Selecting Fabrics for Colorwash Quilts
Colorwash quilts require a large number of different
fabrics! Even a small quilt has about 150 - 2" squares, and fabrics are
not frequently repeated in most patterns. A good stash of suitable
fabrics can be built by purchasing special packages and swapping with
friends. Some quilt shops will cut 1/8 yard pieces if the customer
purchases enough of them. Larger pieces of fabrics can be stored
in boxes as usual, but the cut squares should be stored in
shallow trays for easy selection and access. Pizza boxes or
similar containers are good for this purpose.
Some fabrics can be cut into squares immediately, but
some should be set aside for specialized cutting. If a
green-fading-to-brown piece is desired, it may be necessary to cut a
special piece for that purpose.
Use 100%
cotton fabrics. Values should range from very light to very dark, with
plenty of "mediums".
Use
only prints; no solids, stripes, geometrics, plaids, etc.
© 1997 Catherine
Timmons
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