January Log Cabin - 2. Fabric choice (Coordinating)

So you can't handle the idea of a scrap quilt.  Thats really OK.  Honest it is!!
What you need to do is pick out a central theme.  Walk into a fabric shop and find something you like.  Find something cheap that you like.  Find an old cotton dress you want to use and base it all around that!

Whatever you do - find a theme fabric and get at least 1m of it.

A couple of years ago (actually more like 4-5 years now....) I found this fabric at Spotters on sale.  It was only $8/m and I really liked it, so I bought about 5m of it.  I bought that much so I could use it for borders for a quilt.  Borders chew up the fabric, so when you find something you like for a good price, allow 3-4m for borders.

From the central fabric you want to look through your stash first, and find what you have that works with it.  Then go to a shop and buy 20cm pieces or some fat quarters that also match.  This photo shows you some of what I have in my stash I could use with this fabric.

Sometimes with fabrics there are the matching prints that go in the series.  Its a good idea to buy these, but if you make your whole quilt from them, someone else out there is likely going to have the same quilt as you!  So its good to be brave and splash out a little.

When you have decided on your central fabric, and the block you wish to make, its time to select the fabrics for that block.  Edit essentially.  You need to think about what sort of balance you are going for, and how you will fit it in with the rest of your quilt.  I decided for this block to go green and background prints, with a yellow hearth.
So I whittled down to get this selection.

The red is not going to feature in this block at all.  I could have used it for the hearth I suppose, but I'm still leaving it while selecting my fabric to ensure that it all works.  I need 5 darks and 5 lights for the arrangement I'm using.
I like it, but I know already that it is going to be hard to get into the quilt as it will be quite contrasty, quite light, with no red.  Ah well........