Space Oddity Sampler – How to Choose Your Fabrics
The step that causes the most angst to the most people, myself included, is choosing fabrics for your new patchwork project. It’s a step that can have even the most seasoned patchworkers second guessing themselves. I’m a big believer in learning from others, so I’m here today to share the 5 (yes, FIVE!) versions I’ll be working on for Free Block Friday’s Space Oddity Sampler.
Before we get down to the fabrics let me share my secret weapon with you all….
Plan Your Quilt with PreQuilt.com
I’ve collaborated with the wonderful team at PreQuilt.com to provide you with free colouring sheets for the Space Oddity Sampler. You can plan your quilt blocks based on the fabric placements I have used in my blocks for both Stardust and Ziggy.
PreQuilt is a great way to plan out your quit top because you can upload fabric swatches (which you can get off the fabric manufacturer websites) and see the quilt rendered with the fabrics you’d like to use.
Things I Considered BEFORE I Chose My Fabrics
When making my selection of fabrics for this quilt I had a mental list of questions I asked myself. I thought you might find them useful for considering your choices, or feel free to completely ignore them – it’s your quilt which means it’s all yours to have fun with the way you want to!
1. Would I be setting the quilt blocks on-point?
If yes, then this determines how (or even if) I’ll want to work with directional fabrics. It’s a little personal idiosyncrasy but I don’t like a mix of directions when I piece my patchwork. In short I like the direction of the print to be consistent across the entire blocks.
Setting blocks on-point means I’ll need to remember to fussy cut on the diagonal so when blocks are placed into the quilt top the direction of the print is consistent.
2. Would I be fussy cutting?
If yes, then I’d need to make sure to have more of the prints on hand then what’s specified in the pattern so that I could cut what I wanted when I wanted.
3. Would I follow the fabric placement in the pattern or go it alone?
If I was following the pattern then I’d need to make sure I had at least the same number of fabrics listed for use in the pattern. If I wanted to go my own way then I could use less fabric than what was used in the pattern.
Once I had the answer to these questions I could get down to choosing the fabrics I wanted to use.
How I Chose My Fabrics
I’m making 5 versions of each block to show you just how versatile the patterns are and how much fabric and fussy cutting (where appropriate) can change a block. It’s been such a joy to play with the blocks in different fabrics and I hope it’s been helpful in showing you just how limitless patchwork can be. Here’s how I chose the fabrics for each of the versions you’ll be seeing through the Free Block Friday series.
Stardust Layout
This is one of the 2 layout options showing in the sampler pattern. This is my all solids (although I’m using a tone-on-tone for my white – not that it’ll show up in the photos!) version of the pattern and is the version I’ll be using for all the tutorials. People often avoid all solids quilts which, I think, is a shame because there’s so much joy to be had in solid colour.
This colouring of the pattern follows Marti Michell’s suggested fabric placement and I love it. For those that haven’t noticed, this colouring pulls from the colours used in my branding.
I hate admitting it, but I love pink. I do, I love it. So I’ve chosen two pinks. I love a good hot pink and so the primary pink in this colouring is very saturated. To compliment the pink I’ve picked a purple that I love. To provide a point of interest and a little pop of something I’ve got cyan (blue) in the mix. The stark contrast provided by the white is something that just makes me so happy and so there’s white in there. The background is Kona’s Nightfall and it’s my go-to for a neutral. It’s the purple/navy that’s used in all my work and it’s my favourite.
If you’d like to make a version with the exact fabrics that I have used they are:
Ziggy Layout
This is the 2nd layout option showing in the sampler pattern and works with a rainbow palette. I love a good rainbow and I debated using a mix of all designers to pull from and create a very standard, very saturated, rainbow but in the end I went with a suggestion from Shauna (my graphic designer who helps with all my patterns) and pulled a rainbow completely from the Nonna collection by Guicy Guice for Andover Fabrics. This is the first time I’ve ever worked in someone else’s palette for a controlled rainbow and I’m excited for the opportunity to play and learn from how someone else see’s colour.
There’s 28 fabrics in the collection and only 12 needed + background for the Ziggy layout so I had to decided: do I cull or do I bundle them into “colour categories” and use more than one fabric per each fabric in the pattern. In the end I decided it would be cleaner and more impactful to stick to the way the pattern was written and just use the 12.
If you’d like to make a version with the exact fabrics that I have used they are:
If you’d like to make your own palette from this collection then click the button below to see them all:
Ziggy Take II
It might surprise you to hear, but there’s times when I struggle to pick a colour palette. In fact, I’d be a super fast quilter if I didn’t spend so much time on trying to pick the perfect fabrics. I decided that with this version of the blocks I was going to set myself the challenge of using the Ziggy layout, picking 12 fabrics + background from one collection and just randomly (controlled random) putting them against the fabric requirements and using them as they are specified in the pattern.
You see, I have a theory. I suspect if I trust the pattern designer (in this case it’s me) and their colour placement I’ll get a nice quilt at the end of it. If my theory turns out to be true than that means every time I approach a pattern if I just pick the number of fabrics I need in a colour or collection I like then I’ll get a quilt I like. It’s going to be a fun little experiment!
For this experiment I’m using the amazing new collection from Ruby Star Society; First Light. It’s another collection with a massive amount of prints in it so again I had to choose how I’d use them. I’ve gone for a mix of the pinks and peach with supporting neutrals in black and grey. I’ve added a pop of the lime in there for some interest and it’s all set on a tone-on-tone cream background.
If you’d like to make a version with the exact fabrics that I have used they are:
If you’d like to make your own palette from this collection then click the button below to see them all:
Anything Goes at Night Time
This version of the patchwork blocks will use the full collection of prints in Nocturnal by Gingiber for Moda Fabrics. It’s another massive collection with 31 prints in it. I’ve set myself the following rules for using the fabrics:
- Every block must have a pop of one single colour in it.
- Every block must use black, white and grey.
- Fabric placement must be different from the Stardust and Ziggy versions of the blocks.
- Blocks will not be set on-point in final quilt top.
f you’d like to make your own palette from this collection then click the button below to see them all:
Sneak Peek of Florida V.II
I’m very fortunate that one of the perks to owning an online fabric store is that I can order sample bundles of upcoming lines so I can play with them and make shop samples to show you all just how amazing the fabrics are before they’re delivered. When this bundle arrived I could hardly contain my excitement to start working with it. Originally I thought I would use it for another project, but I had to wait too long for it to start so I’ve nabbed it for my 5th version of the blocks.
I love the soft pastels in this collection combined with some darker colours. The Florida seaside inspired motifs are just so super cute and remind me of my time growing up near the water. I have no rules with this one – just using the fabrics where and when I want. Oh I lie, there’s one unspoken rule: don’t let it look like the others. This version will not be set on-point.
As it was a sample Fat Quarter bundle I didn’t have enough for the background to be consistent so I’ve pulled this print, Chunky Dots in Sandbox from First Light by Ruby Star, as I really love it and it reminds me of sand.
Florida Volume 2 by Ruby Star Society will be available for purchase in June 2022.
Sampler Information
Quilt Pattern: Space Oddity Sampler for Free Block Friday. Enter your details below to get your copy of the pattern.
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Construction Method: From Marti Michell Perfect Patchwork Templates and Rulers
From Marti Michell Perfect Patchwork Templates Used:
I’ve put together bundles of the templates and rulers I used for this project and you can find them in my online shop.
Make Your Own Templates
If you’d prefer to make your own templates the pattern comes with free printables of the templates so that you can make your own. To help you with making your own templates I’ve done a tutorial showing you one way to make them.
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Got a Question?
If there’s something you’d like further details about the information covered in this blog post simply drop me an email via my contact page and we’ll get it sorted together.
