Project Simplify - Day 27
June 8, 2011 Well, after MUCH fabric play & yardage consideration (I kept running into the "crap, I don't have enough of that fabric" problem) I surprised myself by going with this two-color grouping which is mostly Roman Holiday, and the blue and cream tonals from Glace - another 3 Sisters Christmas line (the same line Camille used for this quilt in the book) that came in a kit I've had for a while.
I mean, I love two-tone quilts and I really love this smokey blue-gray & cream combo (with little hits of red!). But for some reason I was trying really hard to use the entire Roman Holiday line.
For years I'd walk into a store, see a quilt and want those.exact.fabrics to make it for myself. I had trouble imagining quilts in different colors. I know lots of other quilters struggle with the same issue. Let's face it, fabric ain't cheap and making quilts - especially big ones - is an investment in both time & money. And believe me, I've made my fair share of costly "experimenting with fabric" mistakes.
I'm still not the world's best fabric picker for quilts. I really admire people who can walk through a quilt store, "cherry pick" bolts from all over the place and put together a fabulous fabric collection for a quilt. More often than not, I rely on a fabric line when I make a quilt. But time and experience has made me a little more comfortable & confident with my personal fabric likes & dislikes.
Plus - just a personal goal - I'd like most of the quilts I make for Project Simplify to look at least a little - and preferably a lot - different from the ones in the book, if only for those of you who are still learning to visualize quilts in different fabrics. Maybe you'll be inspired to give future quilt designs a second look if they're made up in colors & prints that don't appeal to you. You just might find an unexpected treasure!
Fabric, Project Simplify, Quilting 
Reader Comments (8)
I really like that color combination. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished quilt. I must say, however, I have found one way in which we are different. I rarely, if ever, want to make the exact quilt. Something weird inside me always wants to change it a little (or a lot). I also love going through the store trying to pick random fabrics and put them together. Sometimes this is a good thing, and sometimes not. I still have fabric strips cut of an expensive fabric that never got used because I (thankfully) laid out a sample block and hated it. I also have a lot of 'potholders' that need to be finished because I made quilt blocks that looked horrible. Somehow I never get to those 'potholders.' Probably because I don't like them.
Glace was one of my favorite lines and I especially like the blue colorway. I like the way you are combining fabrics from several lines, not just sticking to one. I will be following along to see how this turns out.
You just can't go wrong with 3 Sisters! I can definitely relate - I'm usually not comfortable merging fabrics from all different collections for a quilt, unless I'm working on a scrap quilt from fabrics I already have on hand. It's gonna be awesome! I always love to see "color options" for different patterns.
I LOVE your blog! :) I learn something every time you share your experiences with us. And your fabrics are too yummy! Love the blues you are using, and can't wait to see the finished quilt. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Side note...I saw where you wrote about your time working at Laura Ashley. I have a daughter named "Emma" all because I discovered the perfume during a Laura Ashley shopping trip and thought it was the most beautiful name for a little girl. :)
I LOVE the blue plaid! ;0
I love your fabrics! The little bits of red just add that zing!!
I really like your fabric selection. It's going to be a beautiful quilt. As a beginning quilter I have problems with selecting fabric for a pattern. I just buy the whole line. That's why I buy precuts, it's all done for me. Then to add the fabric border, backing and binding, well that's another story. I wish I had started quilting 20 years ago.
I think you're an awesome fabric picker. Those prints are awesome -- I can't wait to see the quilt!