Inspiration Mosaics

When I was in high school I was on the literary magazine staff.  One exercise that we used to help get us to start writing was to pick a famous poem, write down the first few lines, and then use those lines to jump start our own poem.  You were never stuck trying to come up with the first line because your first few lines were already written.

Most of the time the resulting poem bore no resemblance to the original and the first few lines were erased pretty early on, but it was an inspiring way to begin a project.  This is the same way I like to begin a quilt.  I like to take a print or a collection and add, subtract, and edit until I am happy.

And with that long intro, welcome to my first Inspiration Mosaics post.  My plan is to make a monthly post where I choose one favorite fabric from each of my sponsor's shops, and then build on that to create a mosaic.  If I had infinite time and money I would love to make all of these into quilts, but since I don't have either of those, hopefully it will help satisfy that need and maybe inspire someone out there who is feeling a little tepid about putting fabrics together.

Lark Cottons
lark cottons sept 2014
Charley Harper White Breasted NuthatchBotanics Branches CharcoalSquared Elements HoneycombCotton + Steel Basics XOXO DandelionBotanics Branches Blue, Charley Harper Twig Fall MineralArchitextures Crosshatch BlackComma Swinging MustardBotanics Leaves TangerineCotton + Steel Basics Dottie KerchiefBotanics Foliage Teal, Botanics Line Scratch CharcoalBrambleberry Ridge Flight Taupe

I have a special place in my heart for the Charley Harper prints.  If you read my blog regularly you might remember that making a quilt with some of these prints helped me through a difficult time. I used the colors in the Nuthatch print to try to match some more basic fabrics in a variety of shades.  I really like using blues, blacks, and browns together and the Charley Harper prints do that beautifully. 

Lark Cottons is also having a 30% off sale on lots of designer prints and is definitely worth checking out.     

Fabricworm
fabricworm sept 2014


I am completely smitten with the beautiful blues and greens in this Kokka floral.  I tried to build on those colors with some basics that won't distract from this pretty print.  Also, how gorgeous would this print be as a quilt backing?  

Fabricworm is having a 15% off sale on all Moda fabrics and, as always, get $5 off a $50 purchase with code Linus5.  

fqs sept 2014
Silver Forest Frivolity, Charcoal Swarm, Spot On Orange, Basics Ghost XOXO, Ansonia Mushroom Connecticut, Littlest Silver Simply Simple, Ansonia Magenta Fine Stripe, Ansonia Onyx Fine Stripe, Cotton + Steel Basics Plummy Netorious, Cotton + Steel Basics Plummy XOXO, Moon Shine Silver Doe Eyed, Cotton + Steel Basics Grape Dottie, Moon Shine Tangerine Static Dot
I am really loving the pinks purples, and oranges in Tula Pink's new collection Moon Shine.  They seem to make this color combination much more grown up.  Plus the deer and bears are so cute.  I really need to get some of these prints into my stash.  

Plus the FQS now has new reduced shipping rates which is so great because I want to spend my money on fabric not on shipping.  

Stash Fabrics 
Stash Fabrics Sept 2014
Brooklyn Bridge in GlareCentral Park in BreezeCrosshatch in CurryScribble Notes in NavyCanyon WallHearts in GrayNY Circuit in AshenSubway Routes in GlowRush Hour in TanOval Elements in Mood IndigoCommute in TaxiCrosshatch in LakeBella in Ochre
I am really in love with everything that Leah Duncan makes and her new collection Gramercy is no exception.  Brooklyn Bridge is my favorite print and I used a few other Gramercy prints in the mosaic.  The Commute and Rush Hour prints would make great stash additions.

Stash has an extensive and awesome selection of clearance fabrics right now so make sure to check those out.  

southern fabric sept 2014
Mimicry Hazel, Plumage Poppy, Miss KateFeathered Flight Sunken, Frames Graphite Grey, Fox Field, Cotton Supreme Solids Dust Pink, Aves Shatter DimStitch Square Teal, C+S Basics Dottie, C+S Basics NetoriousTrendsetterDear Stella Confetti Dots
Southern fabric has a great selection of some of my favorite new collections including Winged, which I am completely in love with.  I really love the peach and pink colors and this collection looks great with some of the Cotton + Steel Basics.

If you haven't checked it out before, Southern Fabric has a great Daily Deal feature.  


I hope that was as fun for you as it was for me.  I am planning on making this a monthly feature and would love to hear your thoughts.

14 comments

  1. Genius idea! Very nervous about putting fabrics together, especially when ordering online. This will really help, thank you!

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  2. I love kokka floral and The Tula print adorable, great idea so nice to be able to see all the fabric lines placed together like this. Quilty hugs

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  3. Have you ever thought of having these fabrics sold as bundles in each of the shops? You have a great eye for color.

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  4. I love this idea! And I like that your highlighting your sponsors and deals they are having. I've never seen the daily deal from southern fabric so that was cool!

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  5. Great post! Thank you for the inspiration!

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  6. I love your collections! You really have a great eye for putting fabrics together. I would love to see them even more often than once a month. They definitely inspired me to shop and to break away from my typical just buy a whole collection from a single designer.

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  7. I think this is a great idea! I love scrolling through the different fabric/color combos. That was definitely a lot of fun.

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  8. These mosaics are such a lovely colourful idea and helpful for kickstarting thoughts about colour stories! Thanks - please do turn this into a regular feature!

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  9. That's a fun idea and beautiful execution! Thanks for sharing. So fun to look at all of these.

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  10. What a fun idea! I enjoyed seeing your mosaics =)

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  11. What a great idea! I love that this really shows which fabrics go with the prints form collections. I have the hardest time pulling from my stash to go with a collection.

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  12. This was super fun to see! I really like the new Tula Pink collection!

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