Skip to content

Top Navigation

AllPeopleQuilt.com AllPeopleQuilt.com
  • Quilt patterns
  • Bags, pillows & gifts
  • Holiday quilts
  • How to quilt
  • Tips
  • Quilting News
  • Magazines & More
  • Shopping

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletter
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore AllPeopleQuilt.com

AllPeopleQuilt.com AllPeopleQuilt.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Quilts for Kids

      Expectant mothers and little ones will love these handmade crib quilts! From cuddly baby quilts to quilted play throws, these quilts will be treasured for years to come. Read More Next
    • Free Fat Quarter-Friendly Quilt Patterns

      Fat quarters are fun to collect and even more fun to use! Get free quilt patterns that will make it easy for you to put your fat quarters to good use. Read More Next
    • Free Bag Patterns

      Purses, totes,Ā and shoulder bags--we have all the free bag patterns you need! You’ll find more than 50 ideas for stylish accessories. Read More Next
  • Quilt patterns

    Quilt patterns

    See all Quilt patterns
    • Baby quilts
    • Bed quilts
    • Quilt Blocks
    • Quilt throws
    • Table runners
    • Wall quilts
  • Bags, pillows & gifts

    Bags, pillows & gifts

    See all Bags, pillows & gifts
    • Bags and purses
    • Gifts
    • Pillows
    • Pincushions
  • Holiday quilts

    Holiday quilts

    See all Holiday quilts
    • Christmas
    • Halloween
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
  • How to quilt

    How to quilt

    See all How to quilt
    • Quilting basics
    • Cutting
    • Piecing
    • Finishing
    • Organization
    • Machine quilting
    • Hand quilting
    • AppliquĆ©
    • Embellishing
    • Videos
  • Tips
  • Quilting News
  • Magazines & More

    Magazines & More

    See all Magazines & More
    • American Patchwork & Quilting
    • Quilts and More
    • Quilt Sampler
    • One Million Pillowcase Challenge
    • Quilting podcast
    • Quilt designers
    • Pattern Corrections
  • Shopping

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletter
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. How to quilt Chevron Right
  3. Quilting basics Chevron Right
  4. Jennifer's Stash Rx

Jennifer's Stash Rx

June 14, 2013
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Designer Weeks Ringle of Modern Quilt Studio shared her remedy for making use of those hard-to-figure-out-what-to-do-with fabrics in a quilter's stash with executive editor Jennifer Keltner, who explains how she put the lessons to work with her own stash.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fabric Without a Friend

Have you purchased a piece of fabric with no plan for what you'd make with it? Have you later pulled that fabric from your stash and wondered, What was I thinking? Me too!

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Rediscover Your Stash

I was intrigued by designer Weeks Ringle's description of her one-day class Rediscovering Your Stash: "Gain color confidence and plan creative ways to use your stash! Mix a big dose of color theory and color exploration with an in-depth discussion of combining patterns and a pinch of working with large scale fabrics, and you'll end up with a plan for projects that you want to make from the fabrics you already have." To gain her insights, I met Weeks at Stitcher's Crossing quilt shop in Madison, Wisconsin.

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

2 of 12

3 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Put It to the Test

Weeks Ringle first led me through her class, which is designed to help quilters creatively use their stashes. I learned a bunch in a short time, and then it was time for me to take my "test" to see if I could put into practice what I'd learned. Weeks tasked me with turning these five fabrics from my stash into a cohesive palette for a quilt. I still love them all, but, I confess, I wouldn't have grouped them together on my own.

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Find a Bridge

Finding a "bridge" to link the disparate greens in my five stash fabrics is key, Weeks says. This one seems perfect. It has both the light and the dark greens that appear in my fabrics.

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

4 of 12

5 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Color Search

Next I look at the selvage of one of my five fabrics to try to find a similar shade of purple to bring into the mix.

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

5 of 12

6 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Rookie Mistake

My next thought is to try to balance the mix of blues, greens, and purples in my palette. Turns out that this is a rookie mistake. "Equal proportions of colors makes for a less interesting mix overall," Weeks says.

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Put Aside

Based on Weeks's input, I toss out most of the purples and the deep blue.

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

7 of 12

8 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mix of Color

When I set my five stash fabrics in front of my stack of chosen fabrics, I notice that there is little purple and mostly blues and greens. (The bolts stacked on the left are the ones I opted to take out.)

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

8 of 12

9 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Balanced Look

I feel like I have the balance right now, but remember another trick of Weeks': I wrap my five stash fabrics around the bolts of chosen fabrics so I could see them in equal proportion. Good news! I like what I see.

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Search for Solids

To finish it off I think I need something to mediate the busy mix of prints. I search for a tone-on-tone or solid that will give the eye a resting point and allow me to see the seams in my patchwork. (After all, isn't that the point of cutting apart and putting back together fabric pieces?) I chose a linen-look cream print. Are you still not convinced it all works together?

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

10 of 12

11 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Finished Quilt

Here's how my quilt turned out. I love the finished look and am happy I was able to use up some of my stash in the process. The hint of purple in the center blocks leads to a bigger splash of purples in the borders, tying it all together. I'm giving myself high marks for this test!

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

11 of 12

12 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Try It

Try this exercise with your stash fabrics. My mission is to use up my stash so I have room for more!

  • Flower Machine-AppliquĆ© Quilts
  • Animal Quilt Projects
  • Quilts for Kids

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 12 Fabric Without a Friend
2 of 12 Rediscover Your Stash
3 of 12 Put It to the Test
4 of 12 Find a Bridge
5 of 12 Color Search
6 of 12 Rookie Mistake
7 of 12 Put Aside
8 of 12 Mix of Color
9 of 12 Balanced Look
10 of 12 Search for Solids
11 of 12 Finished Quilt
12 of 12 Try It

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
AllPeopleQuilt.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Allpeoplequilt is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.allpeoplequilt.com

View image

Jennifer's Stash Rx
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.