Fabric choices????

I just thought I'd touch base as we begin this Block of the Month and talk about fabric choices.

If you're confused now, I hope I don't leave you even more confused after this post!

Being a "modern" quilt, the first thing that comes to mind may be to use solid colours with perhaps a white, grey, or black background. Good idea!!! And if you have never made a quilt from solid fabrics, now could be a good time to try. A bonus, there are no right or wrong sides of the fabric. 

But wait!....this is your quilt and you get to make the choice of fabrics! 

There really are no "quilt police"... lol...I actually heard a speaker say that at the beginning of her trunk show once, then she proceeded to tell us all the faux pas' in quilting....I guess maybe she was the quilt police! 

If you are fairly new at quilting and find fabric choices daunting...and even if you are an old pro and still find it difficult, here is an old trick:  Pick out a focus fabric...this could be something to be used as a border of your quilt, or a fabric that may make an appearance in each block...or perhaps it could be the sashing. Now, pick the rest of your fabrics drawing from colours in the focus fabric.

Another idea is to look at quilts you've made in the past and really notice what your desired "look" is and go with it. Or maybe to think outside the box, look at quilts you've admired of your fellow quilters and try to follow their lead for something "new to you". 

Another idea is to go through your quilting magazines, or Pinterest, and see what excites you. This is a small project, one that shouldn't be costing you too much money, so maybe it's the perfect time to try something new.

One caveat....I tried "something new" a couple of years ago with a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt and absolutely hated it, so I abandoned that one halfway through. I don't mean to scare you from making new choices, but it does happen.

Something fun to try is a 2-colour quilt....such as blue and white, for example. This is challenging and not for the faint of heart, in my opinion. If you try it (and it would be wonderful to see someone try), pay particular attention to contrast. One way of doing this is to take a picture of your fabrics and edit the picture to be just black and white...you'll see if there is enough contrast, or not.

An easy choice is if you happen to be purchasing fabric for your quilt. Staying in a particular fabric line does make things a little easier and harmonious.

If you "shop your stash" you can take comfort in the fact that you will most likely like your quilt...considering the fact that fabric that is in your stash is probably something that you like since you bought it in the first place! (that feels like an awkward sentence, but hopefully you get my meaning)

For my quilts...I'm not one to like to have the same fabric, but in different colours. I prefer to have all my fabrics different. For instance, if I included a blue Spotty Grunge fabric for my quilt it would bother me to have a red Spotty Grunge in there, also. That's just something I know about me. 

I like to have different "textures".....maybe a stripe here, a polka dot there...a floral thrown in...and a tiny print, etc. 

I'd say, in the end, for this quilt...watch your contrast, that would be my main point to get across to you. I hope I've given you a couple of helpful pointers. There are so many "correct" choices at your disposal....and not many wrong ones.

Please reach out to me or your quilty friends for advice if you are truly hung up on fabric choice. Remember, this should not be agonizing...it is our hobby, it's supposed to be fun!

And remember...we'd love to see your progress on Instagram using the hashtag #tqgmodernbom.