Before we start next week, I’ll just share how I choose the fabric I buy and suggest some ways to come up with a colour scheme for the QAL.
I love picking fabric for a project. It’s almost my second favourite activity in quilting. My favourite activity is…. yes, you guessed it, buying fabric.
Buying fabric
I buy fabric regularly, not necessarily for a particular project but just fabric I like that I’ll use for a future project.
Buying this way makes it easier to buy on special. I don’t need to have the latest collection, I’m happy when I see a good quality pretty fabric I can buy at a fraction of the price.
If possible I like buying brands I recognise such as Moda, FreeSpirits, Art Gallery fabrics, Kauffman, Michael Miller, Lecien, Nerida Hansen, and the like.
When I come across a new manufacturer I look at reviews in Google to make sure it’s good quality. When you buy online you can’t touch the cotton so it’s a bit of a gamble buying from a manufacturer you don’t know.
Most of my quilts, including Colour Fair Down Under, have a cream background. Almost always the background fabric is Moda Bella in Snow. I’ve used different shades of cream/white but I always go to the creamy colour Snow.
In Australia access to reasonably priced quilting cottons is limited. Freddie’s fabrics and Motifsbyhand are two shops I buy regularly from because they have good fabrics and good shipping within Australia. I tend to buy in Spotlight when during their sales or when they have specials.
If you know of other Australian shops I should have a look at please leave the details in the comments. Or any other fabric shops with good prices and good shipping to Australia.
Choosing a colour way
I look at my fabrics as tubes of paint in many different shades that I can use to “paint” my quilt designs.
I designed Colour Fair Down Under with a rainbow colour way in mind but it can be made in any colour combination really. The sky is the limit. Just look at your stash and see what combination looks appealing to you and use that.
On my video today I’ll show some alternative colours and suggest a couple of things including using kuler.com to come up with a pleasing colour combination.
You can also use the colouring page included in the pattern to choose your own colour scheme.
So let’s have look at some suggestions and tips:
Now it’s your turn to show us your pick of fabrics!
You can post a picture on my Facebook group Sewn up. Sewing, quilting and embroidery or post on Instagram with hashtag #colourfairdownunderqal
How to join the Colour Fair Down Under Quilt Along?
To be part of the quilt along:
- Subscribe to this blog for free via email to receive all the posts with information about the blocks, tips and tricks.
- Purchase the pattern
Have a close look at the project with this promo video:
How to choose your fabrics
My sample quilt uses a rainbow colour scheme and it’s a bright one. Alternatives to this bright colour scheme is using pastel equivalents or darker tones. Or you may just pick 2 colours plus a background.
Rainbow colours work well with light and dark background fabrics.
On page 15 of the pattern you’ll find several alternative colour schemes for the quilt.
If you want to get more tips, I’ve written about how to choose fabrics for a quilt before and I’ve even made a video.
Share your progress
You can share the progress of your quilt on your Instagram account with hashtag #colourfairdownunderQAL. You can tag me with @teresadownunder so I can also check your work.
Or join my Facebook group Sewn up. Sewing, quilting and embroidery and share your photos there.
Schedule
We will start making blocks on Saturday 30 October 2021 and finish them by Christmas.
Then we’ll resume on 8 January 2022 and make the borders.
And finally we’ll finish the quilt with QAYG and be ready to show your finished quilts at the end of January.
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My book and other publications
Check out my book “Turnabout Patchwork” for endless quilt top possibilities.
My book is now available as individual chapter downloads in a 4 quilt pattern bundles.
See all the quilts in the book in a real life project
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This post has affiliate links.
Sewn Up 
I’ve never made a quilt using the “quilt as you go” method so not only am I excited to make this quilt but I’m excited to learn this method.
I have a question. Should we cut our fabric to have ready to go on October 30th or will we cover that on the 30th? I should have looked at the schedule more closely. Thank you.
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Where can I get the SNOW color? Love your site!
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If you search for bella solids yardage on Google you’ll get many results where you can order.
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It’s up to you whether you want to cut ahead or not. I’m not going to cover the cutting.
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The pattern has info on 2 techniques for cutting fabric to make HSTs but on my videos I only demonstrate the two at once.
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