I realized recently that I have never made a black and white quilt. After more than a decade of quilting and dozens and dozens of completed quilts, not a single one of them was black and white.
This seems especially strange because I love buying black prints and have a large number of them in my stash. The Abigail Quilt pattern was perfect for my very first black and white quilt because it (a) is a great stashbuster, (b) would show off some of my favorite black and white prints that I have been hoarding, and (c) the bold pattern would really work with a limited color palette.
First, I pulled black prints - I didn't want anything too busy but I wanted variety. Mostly, I wanted to make sure that I had some really dark prints that used very little white and some that were a "lighter" black and that used more white. Since all of the prints are the same color, I wanted to make sure that they didn't look like the same fabric.
Then I moved onto the white prints. At this point, I wasn't sure if I wanted to stick with WHITE whites or if I was willing to include some creamier white prints.
I decided that I would include both because I wanted to and it's my quilt. I did try to make sure that I was including different scale - some are very small scale and some are larger. Having prints with different scale helps draw your eye around the quilt and gives it movement.
After making this quilt, I will definitely be making more black and white quilts in the future. If you are new to putting together your own selections of fabric (instead of just working with a fabric collection) this is a great way to get started because it really simplifies the color scheme.
The backing fabric is an older Alexia Abegg print called Thistle Night that I have had in my stash for a while. I considered going bright for the backing fabric, but sticking with black and white just felt right.
One thing that I love about the finished quilt is that it feels both traditional and modern - right in the middle, just like me.
If you would like to make your own version of the Abigail Quilt, you can pick up a copy in my shop.
Love seeing this in black and white and I think it turned out great!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was surprising to me how much fun it was to work in a limited color palette.
DeleteI groaned several years back when my friend said “black and white” for the color palette for her daughter’s wedding quilt. I couldn’t imagine anything more boring but I went with it. I was astounded at the variety of prints, black on white and white on black, and how beautiful the quilt turned out. It was so classy. I’ve gone on to make at least 4 more as gifts. They work perfectly with any color! Yours is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing! I had similar thoughts about a black and white quilt but was surprised how much fun it was to make.
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