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!

I have a large collection of Australian fabrics, collected over the years - as I lived there years ago. I am going to use those to cut out simple blocks (probably 8.5 inch) and snowball those to make a simple quilt for our bed. I am probably going to use the deep, dark and vivid colors for the corners, to represent all the color in their world there. Love those fabrics and I hate the idea of cutting the fabric smaller, and possibly losing the effect of the prints, as many were designed by Aborigines (beautiful art!). That is what I would do. If she wants something different, she should tell you what she has in mind, rather than leave you in the dark as to what she meant.

I was also going to suggest Margaret Rolfe's designs. I bought "Quilt a Koala" many years ago. It was the pre-publication version being sold at a classic bookstore (the Strand) in Manhattan. I have used many of the animals, all with good results.

Thank you, gives me an excellent idea!

Thank you, they are gorgeous!

Great idea!

An idea... You could fussy cut some of the animals and appliqué them onto a neutral colour or use the fabric as the border! In the latest 'Down Under Quilts' magazine there is an interesting quilt made from Aboriginal fabrics. I admit it is difficult fabric to work with - good luck