Auditioning Background Fabrics

I'm working on a new quilt and making a test-run of fabric colors. This will also be a test-run to see where I need to tweek the design to get the shading right. The final quilt will have different fabrics in it, but with similar colors. I don't have enough of those fabrics to make 2 quilts, so I'm making due with other fabrics. This test-quilt is also 50% smaller than the final quilt will be.

Last night I finished making the lilly appliques and can see where I need to make changes to get the shading to look better. I'm also auditioning backgrounds to see where I need to go.



This is my first choice of background fabrics. I think the complementary orange color works well, and there is enough texture in it to make it interesting. Unfortunately, I only have a fat quarter of this fabric so I would need to locate more or a similar fabric in yardage. That is the problem with all the fabrics I auditioned.


This is a commercial solid. I think it's too flat and needs some texture.


This is one of my hand-dyed pieces. It's better than the solid commercial fabric, but I'm still leaning towards the orange batik.


This is another hand-dyed piece. I think the orange is a bit too red, and again there isn't enough texture.

So the conclusion is that I need to find another piece of orange batik that is large enough for this quilt. I also need to tweek the shading appliques to get a better look. Of course, thread painting will add a lot to it, but I want to try adjusting the design a bit more. Once I get that done and find the background fabric, I'll add the leaves and stems and see how it all looks.

Comments

Barb said…
Your lilies are wonderful, the third background I liked the best.
November 9, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Susan Loftin said…
Thanks Barb. I appreciate others perspectives. I wish my fabric pieces were larger, but it gives me an excuse to purchase more fabric and/or dye more fabric. That can't be bad.
November 9, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Log Cabin

Image
I don't know the title of this quilt, but it is a Log Cabin Variation that I just completed for a customer. I love the soft blues and browns in this quilt.  It just begged for feathers. See what I mean? I did add a few leaves in the small border, though.
Read more

Zipper Leader Tutorial - Part 1

Image
I removed my old zippers yesterday and completed attaching my new zippers. Along the way I made 2 additional sets of zipper leaders so I have the ability to have 3 quilts ready to zip on if I need to. As promised, I took photos of the steps and will post them in stages. These directions are my own and you may be able to find other instructions out the internet. This is something I came up with on trial and error. The first set of zipper leaders I made were with garment zipper that you buy by the yard at a fabric store. They didn't work out the way I wanted. They kept separating on their own. So now I have 8 yards of zipper to use in other projects. First off you'll need some materials and supplies. 1. Canvas Duck - I purchased 4 yards of 60" wide canvas so I wouldn't have to seam the leaders. This is enough to make 5 sets of 2 leaders. Buy the length to match the length of your zippers. 2. Separating Zippers in the size of your choice - I purchased 144" long zippe
Read more

First Things First

Image
Here is the first step in remodeling my quilting studio. We bought a folding table and a student chair on wheels so I now have a place for my sewing machine! I'm so excited. No more running up and down the stairs to sew, press, quilt, etc. Everything can now be done in the studio. My youngest can also play with her playdough on the table instead of on the cloth cover of my ironing board :o Of course I still don't have finished walls, but I can work in comfort all in one room until we get to that point. My DH and I priced drywall and other options for the walls this afternoon. Drywall is still our number 1 choice at this moment, but I wanted to see if we could find something that I could handle by myself and yet still be cost effective. Drywall sheets are too heavy for me to lift on my own and hang on the walls. Hubby's job is too hectic these days for him to take any time off to hang drywall and I'm getting anxious to complete the studio, so I thought we should try to f
Read more