mixing & matching

This checkered garden quilt might just be one of my favourite makes yet. It’s such a simple, fun pattern, and it gives me heaps of room to play, mixing and matching fabrics until every block feels just right.

It's not all small-scale itty-bitty prints, 

I'm also adding in a few busy multi-coloured florals to help create a delightfully tangled garden look ...

love this next one

a super mix of Anna Maria, Kaffe, Karen Lewis & Ruby Star Society ...

Making the blocks?  Simple, Ashley @Film in the Fridge’s tutorial is excellent.

Choosing a colour palette? Easy, I simply picked 5 different fabrics per block, then cut and sewed the blocks up one at a time ... Actually, that's sew not true!

For those interested, I've tried to sort out my colour framework for you. I started out going for an overall *harmony vibe, using LOTs of soft blush pinks through to smokey plum with a few peach/coral prints mixed in too. And caramels that go from honey through into the warm browns.
And then I couldn't help adding in some subtle *contrast with my few bright pops and some dark value blues. (I did try to add in some green prints too, but they just didn't flow quite as nicely for some reason).

From my scrap baskets & stash - all the pinks, peaches, plums & caramels I could find. It's scrappy, warm, a little bright, a little vintage, and perfectly imperfect … really, everything I want a quilt to be.

It's all still laid out on the 'design floor'. No time to get it stitched together just now, but I'll have to make time soonish 'cos my sewing room really needs a vacuum!

* For more on the harmony & contrast idea check out this link here at shannonbrinkleystudio

checkered garden. again

I've been revisiting Ashley @Film in the Fridge’s free tutorial 'Checkered Garden'. Again.
I do enjoy making these blocks, can't help smiling each time I finish a block.  It's the kind of pattern you can make your own, in your palette made from your fabrics. I'm pretty sure no two 'checkered gardens' look alike!

My framework is simple - soft blush pinks & caramel for the centers, light-medium low volumes for the outer corners, everything else? well, a bit of a surprise as I go really.
You can see my mix of print styles is all over the place, different designers & collections, old & new - but hopefully the colours will tie everything together in a way that feels warm, slightly muted and yet still bright.

And few busy floral fabrics thrown in will help create a delightfully tangled garden look.

and on the "design" floor ...

... that's as far as my WiP got today

Linda

daydreaming

I've been daydreaming about this colour palette for a while now, 

lots of pink, peach & caramels, with maybe a few darker blues & muted greens.

... I just needed to figure out what to make with them. 

 trial block done✅ 

After scrolling around waiting for inspiration to hit, I suddenly had The. Perfect. Idea ... making me want to drop everything and start on this immediately! I think I'll use Ashley @Film in the Fridge’s tutorial 'Checkered Garden'. 

Again. 

Yes, I've made this a few times now - pop back here to see more - it's a super fun free pattern and works so well in lots of different colourways & fabric combinations. 

This time my framework is simple - soft blush pinks & caramel for the centers, light low volumes for the outer corners, everything else? well, a bit of a surprise really. 

Linda

the only dishes I'm doing today ...

I started making these blocks maybe 6 weeks ago, promising myself I'd make a few whenever time permitted. I was aiming for forty-eight sweet little 9" Broken Dishes blocks. It's been a meditative, no-rush kind of situation.
After I'd made up the last few blocks today, I added long lines of more scrappy sashing between my bunches of four blocks. Loving this mix of modern & traditional. 

Dishes done!

Broken Dishes quilt

pieced, not yet quilted

fabrics all from my scrap baskets & stash

inspiration for the quilt & colour palette from Amanda at prairie quilt co.

another week, another batch of blocks

 

 *backyard summer bouquet inspo

After relooking at my inspo pic, 

I've started adding a few warm sunflower-golds into this next batch ...

Broken Dishes is a simple classic traditional block, perfect for scrappy quilt lovers. I'm using lots of fabrics in a bunch of fun bright colours. Inspiration for the quilt and *colour palette from Amanda at prairie quilt co.

**************

While I've been stitching up these simple sweet 'broken dishes' blocks, I have been thinking. Mainly about what my next project could be. Using leftovers & stash of course.

I do love this little colour story in blush pinks, caramel, peach,

with small splashes of navy blue & muted green. 

Trouble is that this is a fabric pull sans pattern. 

And I don't have any clear ideas of what to make. Yet.

Which comes first ... the pattern or the fabric? (I'm thinking I may be team both!)

Love to hear what you think? 

broken dishes: update

I want to say a big thank you for all the kind messages I have received about my latest 🌟quilt top.

And now I'm back sewing simple 'broken dishes' blocks, see here for earlier details.

The. Perfect. Stash-buster!

last batch of blocks for this week ...

Loving this mix of modern & traditional 

And it’s been fun deciding which fabrics should go together in each block

I've decided to stitch my blocks together into bunches of four as I go, with scrappy sashing for the win 

Here's hoping it's plain sailing when I assemble everything together later 

🤞

stars🌟 update

 

perfectly imperfect

- there were a couple of spots where I had to join tiny pieces to get the required sized rectangle. 

🪡🧵✄

It’s always a fun challenge trying to work out ways to combine lots of different fabrics

… sometimes it works, sometimes not!

Very happy with how this 🌟quilt top turned out though 

(see back here for a few more details).