pretty vs plain

If you've stopped by lately, you'll know I'm stitching along with Sara's #folksamplersewalong. I’m making a kind of fusion between my own "style" and Sara's very rustic & earthy feel @farmandfolk. 

With only a few more blocks to go, I’m now starting to choose fabrics with even more intention,

like in this extra corn & beans block ✅

chain & bar block 

my initial version was quite intense

so, I swopped out some of the peach on my flying geese for more cream ✅

And the new block this week - Block 12 Le Moyne star ✅. I’m also trying to use up some smaller bits & bobs thru'out this sewalong and, of course, I ran out of the light peach print. Still, it was fun substituting another pretty to fill in the star.

16 blocks ✅

Hm-m-m- there's a bit of a pretty vs plain vibe happening with this fabric mix, I think.

Here's where my thoughts are at the moment ... Using a carefully curated selection of fabrics from @cottoneer back in 2018, I added in a mix of linens & cottons while still trying to keep my colour palette simple. My main background colour is cream, in assorted subtle shades.  

The dominant colour started out as a soft green floral #outbackwifefabric, with complimentary prints in pink & peach, and a little plum print to jazz things up (which may or may not end up being the binding too). I added in solid fabrics in pink and two shades of green, and there's minimal use of soft brown and grey. The checks & stripes add a little fun visual element too. 

I do, of course, like some blocks better than others, but the plain blocks provide a nice calm contrast. 

The question now is - 

Do I stop at 16 blocks, make a sashing decision, & get a quilt top together? 

Or do I keep on keeping on, and make all the 20 blocks?

... Yep, lots to think about when making a sampler quilt!