Color Options from Quilts and More™ Spring 2010

A simple Pinwheel block is quite a star when it’s surrounded by multiple borders—pieced and plain.

Pinwheels Tabletop Quilt

Who would guess that the unexpected color combination of pink, green, and black could be so stunning? Quilt tester Jan Ragaller mixed prints from the Lily collection for Timeless Treasures Fabrics for this small quilt. White, a component of each print, ties the trio of colors together to make a lively table topper.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this table topper.

Reproduction prints commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s birth get center stage in a strikingly simple arrangement that has the feel of an antique quilt.

Building Blocks Throw

If reproduction fabrics aren’t your style, select contemporary prints to make Lincoln’s Platform your way. Quiltmaker Kathleen Williams chose Deb Strain’s Cherish Nature collection for Moda Fabrics for this calming throw. She used a restful aqua check to complement the strong colors of the blue, green, and chocolate prints.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this throw.

A simple open-top bag cleverly incorporates a deep outer pocket for holding necessities.

Patchwork and Prairie Points Bag

Stir up a mix of blue and green prints from the Cheep Talk collection for Connecting Threads for a just-for-fun tote. Project tester Jude Sams Sohn says the patchwork pocket is a great place to showcase small swatches of prints and practice straight-line machine quilting.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this bag.

Florals and solids combine for a stunning but easy-to-sew bed quilt. You can change the theme of the large rectangles—think plaids or reproduction prints—to customize for any room.

Fat Quarter Twin Bed Quilt

A subtle shift in background color—from crisp white to soft citrus—gives Flower Show a dazzling new look. Designers Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle used solid watermelon pink strips between floral rectangles for added punch. The solid green binding echoes the foliage and the background color in many of the florals they selected for the pieced rows.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this bed-size quilt.

Spunky stripes and dots paired with dimensional appliqués give a contemporary quilt dazzling eye appeal.

Four-Square Wall Hanging

When a fabric shouts for attention, it’s time to give it a place of honor. Quilt tester Jan Ragaller chose a large floral from the Modern Mix collection for Benartex for the center of the blocks and used complementary prints and stripes to round out the case of this version of Zinnia Flats.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this wall hanging.

Travel light with an envelope-style pouch. The over-the-shoulder strap keeps essentials handy.

Scrappy Strips Bag

You don’t need color to stand out. Strips and bits of black-and-white prints, dots, and stripes make an eye-catching bag. Omit the tassels. Slip strap ends between bag lining and secure in place to make a simple, swingy pouch.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this bag.

Jump-start your day with a zingy, beginner-friendly pillow sham pieced from simple strips. Don’t be alarmed by the hand quilting; our step-by-step photos show you how.

Simple Strips Pillow Sham

Pay token to your island wanderlust with this version of Wake-up Call made of jewel-tone Boutique Batiks from P&B Textiles. In-the-ditch quilting complements the richly patterned fabrics.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this pillow sham.

Pretty posies play hide-and-seek through a lattice motif carefully cut from stripe fabric. Our foolproof guide takes the fuss out of fussy cutting.

Easy as A, B, C Throw

Transform the garden trellis-look of Glimpse of Spring into a lively, youthful throw with bright fabrics, such as these from Girl Friday by Cosmo Cricket for Andover Fabrics.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this throw.

Flash back to the ‘60s—the days of peace, love, and rock ‘n’ roll—while lounging on a floor-size pillow stitched from retro prints.

Butterfly Floor Pillow

Four printed panels make up the center block of this floor pillow. Project tester Judy Sams Sohn added a black dot flat piping to the center, and a border of printed butterflies. Fabrics are from the Papillion collection by Karen Montgomery for Timeless Treasures Fabrics.

Click here to download instructions needed to make this pillow.