5 Tips to Pulling the Perfect Fabric for Your Quilt April 03 2020 1 Comment

You've found the perfect pattern so now what?  It's time to choose the perfect fabric, but don't let that overwhelm you.  Sometimes, it's helpful to break it down into smaller tasks.

With these 5 tips, you'll be a Pro at pulling fabric for this project and beyond!

1: Pick Colors That You Like

Whether you pick a color scheme first or shop your stash for inspiration, be sure to pick colors that you like!  This helps you find joy in your sewing and keeps you engaged and on track to finish your project. 

Once you decide on the color palette, head to your fabric store in person or online and bring any contenders from your stash with you.  If you have all of the fabrics with you, lay them all out for a full objective view. Take a photo of them together.

If you are shopping online, take screenshots or save the fabric images to your computer or to your phone.  Use apps like Canva or PicCollage to create a collage of your fabric selections.

2: Check The Colors

Are the colors pleasing to your eye?  Or is something bothering you when you see them all together?

Do you have enough colors that are complementary? By this we mean some basic color theory that a color wheel would help clarify. In simple terms, the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) have three complementary secondary colors (green, purple, and orange—respectively). On a color wheel, the secondary colors would appear opposite the primary colors and play well together.

How does your color selection measure up?

Is something missing? Try Art Gallery Fabrics Color Master bundles to fill any gaps in color for this project or for your stash.

3: Check The Value

If you can, look at your photo or your collage as a black and white image (you can do this in your phone settings or as a filter in the photo apps). By doing this, you will be able to look at your fabric in in terms of value. Do they all look the same?  Or do you see low/light, medium and high/dark values? 

Most fabrics in quilt shops are medium value as they are pleasing to the eye; however, diversifying value creates interest in your quilt and makes the colors pop.

4: Check The Scale

After your value review above, perhaps your fabric selection still feels flat or maybe even busy. You can create further visual interest and balance by considering the scale of the pattern on the fabric.

Is the pattern’s scale small, subtle marks or big florals? Ideally, you would have a blend of different scales so that the eye has chance to rest between them.

5: Try Low Volume Fabrics

Shop your stash for these versatile choices. They can help you tackle almost all of the above situations. Need just a little more color, value, or contrast? Look at low volume fabrics for balance to backgrounds or perfect complementary half-square triangles. Low volume fabrics can match your color scheme, yet add a lighter color or provide just the right amount of contrast with the pattern.

Low volume fabrics can be your secret weapons you’re looking for when tackling your next project or building your stash. Shop your stash for these hidden gems. Or take a look at a few suggestions we like.

Now that you know the basics of pulling the perfect fabric for your quilts, let's go shop! :)

Do you have any tips you would like to share?