Originally Posted by
Jingle
If I am going to do a matchy, matchy quilt. I pick out a print and try to match colors in that piece. Pick out at least three and can pick out a different color from that print for inner border and sometimes I use the same pieces for a couple more borders.
Now I am making more scrappy quilts. You can do a controlled scrappy by trying to get them to all go together, colorwise. You could do just a bunch of fabrics you like, they don't necessarily have to match.
Look at lots of quilt pictures and you should get the idea. You could also try to pick a quilt picture you like and try to match the colors in it.
I try not to use too many solids. I stay away from lines, plaids, etc. too hard to cut them straight unless you use scissors for cutting. That is too slow for me.
I don't do lines, boxes, plaids, circles, whatever has a distinct line plan in the fabric. My mother could do it blindfolded....not me. I have seen some beautiful plaids, Uh Uh!!!!!! I am glad I am not the only one and if you thought you were, aren't you glad you're not? I do love to fussy cut though. I cut out some cardboard in different squares, drew my lines, cut the whatever it was I was fussy cutting and that generally went in the center of the block. I am just finishing up a quilt now where I bought fabric of 12 birds (American) and cut them to 4-1/2x4-1/2 and did it ever turn out nice. I am giving it to a lady who has given me two bird cages for my birds and she likes birds and I thought this was apropos. Have you ever made a grocery bag quilt? You have a light color and a dark color and a main color, which is a 4-1/2" square. Then you cut out a million 2-1/2" squares, You put the light color in one bag, the dark color in another bag, shake the heck out of them.......put a bag on either side of your sewing chair...Take the rectangle, and put a light color and a dark color on either end of the rectangle and sew it diagonally, cut off the edge of the square and rectangle that you sewed together and iron it down. Go to Quilter's Cache and look up Floating Stars - 12" block. Better directions than I can give, it is a fun quilt to make, easy, but lots of pieces, gets rid of a lot of xtra fabric. The 4-1/2" square is usually white,(I use white on white). It gives the quilt an optical illusion like the stars are floating. Take a look at it in Quilter's Cache. There are wonderful recipes/patterns (depending on your mood for the day). The patterns ALWAYS turn out.
Have a good day. Edie