How to Mix and Match Print Fabrics for Sewing: Part 4

Welcome back!  If you missed the first three parts of this series, you can go back and check them out
at the links below.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Today we are going to look at fabric matches that don't work, and why they are not great choices.

First we will start with this brown fabric.

You can see that it has the right colors and it is a different scale from our base fabric.  So why doesn't it work?

As you can see the scale is VASTLY different. In my opinion, it is too much of a difference.  But, that is only the first thing that I find wrong with it.  The print in this fabric has these flourishes which are almost kind of a baroque thing.  It's much more of a classical feel to me and so that doesn't really fit with the vibe that our modern base fabric has to offer.

Then there is this pink houndstooth check.  Just wrong...

The check is, again, the right colors and the scale is better than the first example, but the feel is wrong, again.  When I think of houndstooth check, I am immediately thrown to the glamor gals of the 1960's era.  I specifically think of Jackie Kennedy for some reason.  So the retro essence of this fabric really doesn't match the modernness of the base fabric.

And our third example.  Once again the vibes of the fabric just don't go together.  I love this little aqua print, this fabric is totally me, but it doesn't go with our base fabric.  This print, while still modern, has a much more whimsical, childish feel to it than our base fabric.

So there you have it.  We have looked at choosing a base fabric, toning it down, livening it up, and what not to do.

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

How to Mix and Match Print Fabrics for Sewing : Part 3

Thanks for joining us here again for this fun series.  We are looking at mixing and matching print fabrics. If you missed the first two parts, you can find them at the links below and get up to speed with where we will pick up today.  

Part 1: Choosing a "Base Fabric"

Part 2: Choosing Fabrics for a Softer Look

Making Choices for a More Bold Look

Today, lets look at some bolder pairings that will spice it up a bit.  For me, yellows, golds, oranges and hot pinks are very eye catching colors.  Using these colors will really punch up the look of your garment.   Notice that the swatch in the lower left corner once again echoes the centers of the dark pink flowers by using the orange and pink together.  Contrast between light values and dark values also add to the visual impact of these fabric combinations.  The gold dots in the center of the bottom row are really a medium value, but because it is an eye catching color, it really belongs with these bolder fabrics.  

Just so you can see that it really doesn't have to just be dots, here are some other pairings.  In these I picked up on the orange a little bit as well as the darker pink.   

So what if you really want to get crazy with it?  You could even do something like this.  The two prints on the ends are very similar in scale and feel and have many of the same colors, but they are broken up with this dot fabric in a color that appears in both prints.  Having a third print that is smaller in scale and more monochromatic gives the eye a place to land.  Without it, the two fabrics would compete for attention, but with it, the fabrics are drawn together and make sense. You will also notice that there are three different fabric values here, a light a medium and a dark.  This also helps transition from one fabric to the next.   

Bold pairings can sometimes present the biggest challenge, but they can also really pay off when done well. Don't be afraid to experiment and play with different sets of fabrics.  You might surprise yourself! 

Join us again next week when we explore some pairings that don't work and why they are not good choices.  

Until next time, Happy Sewing! 

How to Mix and Match Print Fabrics for Sewing : Part 2

Welcome back to our series on mixing and matching print fabrics!

If you missed Part 1, you can go back and get caught up.

In Part 1, we discussed choosing a "base" fabric.  We examined it closely and studied the scale, the colors and the "vibe" that the fabric gives off and also talked about choosing an appropriate print for  your particular project.

Choosing Fabrics for a Softer Look

This is quite a bold print, so let's look at ways to soften it.  If I were wanting to tone this fabric down with other fabrics, I would probably choose to match some of the lighter colors.  To start with, I usually will look at a geometric print of some sort. Keep in mind that dots and stripes don't have to just be polka dots or circus tent stripes, they can be a variation as you will see in some of the examples.

I do have to add a disclaimer... for children's clothing, which is my main area of sewing, I LOVE polka dots.  I just think they have a playful feel in general and they pair great with almost anything.  Michael Miller's "Ta Dots"fabrics are among my favorites.  There is a very wide range of color combinations to choose from and you are almost guaranteed to find something to match your print.  The scale also is a good size to complement a lot of different fabrics.

Here is a simple pairing with a couple of different polka dot fabrics. Notice that the scale of these dots is considerably smaller than the scale of the base fabric. In one, the dots are placed further apart which brings in more of the pink color.  The other is a slightly lighter color with the dots placed closer together which gives the fabric a lighter presence.  Either of these fabrics would be a great choice, especially for a little girl who loves pink. (Or a mom who loves pink, too)

Here are some examples of what could be done if you chose to go with the aqua color to tone it down. You can see that some of the dots are not traditional polka dots, there is a chevron and even a more hand drawn type of print in the lower left corner.  If you look at the detail in the aqua flowers, the same type of idea is echoed in that print.  Echoing something in your base fabric is also a good way to bring cohesiveness to your fabric pairings.  

Another way of toning this fabric down might be to choose to pair with the brown that is in it.  This would bring out the earthiness of this print. Again non-traditional dots work wonderfully as well as traditional with the brown being the dots instead of the background. The oval fabric at the bottom also kind of mimics the shape of the petals of the brown flower.  

So, there you have seen some ways to soften the look of this fabric.  Next time we will look at some bolder fabrics that will make a bit more of a statement when used with this base fabric.

Until next time, Happy Sewing! 

How to Mix and Match Print Fabrics for Sewing : Part 1

On one of the Facebook groups I follow, a question was recently posed about how to mix and match fabrics.  Some of the people in the discussion seemed to think that it was just a talent that they didn't possess.  I'm here to tell you that that is just NONSENSE.  I truly believe that ANYONE can learn to mix and match fabrics if you learn a few basic tricks and give it some practice.

Over the next few posts, I thought I'd just share with you some of the tricks that I have learned through all of my years of "playing fabric" as I often like to call it.

I've broken this up into 4 different posts and I plan to share one each week with you.

Part 1: Choosing a "Base Fabric"
Part 2: Choosing Fabrics for a Softer Look
Part 3: Making Choices for a More Bold Look
Part 4: Fabrics That Don't Work and Why

Choosing a "Base Fabric"

I once heard someone on some HGTV show ages and ages ago talk about picking paint colors for a room by starting with an "inspiration piece" such as a pillow or a painting.  That person said to really look at the piece and pick out what colors were in it and to draw your paint color from one of the colors in the piece.  I figured if it works in interior design, it could work for fabric too.  Why not?

What I do when I decide to make a dress or an outfit is I usually pick a base fabric to start with. I have a love of floral prints and so mine is usually a floral print of some sort, but you could also use a novelty print and they work just as well.  Something like this works well:

There are a few things to consider when choosing your base fabric.
First, think about the application.  What will you be using this fabric to make?  Is it for a bag, is it a garment, is it for an adult, is it for a child?  Who will be using it?  What is their personality?

All of those things play into your initial fabric choice. A very large print like the one I have chosen for my example may not be the best choice for a baby or a very small child.  There are at least a couple of reasons for that.  Firstly, if you are sewing for a baby, remember that the pieces you are cutting out will be very small.  One piece may not encompass enough of the print to really show it off.  Secondly, large prints with a lot of colors tend to overwhelm a baby's features.  In short, you see the dress and not the child.  For a baby or a smaller child it might be better to choose a smaller scale print.

However, this fabric might be great for an older child or a teenager, maybe an adult or perhaps for a bag, pillow or other household item.

Whatever fabric you choose I believe that the same basic principles apply, whether it be a large scale like the example I will use here, or a smaller scale print that you might choose.

Here are those principles in a nutshell:

1. Choose your colors from the palette in your base fabric.
2. Vary the scale.
3. Find something to echo when you can.
4. Keep the "feeling" or "vibe" of your fabrics the same.

For my example I have chosen this Anna Maria Horner print.  I found all of the fabric swatches that I will use at Fabric.com. I chose this one because there are really a lot of ways that you can pair this fabric.

Look closely at the fabric and see what colors are in it.  Also look at the lines and try to get a sense of the mood that the fabric gives off.

When looking at the fabric below... what do you see?

I see, first of all, that it is a very large scale print. I also see about 8 or 9 different colors.  There are two shades of both the aqua blue and the pink, there is also brown, gold, soft white, and even a tiny bit of orange if you look closely at the centers of the dark pink flowers.

Another thing that I see is the clean lines of the stems and flowers.  The edges are very crisp and there's no fuzziness to the print.  The vibe that this fabric gives off is a very funky, modern, almost Bohemian, but not quite, feel.  It isn't super "cutesy", but it is very feminine and there is a certain playfulness to it as well.  There is a lot of "motion" happening with the curved lines and the scattered flowers.

Once I have studied the base fabric for both the colors and the overall feel that the fabric gives then I can think about starting to choose coordinating fabrics.  This is a fabric that could either be played up or toned down depending on the fabrics that you choose to place with it.

In the next installment we will begin to look at pairings that will tone down the boldness of this print and soften the overall look and feel that it gives off.  Until then, I challenge you to choose your own "base" fabric to play with when we meet next time.

Until next time, Happy Sewing!