My top 10 Favourite Backgrounds
Background fabric plays a major part in the staging of your quilt. It can blend in with the block and make it float or provide a stunning contrast to lift the pattern out of the block.
Currently, my Top 10 favourite backgrounds (not in order of preference)
1. Painter’s Canvas by Laura Gunn for Michael Miller
I love the variety of colours and the textured, tone on tone look, created by brush strokes.
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| Painters Canvas, Quilters Linens. |
The faux open woven look, in a rainbow of colours and now dots, provides a beautiful floating backdrop to your blocks.
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| Sketch, Spotlight Text, Madrona Road |
With every collection from Basic Grey comes their ‘solid’ mixture called Grunge. A base range of colours to choose from brushed with subtle tone on tone or contrasting colours.
Once again the faux linen look gives a refreshing lift to any background. So many beautiful colours and neutrals to play with and lift your blocks.
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| Quilters Linen and Parson Grey Curious Nature |
This roughly textured fabric will appear soon on the shelves. It comes in a deep red and a palette of greys and neutrals.
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| Quilters Tussah, Comma and Fusions Ombre |
Sweetwater slip in text prints to every collection of late. They make interesting backgrounds for any quilt. They come in a variety of colours and print sizes. I love how they add real places, suburbs and street names to some of the prints. Maybe yours is on there.
A heavier, more open weave look in a multitude of colours. I love blending this with other fabrics.
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| Essex, Grunge, Quilters Linen and Joel Dewberry |
The luxurious, silky feel of these solids give that royal touch to any quilt. I love the palette of colours that bring such depth to my blocks.
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| Pure Elements Nocturnal |
This Japanese themed collection has a portion of solids in blues, grey and taupes/browns designed with an antique look. They provide a subtle backdrop to the quilt.
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| Kasuri Grey and Art Gallery Urban Mod/Textures |
10. Text fabrics in general
I have been collecting any piece of fabric with text in any colour over the past year. I have picked up some wonderful pieces from Japanese designer – Suzuko Koseki for Yuwa.
Lakehouse – Annie’s Farm Seed Catalogue
Spotlight.
Lakehouse – Penelope
Art Gallery Fabrics – Feelings II
What are your favourite backgrounds?
18 Comments
Kristy @ Quiet Play
Ooh I just love all of these! Sketch and Color Weave would have to be my all time favourites 🙂
suemac
I am sort of stuck on Moda Bella White or Kona Snow. I need to expand my horizons.
CJ
A wonderful post. These are the fabrics that really make a quilt, but they are so often ignored. How lovely to see them all set out. I shall refer back to this post again and again I think. I have always loved Basic Grey's Grunge – I used the card loads for scrapbooking as well.
A Quilter's Mission - Vicki
What a wonderful post! Thank you so much for the ideas and pictures. Text is so wonderful!
Rachaeldaisy
I'm a big fan of dotty backgrounds. It's great to see your top ten.
Jess @ Scrappy n Happy
I love text, solids and dots for backgrounds!
Noela
I love Sweetwater texts and grunge by Basic Grey. Hugs…….
Molli Sparkles
Ooh ooh! I have been wanting to try the AG solids because I love all the rest of their fabrics. You've sold me! Oh, and I'm a sucker for polka dots. Like, sucker.
Artsy-Craftsy Ivy
I love quilter's linen, sketch, crossweaves, text, dots, low-volumes, etc. for backgrounds. Everything but true linen. I recently made a quilt using Essex linen in flax and I prewashed it or sometimes prewet it and ironed it, and it frayed when I was doing my binding and it was just utterly wrinkly. I still have a lot left, in both flax and white, so I hope I figure out how best to use it eventually. If you have any tips, I'd love to know.
Qltr89
I stick to neutral fabrics with tone-on-tone prints. When the quilt calls for it, like a kite quilt for example, I will use a light blue to represent the sky.
Melody
What a great post. I'll have to start looking out s for your choices.
Kirsten
The background fabrics are lovely – I really like Sketch and the BG Grunge fabrics too.
Red Quilty Girl
Fabulous! I really, really, really need to know where to get Sketch Dot? It says "You so need us in your stash. Ask questions. Find US"! 🙂
Béa
Very interesting post ! Thank you Jane XXX
Laura Lochore
I'm with you Miss Jane! Great post!
Newbie Jen
Great post! You've shown me so new one's I haven't seen before!
Helen L
I was on your shop web site and am interested in the 2" hexagon "Peeper" template. It is out of stock right now. When do you think it will be back in stock? Thanks!!
Fiona
did my comment get lost in translation?????