Fabric Choices

The completed hands:



I have this idea in mind for the next quilt. The background fabric needs to look like vintage wallpaper, specifically art nouveau or William Morris. I have seen exactly what I'm looking for. Sometime though, I get an image in my mind and because I've looked at so much it get clouded by what I've seen and what I want it to look like. I could create my own, but the amount of labour involved to paint the fabric would be more than I think I'm ready for yet. I also decided to try something larger than the journal quilt size for this as the scale would work better larger, so I can't just print an image onto fabric (the easiest thing to do).

So I went on line. When in doubt, research. Charles Rupert has a wonderful website with fabric and wallpaper from various designers and eras, including both William Morris and Art Nouveau. I looked at samples primarily from William Morris, then went shopping only to find that no where in town carried William Morris fabric, although I could order it. I went back to my favourite quilt store and found a "do-able" fabric, but still felt frustrated that it wasn't perfect.

So back on line with the intention of ordering something. This time, looking at the same web site, I checked the Art Nouveau fabric. Most are upholstery weight, so wouldn't work. One image struck me though. The flowers would be perfect for the little faces to peek out. It reminded me very much of a Liberty of London fabric. Wait a minute, those are flowers? I purchased some of that fabric last year for kaleidoscope quilts as the repeats are so great. I thought I had looked at it and rejected it. When I checked it again, I saw that although almost perfect for image, it is too small in scale. Note to self: do not go into a project with an exact idea in mind but a maleable one. That will allow me more options.