Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Fabric Selection

   I had several questions in emails this week about fabric selection and where do I get my fabrics.   I buy fabrics everywhere.....remember I have been collecting these fabrics for a very long time.  But excellent fabrics are out there.  I do not purchase a full fabric line, rather I go for the ones that will work for these designs.    And I love to pick up older fabrics at estate sales or such. 
   As for fabric selection, these is a lot of info buried in my older  posts.  So I dug out a class handout that I have used to illustrate fabric selection for watercolor designs.


Water Color Class Fabric Selection

Here are examples of fabrics in my stash that I use. This first photo is arranged by value.


  This selection are light fabrics. Note the light background and pale print. The last two on the right have deep/stronger prints. They are considered light mediums.




Your fabrics should include several colors and value in its pattern. Light areas and dark areas merge and blend when viewed next to each other and from a distance.

  
 Not all the fabrics I use 
are floral patterns.  
The top row of fabrics in this photo are good choices. They are 3 types of paisley prints.  Note the curved lines of the pattern.


 The bottom row are fabrics to AVOID, These are tone-on-tone prints, small calico prints and 2 color prints. They will read as solid, or dots.
  Now hit the stash and see what you can find!  Remember you only need a few 2'' squares of each fabric, so scraps are a great source.





9 comments:

Gene Black said...

It seems to me that the fabrics I would buy for piecing are NOT the fabrics I would need for watercolor quilting. That may be why I have never made a good watercolor quilt.

Ray and Jeanne said...

My stash isn't very good for watercolor quilting either. Maybe I need to go shopping! ~Jeanne

Mary said...

Great tutorial. Thank you for generously sharing your process!

Janet O. said...

That bottom row of fabrics NOT to use pretty much defines my stash. Though I do have a few lovely paisleys. :)

Siver_Angela said...

Какие красивые тряпочки. Жалко даже резать на полоски. Хотя акварель очень хорошо получается у вас.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Wonderful explaination of fabric choices for colorwash. I don't have enough in the mix for a quilt, but I do want to make those placemats.

---"Love" said...

Thanks for the great tips! ---"Love"

Cheree @ The Morning Latte said...

I never would've guessed about the fabrics to avoid! Thanks for that tip!

Mystic Quilter said...

Welcome tips for quilted thinking of making a start on Water Colour quilts. I would never have thought of paisleys going into one of your beautiful quilts, so you use them quite often?

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