Here is a quilt that Carol did. The pattern used is Prairie Peony. It is a mix of piecing and applique. We have put this together as a kit (and is currently available), however Carol decided she first wanted to see if she can find all the fabric she would need in her stash. Well, much to our dismay (haha) at our shop, she did find everything she wanted.
First you must understand Carol did not have a totally thought out plan as to how she wanted to do this quilt. She knew she wanted the blocks to be done a lot more brightly than what is shown on the pattern. She also knew she wanted to use a lot of her small-scaled prints.
When it was time to put the blocks together and selecting the sashing, as you can see she selected a lot of dark valued fabric in the tones of the colors used in her blocks. This sashing helped to pop out her blocks.
But what we found so remarkable (and in hindsight even Carol) was the border fabric she found hidden in her stash! The border print is a Michael James fabric that came out nearly 10 years ago. The colors in the border match absolutely perfectly with the sashing used. And since this Michael James fabric has a sort of "ombre" effect to it, the lighter colors that arise occasionally - well they just help to bring out the blocks and the colors used within them. We think the border just truly made this quilt.
Guess the overall point I'm trying to make, especially for a new quilter. Though it may seem costly and a bit insane. And if you're at all like me when I first began to quilt, thinking I will not buy more fabric until I have this "one quilt project I'm working on done." Well building stashes truly have a real purpose.
Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid that you may not like that fabric later on. You may, or may not. But the one thing I can say somewhat safely (though I'm sure someone out there will prove me wrong - haha) - your color palette will pretty much remain the same throughout your life. You may skew brighter at times and duller at other times. But I feel reasonably certain that you will find that your stash really contains mostly "your" colors in different values.
Pefect for a quilt!
