Welcome to Oh Scrap! from Diane at Stash Bandit:
Tips and tricks for better scrappy quilts!
People ask: How do you choose
fabrics for a scrappy quilt?
My first block for a quilt by Crystal Manning called Kasada
Short answer: By audition.
I'm making a quilt by Crystal Manning called "Kasada." It started with the goal of using 30s fabrics I've had forever. Above is my first block.
My second block has little contrast between the feature fabric and the ground.
I have a laundry basket full of 30s prints but by themselves, they are uninteresting. So I started adding other fabrics by audition. In my second block (above), I added a wild print but the impact is small because there isn't much contrast with the background.
Block 3: This is where things started to get interesting.
Auditions work best with two factors at play:
1. A vertical surface like a wall.
2. Standing back. WAY back.
I ditched this yellow because the scale was too similar to the background.
I realized early that it was best to begin with the largest squares. I think of them as the "feature fabric." Up on the design wall they went.
Next came the little arms, four of them on each square. Up they go.
What background will let these fabrics shine? I cut a few pieces to audition on the wall. I stand back across the room.
What about the small plus sign at the block's center? I try out some options on the design wall and I stand back.
About halfway through, I realize that I can make the long north/south/east/west pieces an invisible part of the block—just background and nothing more—or I can make them more important. So I play with more prominent fabrics in those strips.
Important: Look at each block to be sure its fabrics work together, but also view the blocks together. Do they look like a family?
Do the blocks look like they belong together? Do they resemble a family?
I am looking forward to a new opportunity next month. I'll be giving my most popular trunk show at Mangelsen's in Omaha, Nebraska. If you're within driving distance, I'd love to see you there. Tickets are $15 and include a discount coupon to use in the store. Their quilting fabrics are amazing! Register online. 😊
