I do love the colors in Colors of Australia, above.

I would go for reds, browns and creams - I visited my daughter in Oz a while ago and picked up quite a few Aboriginal print fabrics, they to me reflect the true Australia but each to their own I guess

wonderful. that should make a great quilt. here is a simple one i made my Sister in Aussie fabrics i collected over the years.

Don't you love it when someone wants you to read her mind? I would either continue with the quilt I had in mind using the aboriginal prints, or ask her specifically what she meant by a quilt that would "reflect the country of Australia." It's a huge country, after all. Maybe she wants a giant kangaroo on it. Or maybe a landscape quilt with Ayers Rock.

Those quilts by nativetexan and Carol Wilson are gorgeous. Very different, and yet each reflects Australia beautifully.

Going off in a different direction...Margaret Rolfe does some really fun Australian animal and bird foundation-pieced squares (Quilt a Koala is her most recent book. I made the Australian animals quilt from A Quilter's Ark many years ago, but this link doesn't show a picture of that quilt.) Maybe you could work some of them in amongst your traditional prints?

Alison

Oh i have the Quilt a Koala book! I meant to make one block and put it into the quilt I made and sent to my Sister but never got it done. one day... I love Koala's.
i've seen lots of Aussie quilts done to reflect all the wild fires they have there too. but still think earthly colors are a good idea. good luck.

You could use colours like beige - sand, blue - sea, sky, greens - tropical forests, ochre, burnt orange, reds, browns - outback, yellow - sun. You could use the aboriginal pattern in the centre and border them with the colours mentioned and go from sea & sky to rainforests to the outback and sun. Just a couple of ideas maybe!