Choosing Fabric for Setting Triangles

[Gloria H.]

Recently, I purchased a used book titled "Scrap Miniature Magic" by Christine Carlson from my guild's library. I bought the book because it has some interesting quilt patterns that I hadn't seen elsewhere. Even though this book specifically addresses miniature quilts, there's a lot of information that applies to all quilt sizes.

Specifically, there is a very informative chapter on "Choosing Fabrics" which addresses choosing fabrics for setting triangles. It states that small, dense prints should be avoided because they can read as a solid or blur when viewed from a distance. Why didn't I see this before I added setting triangles to the feathered star of my 2009 TQS BOM quilt?

Although I am generally pleased with my quilt, I do feel that I should have selected something different for my setting triangles. The fabric I chose looked great, until I began adding more borders around it. Now, it just looks okay. Maybe I liven it up with my quilting later. Sometimes quilters intentionally leave big open spaces to display their quilting designs.

Oh well, I have learned something that I can use going forward and felt that I had to share it with all of my TQS Forum friends.

[Margo C.]

That is one of the things that using a design wall really helps with. Even if you can't stand too far away from it, it helps to put you work in progress on a wall to see how the fabrics work together. If you will use a reducing glass, or a "peephole" from the hardware store, or even get as far away as possible and look back through a mirror, you will see how the fabrics work together better from a distance. Even taking a digital photo will help; looking at the image through the viewfinder or on the screen because it is small.
OK...I'm rambling...but you get the idea.

[Margo C.]

I always take digital photo's of my work at various stages when making my quilt top. I find it helps tremendously and often I see things that I don't when working so closely with the quilt. I recently took a workshop with Hollis Chatelain and she even had us auditioning thread, from a distance just as you would fabric, for each area of your quilt. It was so interesting and something I wouldn't have considered doing prior to her class. Deb

[Denise L.]

I love your color choice for the setting triangles. If it looks blah, well as you said some quilting will make it sing or if all else fails a bit of applique might liven it up.

I think your--- right, hair, makeup all done but something is not quite right, Oh a bit of lipstick finishes the face, your quilting could make that be the lipstick of your quilts final finishing touch!

I like it just the way it is.

denise

[Anne B.]

Nancy, if you think quilting might not be enough to liven up those triangles, why don't you try stamping or painting them?

Anne in Vancouver, Canada, always picking the wrong fabrics and then "fixing" them with paint (sometimes successfully!)

[Anne B.]

I finally got my feathered star made this month and added the four patch border, now I don't like the stark cream that is the background of the feathered star, but I am not going to take that lot out :!: I have been thinking of printing or painting over it to soften it down, It's nice to hear that I am not alone with this 'cunning plan' :lol:

Rosemary

[Anne B.]

I finally got my feathered star made this month and added the four patch border, now I don't like the stark cream that is the background of the feathered star, but I am not going to take that lot out :!: I have been thinking of printing or painting over it to soften it down, It's nice to hear that I am not alone with this 'cunning plan' :lol:

Rosemary

No, indeed, you're not alone!

The other day I printed a quilt label for my mother, then scorched the damn thing while pressing it. Since I didn't have any more printer fabric, I got out some glittery gold fabric paint and "antiqued" the scorched label. It turned out great, and goes well with the quilt, which has "Cleocatra" and "Marc Anchovy" prints on the front.

As my mother always says, creative touches often come out of booboos!

Anne