Choosing fabrics for a quilt

When it comes to choosing fabric for a quilt, we all tend to go the same way - I love this fabric/print/colour, I have to use it !

That’s not a bad thing ! It’s really good, actually. That’s what makes your quilt yours, different from mine. But just because you love it, doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for the project. What really matters is how that fabric will be used in the project - big pieces, small pieces, appliqué, fussy cut, etc.

Here are a few of my own examples of some Dear Jane quilt blocks with things that went right/wrong in my blocks. These are 4.5” blocks and some pieces are sort of similar sized as the New York Beauty blocks. Hopefully, they serve as pointers in selecting your own fabric for your New York Beauty blocks( or any blocks, really! ).

Large Prints don’t always look good

While the fabric may be amazing, keep in mind that it’ll be used in a tiny pattern piece, like a triangle in a New York Beauty block. This basically means you might end up with a single colour of that large print in a pattern piece, and/or you get varied colours of that printed fabric in similar places - sometimes it looks good, adds variety and movement and all. But you do lose out on definition in the points, the design, etc.

For example, the petals of a flower could all turn out to be different even though they are pieced from the same strip of fabric. They vary as the print varies in the strip. A smaller print leads to more and similar repetitions of the print, so it’s more coherent.

Having said that, I feel compelled to add that this is not necessarily a bad thing. It can have the effect of shimmer where say the spikes appear to be sparkling because of the light and dark colours in the print. Some points or areas of the triangle blend into the background giving this effect. Of course, much will depend on the colours and your print.

The big print renders itself non-uniformly in similar places, As a result, the design is not sharp and lacks definition.

In some places in this example, the background blue is absent entirely !

Tiny Prints are versatile

Small prints are great! No thinking much about how the print will lay out once sewn.

There’s a little bit of the print in every piece, so there is more uniformity in all your pieces. They of course, lack the movement a big print gives, but when working with tiny sections, that uniformity can lead to a coherent block with good definition in the points and overall design.

See the small print in action here, in big as well as small pieces

Stripes are awesome !

If you have never used stripes, or shy away from them, this is the perfect opportunity to use them ! Stripes are a great way to add some interest and movement in your quilt, no matter the design.

But please bear in mind, the direction of your stripe will change in a New York Beauty block, at least a little bit. It won’t be uniform unless you try to match. But of course, you don’t have to do that! It looks amazing just like that.

Check out the red as well as the yellow stripes here…

If you desire some uniformity, using the same strip of fabric for similar sized pieces will give you that result.

Beware the colour of your prints !

Beware of the colours of the prints in the fabric being similar to your background fabric or whatever is next to this piece. When this happens, the fabrics blend together rendering the design almost invisible.

Of course, a lot of it does depend on the size of the piece, the design of your block, the size of the print, etc. The bigger the piece, the lesser it will be an issue. Smaller pieces tend to get camouflaged/just disappear altogether.

Check out the red arrow - this piece is hardly visible !

Similar colours blend and pieces disappear visually, leading to loss in design definition.

See this block - the contrast between the blue and off-white is the only thing ensuring some visibility here.

Same colour in your print results in camouflaging the design, leading to loss in design definition

Contrast, Contrast, Contrast !

Ensure you have a good contrast between fabrics you are using in any block.

Between your triangles and your background, between two arcs, between the arc and the background, the leaf and the background … basically any two fabrics you pick up, ensure there’s contrast there. It’s not a big problem with the bigger pieces, but with the smaller ones, definitely.

So when you pick up fabrics of similar colours but different shades ( we will be doing that too), remember this is what it will look like. We will be trying to create some sun and shade effects…You want this then, the lesser contrast. Otherwise, dial it up !

New York Beauty blocks are all about contrast, even when they are monochromatic! You want to show off that beautiful work!

Not much contrast here ! They are of a similar value too, so they kind of blend.

It’s a beautiful block, no doubt, but would’ve looked more striking with a bit more contrast.

Novelty prints !

Novelty prints usually(not always) are big prints. They are focus prints, highlighting a key print in the fabric and capable of drawing the viewer’s attention amidst all the other fabrics. They are best suited for the big pieces in your pattern. They need to be shown off !

Keep in mind the size of the piece that you are auditioning it for. If the print has something like a face on it, you don’t want to cut it off midway. If it is, say, peace symbols all over, then it can be. You get the point !

Bright colours are not as bright as you think !

People shy away from using bright colours. A New York Beauty block provides the perfect opportunity to dip your toes in it, without being overwhelmed by the colour.

Whatever your colour, it is just a small piece, surrounded by other colours. So too bright, or subtle, or just bright enough, will also depend on the other fabrics you use in tandem with this.

This hot pink and the light pink is what I have used in this New York Beauty block. On it’s own, the hot pink is very bright. But in the NYC block, we use just a sliver or a small piece. This adds a lot of interest in terms of colour, without making it overwhelmingly bright.

Do you have any more tips on choosing fabrics ? Comment below and let me know …

Happy Quilting !