Where to Start

When learning how to make a patchwork quilt, selecting your fabric can be one of the greatest parts, or the most harrowing. A common phrase that I hear in the patchwork shop where I work is “I’ll know what I like when I see it”. Considering there are more than twelve thousand bolts of fabric in the store, they might be looking for a a long time.

What I recommend is that you consider it before you go and do some shopping to avoid getting overwhelmed. For instance, What’s your favourite color? Do you like florals? Geometrical designs? Batiks? Plains (like Amish colors or soft colors? This’ll help to offer you a place to start and the sales assistant will be well placed to lead you to the appropriate fabrics for you.

Choosing Fabrics

When you’re beginning quilting, I recommend that you begin by choosing a patterned fabric in your favourite color. That way, you will love working on the quilt, and you’ll love it for a very long time after it’s finished. Then you can select some complementary fabrics to go with it. Perhaps the best way is to select other fabrics in the same Range. Generally manufacturers design a “Range” of coordinating patterns and colours around the same theme, including small and big patterns and one or two colors. If you select your fabrics from the same Range, you know they can all work in together in your quilt.

If you are unable to find other fabrics in the same range, look down the fringe of your chosen fabric (which is known as the selvedge) and you’ll see the designers name, and several small numbered circles. These contain all of the coloured dyes which have been used in the printing process of that fabric. You can then use these color spots to match with other fabrics to go with your primary fabric, knowing that if you use those colours they will definitely go together.

When selecting fabrics, select a range of little, medium and large prints for contrast. Also remember that depth of color is critical. If you choose a mix of light, medium and dark prints you will have good contrast and the quilt you’ve chosen to make will have life e.g. A quilt made entirely of pale pink, medium-sized floral fabrics may be terribly boring. Add in some deeper shades, perhaps some green, and perhaps some spots or stripes, and all of a sudden you have a quilt that is interesting.

Add A Touch of Adventure

When you are selecting colours, ensure you “audition” them. Take the bolts off the shelf and test them together, take one away and see whether it appears to be good or bad, put in a darker one, or an accent colour. Take away any which don’t “go together”. The ones that do not match could be because they’ve a cream background instead of white, or because it is an orange-red rather than a blue based red.

When you’re choosing colors, make sure you “audition” them. Take the bolts off the shelf and test them together, take one away and see if it looks better or worse, put in a darker one, or an accent color. Take away any which don’t “go together”. The ones that don’t match may be because they have got a cream background rather than white, or because it’s an orange-red instead of a blue based red.

To get more great tips about how to make a patchwork quilt, check out Maree Galt’s patchwork quilt site now!

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