Seems Like Scrappy Preview: Frolic

It seemed only fitting to start the preview process for Seems Like Scrappy with the gorgeous quilt on the cover!

Note: Seems Like Scrappy is due to be released in May. It is not available yet. Also, due to the strikes in the West Coast Ports, the release may be delayed a bit, but with the strikes coming to a quick solution, it may not be as delayed if at all (or so I hope)... We will all wait and see. I will keep you posted as the information gets to me, check back here every Monday for a new preview and an update. 

Picture provided by Martingale, Photography by Brent Kane

I have this bucket list of quilts I'd like to make. When I set out to design new quilts for this book, I had to include a log cabin of sorts, but I had to switch up the pieces to keep it from being too "normal". Each block features a wonky nine patch and strips of varying widths to keep things interesting.

Frolic uses fat quarters and it is fast and simple to cut and piece. It probably took longer for me to pick out fabrics than it did to actually make this quilt. And half of the fabrics came from a bundle, so it's really fast to make!

The fabrics I chose began with a bundle of Amy Butler prints and then I mixed the backgrounds with subtle fabrics that would read light, but work well with the bold prints. The majority of the background pieces are white-ish, but if you look closely there are pale yellows and pinks and blues. The range in lights that play off of the bolder prints gives this quilt the scrappy look without looking too traditional and cookie cutter.

It's so easy to choose all white background (or one background). I wanted to challenge myself and others to go with that fabric you normally wouldn't choose and see what magic may happen. It's easier to play off of a large contrast between fabrics like the lights and the bolder prints seen here. When some fabrics are soooo bold and so commanding to the eye, it's much easier to throw in a fabric that whispers to the effect of the commanding fabric. You want to touch on the same color or print in a fabric with much less impact visually. Also, this helps to tie in the collection of fabrics within the quilt as a whole so it all has a cohesive vibe.

I originally wasn't planning on making a sequel of this quilt, but reminiscing now and looking at the options, I'm thinking I may try to make another "guy" version of this quilt... Can't you see it? Switch out the lights for greys and blacks and change the bold prints to wovens and deep saturated colors for that cabin-cozy feel! Gosh darn it, I'm going to have to make another one!

Granted it feels like winter isn't going to end any time soon here. Literally as I type this the temperature outside is -9 degrees... Fahrenheit... Any activity that keeps me warm and inside at the moment is a good activity! So I make quilts!

Well, I hope you all like Frolic as much as I do! Check back here next Monday for the next preview of Seems Like Scrappy. This book has 14 quilts and I have already made duplicates of some quilts so I have a ton of fun to share with you in the next couple months leading up to the release of this new book!