Choosing colors for a mystery quilt

 One of the hardest things for me in quilting is choosing fabric colors.

This is true even when I know what the pattern is, but it's especially true when it's a mystery quilt/bom program. I've pulled some bolts of fabrics off the shelves of my local quilt shop (LQS) Graceful Marylin Quilt Shoppe to show how I find my color combinations.

Quilt kits already chosen for you are great ways to buy fabric knowing you are going to get a beautiful quilt, but with mystery quilts that isn't possible. Usually you are told a value (light, medium, dark) and a yardage amount. So how do you know what will work well together? Black and white photos.

Looking at bolts of fabric can get overwhelming, and sometimes it's hard to know which fabric is which value.

For instance I would have said the lighter brown (third from the right) reads medium, but when turned to black and white you can see it reads as a dark. Perhaps that is something you could use as a medium in a pattern you already know, but in a mystery quilt it might get lost and then you might lose the design.

Let's look at another grouping. Here I've chosen what I believe to be light, medium and dark.

However, when I switch it to black and white the fabric I chose as my medium definitely reads light.

Another fabric pull.

While the colors may be a bit different I wanted to show what a black and white photo looks like when you have reached light, medium and dark. There is a difference in value of each one, even if it's just a little bit.

You can also use this trick if you wanted to do a scrappy version and needed to pick out multiple fabrics with the same value.

From this you can pick out the fabrics that read light, medium or dark.

Now I need to go fabric shopping! What are your favorite tips for picking out fabrics for a mystery quilt? Let me know in the comments!

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

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2022 Monthly Color Challenge

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October 2022 Monthly Color Challenge

 What is scarier than Halloween? The fact that we have ONLY three months left in the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge!

This month's spice is Sage. There's something about the word sage that brings to mind relaxation, quiet, softness.

The Almanac has a lot of information on growing and harvesting your own sage. Have you tried growing this herb? I do not have a green thumb and don't branch out very far from tomatoes.

Green is always one of my favorite colors to work with. Add a couple of HST units and I'm pretty much happy forever.

Bloggers

Anja - Anja Quilts

Gail - Quilting Gail

Raylee - Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting

Andi - True Blue Quilts

Ready to get the pattern? Go to Payhip and download it now! The block is free for the month September! Each set of instructions includes a "How To" video, one for each size offered!

To have the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge blocks sent directly to your email sign up HERE.

It's too late to have the January thru September blocks emailed to you but you can download them from Payhip.

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

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2022 Monthly Color Challenge

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

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September 2022 Monthly Color Challenge

Hello fall and cooler weather (hopefully)!

This month's spice is truly spicy! Red Pepper flakes. I think you either love them or hate them.

I found a recipe for making your own red pepper flakes on Old World Garden Farms. When I grow up I want to have a nice garden, for now I'll stick with my two tomato plants.

I love the simplicity of this block. Easy to put together, but I think it would make a fantastic one block quilt.

September Bloggers

Raylee - Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting

Frances - Frances Quilts

Anja - Anja Quilts

Andi - True Blue Quilts

Ready to get the pattern? Go to Payhip and download it now! The block is free for the month September! Each set of instructions includes a "How To" video, one for each size offered!

To have the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge blocks sent directly to your email sign up HERE.

It's too late to have the January thru September blocks emailed to you but you can download them from Payhip.

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

PS The Annual Labor Day Sale is going on now in the Patterns By Jen Etsy Shop. Get 15% off *everything.* No code needed! Sale ends September 5th.

New to Patterns By Jen?

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here for early releases and sales just for subscribers!

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2022 Monthly Color Challenge

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.

Pieced Backings - Using large chunks

 I have another pieced backing for you and I'm excited to share it!

I don't like to have a lot of leftover fabric hanging around my studio so pieced backings are a great way for me to use the leftovers, but sometimes there is just a chunk or two left. That's when the fun begins!

I first lay down my top, no matter what size it is, so I can make sure I'm going to give myself enough fabric around the edges. I start with one piece and decide if I'm going to use the whole thing or cut it up. You can see that I also lay it so that there is extra around the edge. Since I quilt my own, I don't have to worry too much about the required 4" around rule, but I do give myself a couple of extra inches.

Then I decide on the next fabrics to use. There is really no rhyme or reason to my choices, I like to lay fabrics out and just go by how I think it looks.

The last piece is the square I had left over from the quilt top. There isn't much left of it, but I think it adds a fun little touch to this backing. I do press before I start stitching, I promise!

Once I've decided what fabrics I'm using and how I'm laying them out, I *first* take a picture so I remember, then I press and start squaring up the fabrics.

Beautiful!

A quick look at the quilting. There is just something about a quilted back.

This backing belongs to one of the Turning Wheels quilts I made, a new pattern I released this past spring.

Have you pieced a backing for any of your quilts? What is the largest size you've pieced for? I'd love to hear your story.

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

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2021 Monthly Color Challenge

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

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Quilt Crush College Quilt

 With days to spare I finished the college quilt for our last "child" headed off into the big, wide world.

Quilt Crush has worked it's way into my heart as a favorite pattern to make. It's such a versitle quilt, and so easy to put together, it's hard not to love it. Plus, when I decide to do a dorm quilt 14 days before move in day, Quilt Crush has my back.

My son's favorite color is teal, so we went looking for some color inspiration on Pinterest. I have a whole board dedicated to Color Inspiration. I don't always look for a specific color and can get excited when finding new combinations.

Quilt Crush is a great quilt for different color options. It was first introduced waaaaaaay back in 2016 as Seaside Steps as part of a McCall's Quick Quilts publication. I was guest blogger for McCall's in January 2017 and show how I turned this quilt into the perfect College Dorm quilt, complete with a fun back using a college t-shirt. Finally, I introduced it as Quilt Crush and now it was a pattern with mulitple sizes. That post has all of the testers quilts included, so a LOT of color inspiration is included.

I chose to quilt large circles using Carl, my Baby Lock Coronet.

I really like how they turned out and felt that the curves of the quilting meshed well with the straightness of the blocks.

For my always cold "child" I chose a soft minky backing and I just love the look of the quilted back!

Details

Moda Grunge for the front

100% wool batting

Minky backing

Quilted with Glide thread

Quilted free hand on a Baby Lock Coronet

Pattern

Quilt Crush PDF

Quilt Crush Printed

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here for early releases and sales just for subscribers!

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2022 Monthly Color Challenge

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

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August 2022 Monthly Color Challenge

The "Dog Days of Summer" are coming and it just hppens that our cinnamon color is a pretty close match to our golden retriever.

 

While the color may remind me of retrievers, it's actually inspried by the wonderful smelling cinnamon spice.

Image from Taste of Home



When looking up information on cinnoman I came across article after article of the health benefits. I'm not a doctor or in the health/medical field in any way, so while I find them interesting, obviously check with your physcian.


Taste of Home article

You know I love a good Flying Goose unit, and since the geese will be headed south soon (I know, I can't believe I said that either), these are getting ready to do the same, or are they?


Bloggers

Kate - Katie Mae Quilts

Anja - Anja Quilts

Fawn - Quilty Creations By Fawn

Sandra - Textile Time Travels

Raylee - Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting

Andi - True Blue Quilts


The Monthly Color Challenge Bloggers share their favorite quilts using the color of the month. Have you made a quilt where "cinnamon" was the stand out?

Ready to get the pattern? Go to Payhip and download it now! The block is free for the month August! Each set of instructions includes a "How To" video, one for each size offered!

To have the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge blocks sent directly to your email sign up HERE.

It's too late to have the January thru August blocks emailed to you but you can download them from Payhip.

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here for early releases and sales just for subscribers!

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2022 Monthly Color Challenge

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July 2022 Monthly Color Challenge

 Lets get started on the second half of the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge!

Sumac is the spice of the month. To know me is to know I love purple, so this will be my favorite month of the challenge. 😉

From the Spruce Eats: Sumac is a spice that is popular in the Middle East. It is related to the poisonous shrub by the same name, but the culinary variety is safe to use and easily identifiable by its vibrant red berries (poisonous sumac is white).

Sumac berries grow on the Rhus Coriaria shrub, which is typically found in high plateau areas of the Mediterranean like Sicily, due to its wild, rocky lands. Sumac also grows in Turkey and can be found in parts of Iran.

Sumac is also a good choice when looking to add a lemon flavor to a dish but don't want to add a liquid to the recipe. Before using sumac, be sure to read the ingredient label as some manufacturers include salt; if so, reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe.

The only time consuming part of this block is sewing all the triangles for the square in a square units. It's a pretty easy, and quick block, so you can get on with your month.

July Bloggers

Kathy - Penny for my Thougths

Lissa - Lovingly Lissa

Kathy - Kathy's Kwilts and More

Raylee - Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting

The Monthly Color Challenge Bloggers share their favorite quilts using the color of the month. Have you made a quilt where yellow was the stand out?

Ready to get the pattern? Go to Payhip and download it now! The block is free for the month July! Each set of instructions includes a "How To" video, one for each size offered!

To have the 2022 Monthly Color Challenge blocks sent directly to your email sign up HERE.

It's too late to have the January thru July blocks emailed to you but you can download them from Payhip.

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here for early releases and sales just for subscribers!

Newsletter sign up

2022 Monthly Color Challenge

Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.