A couple of months ago I was asked to make a quilt to be auctioned for a charity. I’ve made several quilts for charity before, the difference this time is that someone else is buying all the fabric, which does put me under a little more pressure! It’s going to be auctioned at a charity ball, so I feel it has to be fairly striking, my usual soft palette won’t necessarily hit the mark in possibly subdues lighting after a few drinks! Having perused the internet I was taken with a quilt on the Tula Pink website called Flower Market. It also looked fairly quick to make as there’s several large pieces.
I went to the Harrogate quilt show to buy some fabric. Typically when you want something specific, it’s not there! I did however manage to find a fat quarter bundle of Tula Pink fabrics and some extra yardage. I gathered up some extra prints and plains too. I was reasonably happy with my haul at the end, though I wasn’t sure at all about the spots and stripes, but I was reassured by a store holder that the Tula Pink fabrics are designed to all coordinate as they use the same palette, this was my selection…
I think I should stick to my comfort zone when it comes to colours!! I just can’t get it to look right! I dropped a few fabrics straight away…the spots and stripes and the lime greens! There are five different blocks in the quilt arranged in a random fashion, I got five rows in on my design wall and I just didn’t like the effect…
I felt the issue was the big double size blocks, so I took those out…
I tried making the colours a bit more planned…
I took most of the single block pieces out as they seemed to stand out too much, I’ve also made a new block to trial which is the centre top one. This is where I am now, still not happy!
I could probably make another three, maybe four like the new block, if I could stretch to five new blocks I’d have another row. My thoughts at the moment (apart from panic!!) are that it’s only 45″ square at the moment, no where near big enough, I could sash the blocks, add a narrow border and then a pieced border using all the fabric left over. I could leave it as it is and put a wide plain border round…or I could scrap it for the charity auction and do something else, in which case it’s an expensive mistake! I’ve got to go into town tomorrow for some fabric anyway, so any thoughts, including sash colours would be very welcome!
thecraftycreek 
I think maybe your subconscious is trying to push you towards your normal colour palette! It’s clear from the progressive shots that you’re going more and more towards the blue/greens and the purplish pinks and excluding the others. I do urge you to bite the bullet and put the other fabrics back in. They are beautiful, they *do* work together even if they’re not exactly to your taste, and they resolve the issue of fabric quantities. Tula Pink’s designs are often a wonderful, joyful jumble of colour and pattern, and the spots, stripes and lime greens all have their place. As it’s for charity, this is not a quilt you will have to live with, so even if it’s not quite to your taste, someone else will adore it. If you definitely want to sash it, how about a nice rich violet?
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OK, I’ll try and be brave and put all the colours in 🙂
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You may be surprised and love it in the end…
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I think you need more contrast. The last photo has all the colors with the same value in light/dark, so it is a low contrast, which makes everything blend together and you don’t see the individual elements as easily. Sashing makes sense as it would help bring definition the elements, and make it bigger at the same time. A bright white, or a pale yellow, or light pink would bring more contrast and help the overall movement in the quilt. Hope that helps.
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Knowing nothing about quilting, all I can do is send out all the quilting angels for you and agree that you should be brave! 👼🧚♀️
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Not my colours either. Stick with what you like and you won’t go wrong.
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I think you need those lime greens for contrast. As Kate said, be brave, I think you’LL be surprised!
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It is very monochromatic. I think it is pretty, but not the look you are going for. Is there anyway to throw contrast in at this point? Like a solid black? Perhaps every other square as black? It will double the size, electrify the work you have done so far…..or perhaps another color?
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I love that jumble of original colours and patterns, Be brave, as Kate suggests.
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I love Tula Pink fabrics and, even though I don’t necessarily like all the colours in the mix, they are definitely made to go together. Like Kate, I could see in your progression, you were moving into your comfort zone by taking out all the colours you don’t usually use or like but, without those yelllows, greens, spots and stripes, it looks altogether too sombre to me. It’s not for you so seize the moment to go crazy with colour.
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I prefer the way you are going, it all looks too busy to me eye. Can you add some single colour plain blocks?
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I really like the color palette you choose but already stated something is off =- what about framing in a grouping of 4 blocks with black or a deep navy blue? ~ Sharon
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Bright pink and the lime…you could even include some solid black…It really depends on how much contrast you can take. I, too, struggle with Tula Pink and Kaffe and similar designers unless there is something to break them up. Perhaps it depends on your aesthetic, but I like to be able to see and enjoy individual fabrics.
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I love tula – but the designs can look very busy when all put together. Using larger pieces of fabric and maybe bordering them with (dare I say) the spots and stripes might help. Be brave!
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