Choosing Fabrics for the Spring Fling Sew Along!

The Spring Fling Sew Along is drawing nearer and I’m starting to consider my fabric choices for the sew-along. 

When I made this quilt last time I used a variety of fabrics, however, relied heavily on Moda Grunge Fabrics as the basis for my quilt, and raided my fabric stash for the rest.  I found that the Grunge fabric gave my blocks a lovely depth, especially the roses. However this time I’m thinking I might go a bit more adventurous and use something different, to create a very different version of the quilt using some bolder patterned fabrics. 

One of the things I love about a sew-along, is the community that builds around them and seeing so many different versions of a quilt based on the quilters individual taste and the fabrics they like and I can’t wait to see the different versions of this quilt and the blocks when the sew-along starts.

In order to make the quilt top as per the pattern you will need the following:

• ·         Background Fabric: White/Off White/Grey: 1 ¼ Yards
• ·         Dark Red: 1/8 Yard
• ·         Light Red: 1/8 Yard
• ·         Green: ¼ Yard
• ·         Yellow: ½ Yard
• ·         Orange: ¼ Yard
• ·         Brown: ¼ Yard
• ·         Dusky Pink: 1/8 Yard
• ·         Tan: 1/8 Yard
• ·         Dark Purple: 1/8 Yard
• ·         Light Purple: 1/8 Yard
• ·         Black (For sashing): ½ Yard

However, for the sew-along, you can pick and choose which blocks you want to sew. So you might choose to sew each block twice exactly as the pattern indicates, or you could decide to sew 12 roses instead in various colours or alternate roses and irises in your quilt. Or you may choose to make an even bigger quilt and post more than one block each week - go for it, this will double your chances of winning a prize! Just keep in mind that your fabric regiments will probably change if you choose to make your quilts differently. It might also be a good opportunity to dig through your stash and audition some fabrics in there and Smash that stash! 

Because of the Fact the pattern uses lots of different colours and has a number of small pieces, using Fat Quarters or small cuts is a great way to buy your fabric for the quilt. So if you do need to buy fabric here are some suggestions for bundles you might like:

If you are contemplating doing your quilt in solids then Rainbow Stash NZ has a great variety of Kona Cottons available, including some great Fat Quarter Bundles like this one 

which gives a fantastic variety of colours and would be great for making a beautifully colourful version of this quilt. Rainbow Stash also have a wide variety of other precuts and yardage available for you to choose from too.

For a Pastel themed Spring Fling Quilt you might consider some of the new blenders from Little Quack Fabric these blenders work together so well, as you can see in the cheater quilt that Rachel has been making here:

Or for fabrics with a bolder print or colour check out the numerous fat quarter bundles from Fabric Stork on Etsy! Personally, I’m a fan of the Spark bundle:

or the Midnight Bliss bundle if you are looking for some deeper colours to make your quilt with.   

If you are in Australia and looking for a local shop, I highly recommend some of the fabrics from Sew-Inn Colac. They have a great selection from awesome designers like Tula Pink, and Anna Maria Horner, plus a good range of Liberty Fabrics.

I really can’t wait to see what you use for your quilts! I expect there will be lots of variety in the finished quilts at the end of the sew-along. Tell me what your plans are in the comments!

Happy quilting!
RJ