A work in progress and color tips

I started this nine patch quilt a super long time ago. I do not usually like to have unfinished things lying around--I am a finisher! But, this one was a little bit different in that I only wanted to use scraps and didn't want to cut into large pieces of fabrics. It took awhile to build up scraps! So, I'd make some squares, put it away, save some more scraps, then make some more squares. 


Finally, over a year later (or longer, maybe!) I have a finished quilt top!!!!!!

There are 70 squares and 140 fabrics--all different! I tried not to have repeats. And it's big. 

Here are some things I've learned about the scrappy look:

• Contrast is very important. Play with fabrics together and try them next to lots of other fabrics before pairing them up. 
• Color matters, even in a scheme with no scheme. Even if you're going for a completely unplanned, scrappy look, don't pair two colors that just flat don't go.  
• When choosing a solid to compliment a pattern (this is in any project, really), choose a more muted version of that color so it doesn't take away from the pattern you're trying to compliment. 
• Only keep scraps that you love! If you have fabrics lying around that you don't really like that much, but you just want to use up, they can ruin your project for you pretty fast. 
• One more thing and this is true in home decorating as well as sewing. If you want to use an array of colors and don't want to choose just one palette, choose a color or two to leave out. You will be surprised how much this little trick will pull everything together! 

Here's an example of this last tip. Layla's quilt is scrappy and although it does have a pastel feel to it, it contains a lot of colors...

If you'll notice, though, there is no orange at all.  Every time I chose a scrap that had orange in it, it just seemed to mess up the look. Leaving something out keeps everything looking cohesive in quilts like these. And, like I said, this applies to rooms in your house too! 


Alrighty, go color your world :)