Bright, brighter, brightest.

here's to fabrics that celebrate life and optimism

At this time of year, I gravitate towards increasingly bright fabrics. The sunshine, the flowers, the budding of the leaves - that spring energy invites me to celebrate life and to mirror that celebration in my creative pursuits with vibrant, colorful prints like these.

These are the Anna Maria Parry (formerly Horner) fabrics that I am sewing with today. It’s not one single collection, but rather a cobbling together of my favorites to create a bright, happy palette that sings of joy and life and renewal.

I almost always buy fabrics in 1/2 yards or 1/3 yards, so that I can efficiently cut patchwork pieces from width-of-fabric strips. I’ve cut half-hexagon shapes from these strips, to make up X’s on my design wall.

And here are all the X’s in a row! Isn’t that something! Something decidedly cheerful and optimistic, or so it feels to me.

Q: What makes bright fabrics even more vibrant?

A: A touch of black contrast, my friend.

I’m adding triangles to form diamonds between the X’s. I’ll use solid black in the center of the quilt, where the values are darkest. As the values of the X’s become lighter, I transition to the adorable black fabric with the sparkles (called Freckles) and to an Anna Maria black floral at the very edges.

It’s looking so beautifully playful! I’m so excited to start sewing soon.

Are you in need of a jolt of cheer and optimism, these days? A limited number of my bundles are available at Little Fabric Shop. Thank you for supporting my sponsors!

Happy making, all.