I’ve done a few posts this year on picking out fabrics for your quilts based on color, but what about prints? Picking out the right print for your blocks makes a difference on how your quilt looks just like picking the right colors. Fabric prints sometimes present more of a challenge to quilters than picking out fabric colors. My goal in this post is to demonstrate how prints “play” with each other which will help you when shopping for fabrics for your next quilt.

Fabric Prints

The size of prints in a fabric will make a difference in the look of a block or quilt top. I like to plan where to place different size prints in a quilt based on if I want them to attract more attention to that area or fade in the background. If I want to emphasize a border, I choose a larger print. If I want a part of a block or the quilt to be more of a backdrop, I use a smaller print. Smaller prints can make a fabric “read” as a solid. That is a good thing if you don’t want that fabric to clash with others in your quilt.

Now that I’ve written out an explanation, here are some examples to demonstrate. Here are three fabrics of the same color with different types of prints:

The orange fabric on the top has a small, concentrated print and is the type that can read as a solid in your quilt, meaning it won’t clash with other prints. The fabric in the center has a print scale that is a little bigger and more noticeable. You may want to pair it with a fabric that is solid or one that has a small, fine print to calm it down. Finally, the bottom fabric has a prominent print and it’s also directional, which poses other challenges that I’ll cover next week.

Now, here’s another example with some pink fabrics:

Another example of how print scale makes a difference. The two fabrics on the left have prints about the same size, but the print on the fabric in the center appears more noticeable because of how it’s dispersed. Both fabrics though could be used with other prints and not take too much attention away. 

Of course, the fabric on the right shows a print that is really large and prominent. For my tastes, I would use the fabric on the right for a border or block units, but not a background. If you chose to use it in a block, it would need to be paired with a solid or a very small print fabric for a background fabric so as not to clash with it or distract from it. Here’s what I am talking about:

That tan background fabric will let the pink large print fabric be the star of the block. I would choose other color prints with the same scale print for additional blocks, using the same quiet background for a stunning quilt.

Fabric Prints at Work

Here’s some examples of what I have been talking about using some blocks from actual quilts I have made.

Notice how I paired the fabrics for each block above. On the left, since the smaller star has a print that reads more like a solid, I was able to pair it with larger print for the framing star. I did the opposite with the block on the right. I think if both the fabrics used in the blocks had large, busy prints it would overwhelm the design of the block.

Here are another set of blocks for demonstration:

These examples bring the backgrounds into the equation. The background of the block on the left is dark with a subtle print, so the tan print I chose for the points of the star has a larger, more prominent print. Notice the purple fabric in the center has a bit of a larger print too, but since it’s of a smaller scale than the tan print, it doesn’t clash.

For the block on the right, since the background has a large, noticeable print, the tan print I chose has a more subtle print that fades into the background. I also chose a subtle print for the green fabric in the center to keep the whole block in balance.

So let’s play. Which background would you choose for the following fabrics? I have paired them with three different tan prints with very different scale prints.

Here’s my thoughts.

The background fabric on the left is a large, bold print that will probably clash with the prints in the color print fabrics. If you decide to use this background fabric, it will be the “star” in your quilt with such a bold print so make sure that is your intention. I would choose a different set of color prints with smaller scale prints to go with that background.

The middle photo has background fabric that works a bit better with the color prints because of a more subtle print even though it’s still prominent. The background is still a little more busy but, depending on the block design, it could work with the color prints without clashing. 

Finally, the background fabric in the last photo has a smaller print has a tone on tone color scheme and the smaller scale of the print so it reads more as a solid than a print. Because of this, it does not clash with any of the prints of the color fabrics and truly acts as a background. Definitely the safest of the choices.

So that’s it for this week. Join me next week for a chat on using directional prints.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne