I am always on the lookout for scrap-busting quilt patterns, and perhaps the best one I’ve found is Erica Jackman’s Plaid-ish design. This pattern, free on her website, is brilliant both in its simplicity and in the amount of fabric it uses. Plaid-ish requires no background fabric—just scraps sorted into light, mid, and dark values—and finishes at 64 inches by 82 inches.
The challenge to tackling a Plaid-ish quilt starts with determining a palette. (Erica has a less-structured approach to pulling fabric for this design. Check out her corresponding highlight on Instagram to learn more.) Because the largest cut piece in Plaid-ish is a 5-inch square and because Kate Spain is a master of color, I opened up a charm pack of her long-out-of-print Sunnyside as the basis for my quilt.
I took a stack of light and mid tones from Sunnyside and built from there. No orange was deep enough to be considered a dark value, but I uncovered plenty of purples, teals, and grays from my scraps and stash that fit the bill.
I did this initial fabric pull about a year ago and then set it aside, mainly because I had other priorities and wasn’t in a rush to finish the project. Plus, I couldn’t find enough of my chosen palette to make this large throw, and sometimes just waiting, and working through other quilts, creates more usable scraps.
When I picked up this project again last month, I still didn’t have enough of the colors I needed. The solution was not to run to the fabric store and buy more—I simply enlarged the palette! And if you look closely at the picture at the top of the post, you’ll see my additions. They’re all mid and dark tones of raspberry that infuse the quilt top with a vibrant color other than orange. I think the quilt is better with them in it.
You can snag your own copy of Plaid-ish on Erica’s site (Kitchen Table Quilting) here. If you have other recommendations for patterns that similarly bust through fabric without relying on a background fabric, please share them in the comments below. Heaven knows I have the scraps and stash to use up! : )
P.S. This is my second Plaid-ish! Check out my original version here.
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What an amazing quilt! Simple maybe, but so appealing.
ReplyDeleteExpanding out the color palette worked beautifully. How you think you'll quilt this one?
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! You inspire me to go and pull some scraps. I am going to use my paternal and maternal Scottish Clan tartans as my colorway. Squee!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to use up scraps & I'm trying hard to sort & use up mine. I suppose you could actually keep the quilt to a smaller size for babies/children too.
ReplyDeleteI went to a quilt show yesterday & saw some amazing quilts. Thanks for sharing , take care & hugs from down under.
That is so pretty!! Thanks for showing us your trick of using the charm pack
ReplyDeleteI made one with mostly batiks
ReplyDeleteLove that pattern!!! Yours looks fabulous with raspberry throw in the mix, Michelle!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your second Plaid-ish! It is really a fun pattern. Loved to see how you selected your fabrics. xo
ReplyDeleteI have always loved this pattern. So many great quilts have been made with it. Must make the designer happy to see it used by so many!
ReplyDeleteI struggle with scrappy. I like organized scrappy. I am working my way through it. I recently completed two scrappy quilts. I love them because when I look at the many different fabrics I see the quilts I created for children, grandchildren, friends, donations and some not finished yet. And I put a few of my recently past, Dad's shirts. Only a few 2 1/2" strips but It is comforting. You have inspired me to increase my color skills and try this quilt. My daughter has made many of them. MY TURN! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYes to "organized scrappy"! I need some rules to work within -- otherwise, I'm not confident I'll like the outcome.
DeleteI'm convinced scrappy quilts are the ones I should keep for myself for the very reasons you cite. It's a joy to think back on past projects and meaningful fabrics. Go for it with Plaid-ish -- I'll root you on!