BQTC #2 Choosing your Quilt Fabric
21/07/08 22:57
Selecting Fabric for Quilting...
Here we are at fabric selection. This has got to be the most exciting part of a project! Going to the shop and seeing, feeling, and even smelling all the gorgeous textiles is enough to get you hooked on quilting. It can however be intimidating for some. I've met many new quilters who bring their mothers, grandmothers, aunts or friends with them to get some 'seasoned' advice on which fabrics to choose. Unfortunately not everyone has this option, nor are they willing to go and admit they need help from often pushy salespeople. So where is a new quilter to start?
Where To Start...
I like to recommend that quilters consider the future home of this quilt. Will it hang over your own bed? Perhaps in your child's room? Are you making a table runner or a wall hanging? Perhaps it will be a cozy rag quilt for the cottage. Once you know where the quilt will call home,then you can consider the color scheme of that room. A lap quilt for the cottage would be perfect in some rugged plaid flannels. Your little girls room could shine with a quilt made of purples or pinks. What color is the carpet or paint in your bedroom and what colors will match your decor?
Getting Ideas...
Consider other quilts you have seen in the past. What was attractive about them? What did you find unattractive? Are you drawn to Asian inspired prints? Do you tend to shy away from florals? Get an idea in your head of what you like and don't. This will be helpful when a salesperson is pushing their favorites on you. It can't be helped, we are all biased in some way!
Fabrics To Avoid...
There is one thing to consider in regards to beautiful fabrics like batiks. They are simply stunning, however I don't like to recommend batiks for beginner quilters, as they do not hide mistakes very well. Regular cottons are very forgiving, and they will 'heal' up holes of stitching that have been removed. Batiks tend to leave large noticeable holes. Save your batik investment for when you have become more experienced.
Time To Shop!...
Now that you have something to work with, lets head off to the fabric store, or maybe browse through some ebay listings. Have your pattern handy, and take it with you when you go shopping. It will tell you(for example) that you will need 4 darks, 2 mediums, and 4 lights. I can hear you saying.... What does this mean?!
As an example, lets say that black is your dark, gray is your medium, and white is your light. You would find 4 different black fabrics, 2 different grays, and 4 different whites. I saw you roll your eyes! Believe me you will have no trouble finding that many DIFFERENT fabrics of the very same color.
When I worked in the quilt shop we must have had 50 different bolts of white. Hard to imagine, but you will soon see.Now I'm sure that you have more imagination than quilting in just white, black, and gray. So try to imagine a deep violet or eggplant, a medium purple, and the lightest lavender. This will apply to every possible color.
Since you (hopefully!) have an idea of what colors you would like, start in that particular area of the fabric store. Browse the fabrics until something jumps out at you. Decide what category it falls into (light, medium, dark). Are there any other colors in the fabric? Say for example that it's a pink floral on a white background with green leaves. This fabric will help you work in other colors, like pinks, greens, and whites. Use these colors to choose the rest of your lights, mediums, and darks.
Don't expect to find every single fabric at your first stop. If you are lucky, and have several stores in your area, try to visit more than one. You may find a fabric at store number 2 that you prefer over store number 1. It may be tough, but resist the urge to buy the first thing you like. Try to explore your options first.
Be Prepared...
Now a few words ...
For quilting it is best to choose 100% cotton. Polyester blends are also available but they don't have the same results or feel as cotton after repeated washing.
Yardage: is the amount of fabric that is required to make your quilt. Here are a few terms that you should be familiar with.
Fat Quarter: A FQ usually measures 18 inches by 22 inches. Imagine a yard (36 inches by 44 inches) of fabric cut in half on the horizontal, then again on the vertical. This will give you four identical pieces, each a quarter yard that are actually a half yard wide rather than a tall and skinny quarter yard wide. This allows for better use of the fabric.
Fat Eighth: Similar to a fat quarter, measuring 9 inches by 22 inches.
Fabric is sold by the yard, and the price you see on the bolts will be per yard. For example, if the fabric is $15/yard, and you need 3 yards, you will pay $45 for that particular piece of fabric. Keep this in mind as you are browsing, so you will have some idea of what to expect at the till. Also, don't feel obligated to purchase batting or backing fabric right away. It will take you at least a couple of days to stitch your project together! Good Luck with selecting your quilting fabrics and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
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