Mental block for a wedding quilt
 

I have 4 months to make a wedding throw quilt for my nephew. They would like their wedding colors which are gray, burgundy, with a burnt orange accent. I have looked at pictures for design ideas until I am blue in the face. Trouble is, there are too many options. I try to design my own using EQ7 so it has that personal touch. I just cant seem to decide and it’s driving me nuts. I want to challenge myself a bit with new techniques because I want to take it to the fair but not too difficult that I’m overwhelmed and rushed.

I consider myself an intermediate quilter and do all my own quilting.

Any ideas out there using gradations of these 3 colors? I’m entertaining the shimmering triangles quilt pattern but not sure I can pull off the effect. I need someone to nudge me in any direction so I can get this going and get some sleep! Yep, I’m lying awake nights overthinking. A mental block and fear of failure can sure mess with a person!!

I can’t help you with any pattern. I do want to say, however, my own granddaughters are not into butterflies anymore and I certainly agree they are for the little girls. That’s why I cringed in the LQS when a quilter was buying butterfly fabric for her granddaughter’s wedding quilt. Big expense and time involved so I’d want to be sure the fabric met with their approval first or it may be stuck away in a closet. I’m being real.

I'm not familiar with that pattern, but a gray background is very modern, so maybe either batiks or blenders? And range the colors from rust, burgundy , burnt orange. with maybe a dash of gold/yellow to highlight?

The first thing that came to mind was a beautifully rich pineapple block using the grey on the diagonals and the burgundy on the north,south, east, west , and finally burnt orange as the final colour in the four corners. It would be a lot of work but I think it would be striking. You could cut down some of the work by sashing the blocks with the grey and again use the burnt orange as cornerstones.

With your colors you could make an awesome sunset bargello, but that wouldn't necessarily be a challenging quilt.

I have seen the Storm At Sea pattern made up that has 2 hearts in the middle. Not sure what the pattern was called but you may try Pinterest and put in title-heart quilts. Sorry I can't give you any more info but maybe someone else on this board is familiar with the pattern. Let us know what you decide and good luck on what you make.

Does it have to be a fussy or complicated pattern? Would you consider something simple like Turning 20 variation or a crazy patch (without embroidery). These would be easy if you cut them out stack-n-whack style, and I'd try to have mostly greys and burgandy fabrics and not much burnt orange. Interesting color scheme, hope you post a picture when done.

It may be fun to challenge yourself using ombré fabrics in orange and burgundy....pretty sure there is grey, too. Design a modern quilt, maybe. These are great colors..... Have fun!! I'm getting ready to start a wedding quilt for my nephew, too, and I'm leaning toward DWR with applique.

I looked up the Shimmering Triangles pattern. It's a very pretty pattern. I have motion sickness so it would never work for me. Might want to check & make sure there is no motion sickness in the couple. When I was looking up the Shimmering Triangles, I saw a pattern called Shimmering Strata. To me it is a very modern quilt that already has the gray background and could easily be done with the colors you are talking about. https://www.anniescatalog.com/detail...All%20Products

My daughter & I made one up similar to this with a black background and multiple colors. We designed it ourselves based on a picture she found on the internet. Our quilt was made as 2 stripsets of 3 inch finished strips of color, with ten colors per set. Very like a bargello. We then sub-cut them into different widths and then alternated the colors with black on all the ends filling in the extra length. It is meant to be viewed vertical, not horizontal.

You have a deadline and this is to be a very special gift. Are you sure you want to do a challenge on this one? If this ends up being one of those "frog quilts", you might hate the thing before it's complete besides the wear and tear in the redoing. Too much pressure for me. Unless there is someone who is going to scrutinize this, perhaps this one should be quick and easy. Let the fabric/colors do the impressing.
I might mention to you that a friend and I have taken on a "project" of the kaleidoscope pattern. Take a look at that one. Eleanor Burns and Donna Jordan have youtube tutorials online. This pattern is quick and easy, both in construction and hand quilting. Donna will show you that the blocks can make 2 different quilts--Summer Breeze with stars created in the construction--and both she and Eleanor change the construction and it becomes an illusion of intertwined circles that trick your eyes. The trick that I encountered was finding a 45 deg triangle ruler but it is available through Eleanor or Amazon, if you are an online shopper. My friend's project has become Summer Breeze but mine are (yes, there are now 2) are kaleidoscope and we love the pattern. The only difference is what color triangle you put on the outside edge. Patterns are free on the website of both.

I made a throw with grays and blues for a nephew on his way to college, and I used a fairly easy pattern from Missouri Star - Fence Rail Star. It went together easily and looked good in a mix of fabrics.[ATTACH=CONFIG]611100[/ATTACH]

I would suggest that you look at some of the Moda Modern quilt patterns. They lend themselves to your colors and most are easy to moderate difficulty.

I know you have a deadline and I agree with Illinois, you might not want to tackle an intricate pattern for this with time being so near. Have you thought about a Chevron pattern for the quilt? Those colors of grey and burgundy would look cool and you could use the burnt orange as an accent in the binding, perhaps as a faux binding. I made my son a black and white quilt with a pop color as our groups challenge quilt one year and used the burnt orange (he is a Texas Longhorn die hard fan) as the faux binding strip, turned out great. Missouri Star has a quick pattern for a Chevron, as does Jordan Fabrics.

Have some great ideas! Can't wait to see what you make! Whatever you choose they will love! I had same issues, I FINALLY looked up patterns with their last name in it and choose that... good luck!!

I definitely think the Shimmering Triangles Quilt would be gorgeous. And, as you’re an intermediate quilter, you could pull this off. It has the exact colors you’d need and it’s a modern quilt, which is what all brides that I’ve quilted for like. Good luck and show us your finished quilt.

I think you are giving yourself too many options and it is overwhelming you. Start over, clear your head and begin with a couple questions. What is your skill level and what would you feel comfortable making? What is their style? Are they traditional (log cabin, churn dash types), are they scrappy, or maybe modern (like an illusion top)? Now you have your comfort level, their colors and their style. The options are narrowing. The colors are a bit different. The first thing that jumps out at me is making a basic grey and burgundy top and using a complimentary shade of the orange as cornerstones and a narrow framing border. This would allow you to add it without it overwhelming (which is exactly what an accent should do). Please let us know what you decide. And, if you don't get some sleep, you won't do your best job! This should be a fun project - enjoy it!

The last wedding quilt I made was a log cabin quilted with a design called Ginger Hearts.

Three years ago I made a memory wedding quilt for our granddaughter, Preassembled quilt blocks of their wedding colors . Had wedding guests sign their names and wishes on these blocks, then sewed blocks togrther into quilt.
Takes the pressure off you of geeting done before wedding date. Would suggest using fabric fine point pens, black,

I think this quilt is stunning and would look great in your colors. I can’t find just the pattern but bet you could figure it out by the picture.
https://auntbscountryfabric.com/prod...ass-quilt-kit/