How to Choose the Right Quilting Design

If you like quilting, how do you choose your designs? There are plenty of options available, so it can be difficult to narrow down your choices.

Eye Catchers

One way to choose a quilt design is to surround yourself with a variety of fabrics and see which one catches your attention. Oftentimes, quilters choose their design based on whom the quilt is for– a baby is going to get a different design than, say, an elderly woman, right?

Why not look for certain shapes that appeal to the person who will use the quilt? For instance, there are fabrics with lots of circles versus horizontal or vertical lines. Perhaps you know that the person who will use the quilt loves flowers, so it makes sense to find fabric featuring flowers that people love, such as daisies or tulips. Floral prints are popular since most people like or love flowers, and they look so nice on a quilt.

Simple or Complex Designs

There are designs which are very “busy” and others which are very simple. Depending on who will get the quilt, you might want one with vibrant colors and shapes in a “mish-mosh” style, or you might want to stick with one solid color and keep it as simple and plain as possible.

When you’re searching through potential patterns, it’s not unusual for a pattern theme to help determine the quilting design. The theme or shape of the pattern can guide you in your quilting endeavors.

Complementary Designs

Pair things up that make sense when quilting. For instance, if you have flowers on the quilt, you could add a blue sky, bees, sunshine and a rainbow. Look for things that pair well with your main theme. If you want the quilt to convey a certain feeling, use patterns, shapes and colors to help show emotions. A quilt for a teenage boy would likely be blue or a darker color, whereas a quilt for a little girl would be pink or something bright and “girly.” You can also experiment with different textures, especially if the person receiving the quilt is tactile and loves to run their fingers over different textures.

Inspiration

Woman sewing a beautiful quilting design Here’s a secret: a lot of quilters go online and look at what others have done, especially on sites like Instagram.com. You can search using a “hashtag,” such as #honeybeequilt, and see what comes up! When you look online, you’ll get ideas of what you do like and what you don’t like, which ultimately helps you narrow down your own choices. If you have catalogs sitting around the house, look through them for inspiration. Ask fellow quilters what they like. Some quilters even utilize professional design consultation services, whereas they pay an expert to give them guidance on what design to choose.

Some people don’t care much about design– they just go with “whatever.” For others, it’s all about design. A good idea when choosing a design is to pick something that helps express who you are and what you like. Your personal preferences can be expressed through your quilts!

Functionality

Quilts are utilitarian– they keep people warm, right? But they also are so much more. They receive a great deal of use over the years so you want their design to last a long time and hold up well. You want the design to be somewhat practical but also unique enough whereas it stands out from other quilts.

It makes sense to take some time to be deliberate and careful about the quilt design you choose. After all, you’re going to spend quite a bit of time putting the quilt together, and once you start a quilt, it’s not always easy to make major changes midway through the process. Rather than just rush into a project, mull it over a couple days until you feel fairly confident about your final design choice.

Specifically, for quilts that will be used by younger people (and laundered often) you might want to choose durable edge-to-edge quilting designs. Contrast this with the kind of quilt that might hang on a wall for generations– heirloom quilting is usually of the highest quality and quite decorative.

Ultimately, think about who will receive the quilt and how it will be used– that’s what helps determine the design you choose.

When you’re looking for beautiful quilting designs, check out the options from the top brands at 118 Fabrics & More.

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