Today I want to share this fun quilt top I’ve been working on. I was super excited to work with the beautiful blue prints in Gerri Robinson’s Faded Memories fabric line. They have a lovely traditional, yet coastal feel with the sandy beige and beachy blues.
To make this quilt, I used this GREAT TUTORIAL by Amy Smart. This was an easy quilt to whip up, and only takes a few 10″ squares, which is why I’m not too sad that it didn’t turn out exactly as I had hoped. I want to share some of the challenges that come up when choosing pattern and color with you so we can all learn together.
You can probably see it already — the problem lies with the sweet little calico print. I became obsessed with it. Those cute little flowers were calling my name.
The problem is that the colors are too bold when used in this star pattern with two much softer prints. Had I mixed in more bold prints, the calico would have been perfect. But with this design, the colors were just too rich on their own, so much so, that your eye is automatically drawn to the one print.
I was going for a soothing coastal feel, so I should have used some self discipline and stayed with the softer prints. Self-discipline and fabric — two words that mix like oil and water, am I right?
The lesson I learned? It’s all about balance. When incorporating a bold and busy print, I would need to use at least one other bold, larger scale print to create balance and cohesion.
Here are a few prints from the collection that would have been a good choice to mix in.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the quilt is beautiful, and I’m ready to play with this gorgeous fabric some more. When I look at it, the darker calico almost looks like two points on a compass. And if you think about it, you need a compass when operating a boat, so we do have a coastal quilt after all!
Well, I hope we all learned something from this. Use restraint and stay true to your original concept, or when that fails, spin the concept so it fits your fabric!
Be sure to check out Amy Smarts easy STAR QUILT TUTORIAL.
You can view Gerri Robinson’s complete Faded Memories collection HERE.
I have more Faded Memories ideas in the works, so stay tuned and Happy Sewing!
