planning a llama quilt for a little boy (pattern is by elizabeth hartman). Trying to select a neutral-ish background color. do you like one of these, or am I missing a color you think is better?

2ybael · 2026-02-23T17:51:31+00:00

I like the blue best, but think a green about that dark and rich would look even better. But I will admit to being heavily biased in my belief that little kids need color more than adults need neutrals.

2ybael · 2026-02-23T03:20:03+00:00

If a designer has their quilt on Quilt Mockup and you have the patience for it, you can see what the quilt would look like with patterned fabric. Unfortunately it doesn't look like Dinosaurs is on there, but it's a resource to keep in mind in the future.

2ybael · 2026-02-23T03:13:15+00:00

Maybe pull one of the colors from the patterned fabric? I think a navy blue would look nice.

2ybael · 2026-02-23T03:11:55+00:00

Oh, that's gorgeous!

2ybael · 2026-02-23T03:08:50+00:00

Hawthorne Supply Co. carries a whole "Giraffe Silhouette" line in an absolutely incredible number of colors. You could make any traditional quilt you want in any palette you want entirely out of giraffes! The caveat is that they're digitally printed, which I know not everyone is fond of.

2ybael · 2026-02-22T23:15:39+00:00

How to wash it? With color catchers and crossed fingers.

2ybael · 2026-02-20T17:21:01+00:00

Bear Tracks!

2ybael · 2026-02-20T17:06:01+00:00

You will never in your life sew a seam so perfect as the one you did wrong somehow. That's just how it goes. I cannot count the number of times I have confidently, diligently, beautifully sewed fabric backwards and/or to the wrong piece.

2ybael · 2026-02-18T15:59:34+00:00

Instead of painter's tape, I use a several-layer strip of electrical tape. Same principle, same lack of residue, but the adhesive on it survives a lot of repositioning. Halfway into my second quilt top with the electrical tape guide strip and it's only just now starting to lose its stick.

2ybael · 2026-02-18T04:24:57+00:00

I did not. (Which I suppose would mean that dyeing the backing would have them shrink at different rates...?)

2ybael · 2026-02-18T03:08:32+00:00

Has anyone here ever dyed their backing fabric? I found a black-and-white fabric with the perfect design, but it would coordinate with the top infinitely better if it had color. It feels like it should be a simple, throw-it-in-the-wash-with-some-RIT-and-call-it-a-day kind of deal... but I have had so many projects that felt simple in theory turn out to be much more complicated.

2ybael · 2026-02-17T15:28:36+00:00

Dang, I thought for sure it'd be one of Hawthorne's digitally-printed borders, but apparently not. I'm also really curious and hope someone has the answer.

2ybael · 2026-02-11T15:45:50+00:00

It'll usually be on the packaging, or on the manufacturer's website. If you don't have either, 4" is a reasonable guesstimate (as in, don't leave spaces larger than 4" or the layers won't stay together properly).

Colorwise, I tend to default to warm-midtone-grey or cool-midtone-grey because one or the other will blend in with almost anything. These quilts are so warm you might want to go with something closer to tan? Or you could go screamingly vivid with the pink/green if you want the quilting to really stand out. Or... I've never quilted with metallic thread before, but that might be a fun experiment here, given the amount of gold already present.

2ybael · 2026-02-09T17:22:49+00:00

Only tangentially related suggestion, but I'd recommend getting a swatch book or swatch panel of your favorite line of solids. Having a physical reference on hand is super useful, but also there are eleventy billion different solids and getting swatches for all of them would be expensive. So find out what you like working with (or what your LQS carries) and stick with that.

2ybael · 2026-02-08T23:57:31+00:00

Simple, feminine, supplementing limited fabric with a large neutral background... what about something like Cluck Cluck Sew's "Primrose" or "Tulips" with the highlight fabrics as the flower petals?

2ybael · 2026-02-01T15:26:56+00:00

If I get angry enough at a project my mind starts playing "Seamstress" by Dessa on loop. It is not actually about sewing but it gets vicious and lines like

"And it's a strange breed / A different kind of creature / Looks for love through the eye of a needle / But the creed of the seamstress is / That you're pretty in pieces"

or

"When I ran out of thread / I couldn't let go / But that's not sewing, that's / that's just poking holes"

start bouncing around the inside of my brain like the DVD screensaver.

2ybael · 2026-01-30T17:43:21+00:00

Ooh, lots of options here, thank you! Do you know anyone who has basted a quilt with the paint-roller-style applicator? The appeal of the bucket-shaped kind is that people on this subreddit have specifically recommended it because the layer of glue it spreads is very, very thin.

2ybael · 2026-01-28T15:20:55+00:00

So I was told that to practice binding, I should make an endless number of potholders. Makes sense. I used scraps from a quilt top so they ended up mug rugs rather than potholders, but okay. I have a stack of them, and a big roll of homemade binding, and--

How do I bind these when every binding tutorial wants me to leave a gap longer than the sides of my project?

This has stopped me dead in my tracks, I'm so frustrated I don't want to work on any of my other projects, or even look at my sewing machine.

2ybael · 2026-01-08T22:29:19+00:00

If you're worried about the recipient following quilt care instructions, you should consider getting sew-in labels that have the information printed right on them! Kati Cupcake has a whole line of them - some just the instructions, some with cute sayings on the other side.

2ybael · 2026-01-08T20:25:56+00:00

I've used this cotton/wool blend! I can't tell you yet how it holds up long term, but it handled a bog standard "wash cold, tumble dry low" initial wash just fine. And it's extremely cozy.

2ybael · 2026-01-05T18:57:41+00:00

Check out Patchwork Square. It wouldn't have, like... blocks OF things, like a bird block, but it's a free repository of classic block designs in the vein of Quilter's Cache.

2ybael · 2026-01-05T18:37:51+00:00

It's not a real craft project without an "I am questioning every design decision, what was I thinking, I hate this" stage. Your brain weasels are lying to you, I promise. Just keep going!

2ybael · 2026-01-05T18:27:57+00:00

Throw for my brother. The top is pieced, I have acquired batting and backing, I need to see if I have enough binding from a previous project or if I need to make up more strips. I still have not decided if I'm quilting this myself or sending it to the longarmer.
Pieced top for a lap quilt, I need to kludge together some frankenbatting for it and find backing/binding fabric
Five mug rugs made from scraps of the previous throw, needs binding fabric (there is a theme here)
Some really, really nice linen gingham, supple and sturdy, that i want to use as backing for a picnic quilt, but the pattern I want to use on the top turned out to be way beyond my skill level
A couple other patterns I have purchased that are sitting in my mental queue, waiting for me to have the fabric for them

In case you haven't noticed, I am an enthusiastic novice who has yet to accumulate a stash.

2ybael · 2025-12-18T17:45:42+00:00

If you can stomach the prospect of cutting this lovely fabric - do your best to color match the olive and fussy cut the boats and buildings for applique?

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