Back when I hosted the Dash Quiltalong, I made a new Dash quilt along with everyone. For this version 2, I wanted to pull all the fabrics from my existing stash. No exceptions. I wanted to show how randomly chosen fabrics from your stash can go together just as well as ones that are from a set of pre-coordinated fabrics. Mainly because they all have one thing in common- they were already chosen by YOU!
Let me explain
When you choose quilting fabrics and decide to bring them home and add them to your stash, there’s a reason. Maybe you are in need of more darks, more blues, etc. But the common denominator is that you like them. You are drawn to them and can envision them in a quilt you want to make.
But often those one-off fabric choices can languish in our fabric stash. One reason for this is that it may feel like work to get them matched up with other fabrics of your choosing. Using fabrics from one designer does make this part easy. They are chosen for us, it’s an understandable grouping, maybe we are sold on it by hearing the inspiration from the designer, etc. It takes the extra step of coordinating your own fabrics out of the entire equation.
However if you make quilts for reasons like I do- to be able to play with favorite fabrics and colors based on things that inspire me- using things like one designer’s fat quarter set completely take away one of the things I love most about the whole process.
A scrappy quilt like Dash can unlock that magic!
There’s a huge amount of satisfaction in pulling fabric you have from your stash. You see, there’s enough fabric already there. I promise! And by dipping in, choosing some colors that you like at the moment or some patterns that catch your eye, and creating a stack of fabric for a scrappy quilt like Dash (or any of my patterns really), you learn what your own aesthetic actually is. I mean, I enjoy Kaffe Fassett fabrics too, but I don’t necessarily want a quilt only of Kaffe fabrics. I would rather explore combinations of fabrics that I myself can coordinate with those fabrics. That exercise always creates a quilt that feels most like me.
This new version of Dash feels very “me” and very of the inspiration I feel these days. A bit sun faded, but lively, and greens, muted lavenders, and creams. I actually think this one is destined to be used in our home (we are sadly low on useable quilts these days).
Want to try it?
If this is something you’d like to try out, I’d love to guide you through it. All of the content from the #dashqal is available at any time. Just go to this page and follow the weekly prompts, watch the videos, and follow the pattern. The cost of entry is the price of a Dash quilt pattern. After that, you and I can have our own Dash quiltalong and create a version of it for you that makes your heart sing. 🎶
