It's time for some fabric decisions for the red and brown quilt before I can go any further with adding the borders. I thought I had the perfect fabric for the cornerstones on the first nine patch border, but after a lot of looking at it, I think it is too light (Glyn does too).
Here's an image of the original inspiration for this quilt, for reference, plus a link to the info on the V & A's site (unfortunately the image resolution isn't very good). We are comparing the first ninepatch border this time, not the outer one.
The fabric used for the cornerstones on the inner ninepatch border on the original is the same brown leafy fabric used as the background for the next border - the red zigzags on brown. I'm using this brown swirl print for mine -
I don't think I have enough for the cornerstones as well, but I can always order another fat quarter. On the other hand, my quilt has a lot more fabrics than the original, so do I need to repeat this one? It is also used for some of the setting triangles in the outer nine patch border, where I will be using another print for all the triangles, slightly darker than this (to focus more on the centre, the fabrics on my quilt get slightly darker towards the outer edges).
This is a detail of the fabric. I love the print and it was available in a darker shade, but I didn't buy any at the time and it isn't available now (it was from the 'Maison de Garance' range). Glyn suggested replacing the cornerstones with something 'more interesting', perhaps repeating the four patches or pinwheels used as cornerstones in previous border rounds, but I would rather stick with a single square, as per the original quilt. Maybe repeating the swirl fabric is the way to go?
The cornerstones in the final border have been impossible to replicate. There just isn't anything like that crazy faux fur spotty fabric out there! Modern faux fur prints are too realistic and the scale of the spots tends to be too small.
These three, from Moda's Hope collection, are possibilities. I have used the two with floral circles elsewhere in the quilt, to eke out the Maison de Garance range and stop the quilt being too reliant on one fabric collection.
The first two are perhaps too regular? The third one, although a floral, seems to have echoes of the faux fur in the shape of the leaves. What do you think?
All the fabrics are from New Threads - Meg seems to have pretty much everything I need for this quilt!
4 comments:
Susan, there is a collection by Anna Maria Horner called Field Study that has leopard style print in it, although it might be too varied in colour?
http://www.thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk/sewing-patchwork/fabric/field-study-spotted-in-the-crowd-in-amelia
Or have you tried Anne at Out of Africa as she always has prints like that in stock
Have you seen Field Study by Anna Maria Horner as this has leopard skin type prints in it
http://www.thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk/sewing-patchwork/fabric/field-study-spotted-in-the-crowd-in-amelia
Might be too varied in colour though for what you want?
Or have you tried Anne at Out of Africa as she always has prints like this?
Looking at the original quilt, to me these corner squares look similar in tone to the squares in the previous border so maybe what you have at the moment is slightly too light?
It is possibly more pronounced because the background brown of your nine patch border looks darker than the original so I would go for a darker tone to what you have now
Thanks for those suggestions Joanna! You're right re the value being too light - I'm replacing it with the 'swirl' fabric instead. It is a bit darker than the original as well, so I think it will work OK. Usual problem with the lovely spotty fur print though - too realistic! I might have another use for it...
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