Using Fabrics in a Quilt That Go Together Great...and Some, Not So Much!

  The fabrics above go together very well colorwise, although they may be almost a little too similar. The styles are a little different, but in a scrap quilt like this one, that is just fine! These were all sorted as Dark fabrics, and none wound up in the same block. There is something about the design of each of the patterns in these fabrics that sets them apart from each other in my mind: the one o the right has very casual veining in the leaves, as well as casual detailing in the flowers. The center fabric is almost opulent; very traditional and old school with those very beautiful cabbage roses in full bloom, while the fabric on the left has a more modern detail to it with the pointed lotus flowers. Subjective, I know, but isn't that what quilting is all about?  (Can you tell how much I love Kaffe Fasset fabrics?)                                           

   These fabrics don't really go together colorwise at all...although the designs are identical. None of these fabrics wound up in the same blocks either, but 2 were sorted as Light fabrics, and one (the rust colored one on the left) was sorted as a Dark fabric. And while very few people in their right mind would put these colors together in the same quilt...a scrap quilt is the perfect opportunity to throw them all into the mix...you will be amazed at how they work together. Even before being sewn into the quilt, you can see the blue flowers of the light green fabric work with the blue fabric, and the baskets of the light green fabric work perfectly well with the baskets of the rust colored fabric.

Putting Together My "Kaffe Birds in the Air Taking Formation" Quilt

  Here are the original 42 10" squares. They are roughly lined up in 2 rows of 21....left to right from dark to light. This way, the darkest dark fabrics are combined with the darkest light fabrics. Eventually, all the fabrics are placed in groups of 6: 3 darks and 3 lights.

   You may notice that some of the fabrics have both dark and light elements in them, so it may be confusing to determine where they belong. How do you decide? The answer is simple: where do YOU feel they belong? One of the joys of doing a quilt like this is that it WILL work....and if you like the fabrics you put in the quilt, it will bring you much pleasure!

My "Kaffe Birds in the air Taking Formation" Quilt

   This is where I am at now in my quilting. I volunteered to create a pattern for 10" squares for my quilt guild. When I thought about it, I wanted to find a pattern where the would be no waste. I came upon the idea of using a Birds in the Air pattern. Since I have no layer cakes in the house, I took a rotary cutter to my Kaffe Fassett stash, and cut 42 10" squares. My stash never even felt a dent!
   Here I show how I laid out the 42 completed blocks in 5 different orientations. My carefully sorting the fabrics  from dark to light, and then grouping them, the strong diagonal lines in each block lent themselves to a variety of layouts.
   Which is your favorite? I'll tell you which I chose in my next block, along with how to make each block.