a portion of the Marcelle Medallion quilt

If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you may have noticed the informal quilt along for the lovely Marcelle Medallion quilt pattern which can be found in Alexia Abegg’s new book, Liberty Love. I didn’t join in, since I am abysmal at following patterns, but each time I saw anyone get to the 7th border, which in Alexia’s quilt is made up of brightly colored plusses set in a background of low volume prints, I fell a little bit more in love.

I kept thinking how a quilt made up entirely of the plusses would be kind of fun, so I went searching for all my quieter, low volume prints.

I made my plus blocks a bit larger than those shown in the pattern, and kept sewing until I had enough for a nice sized throw. I added in more of the low volume prints between each plus block (as in Alexia’s border) and then sewed them together in rows, alternating the placement. There’s a narrow row of random patchwork low volume prints between each row to give a little more space between the bright plus blocks.

And I must say, I’m quite smitten! I got to use lots of favorite prints, including many that have been in my stash for years, and even a little Liberty (it only seemed right!) I’ve ordered up some backing fabric and very much look forward to getting this one quilted!

I had a few questions recently about low volume prints, so I thought I’d share a partial list of those I used here. I’m not sure if there’s a formal definition of low volume prints, but as far as I can tell, these are quieter fabrics that can read as a neutral, especially when paired with a vibrant print. Often these are light colored prints on a white/cream background, but I’ve also included those with very pale backgrounds (light gray, pastels, etc.). Here are some favorites –

-Many prints from Carolyn Friedlander’s Architextures
-Many prints by Aneela Hoey, especially those from her Sew Stitchy line, but I also used a few from the older A Walk in the Woods line, and also some from her new Posy line
-Prints by Lizzy House, especially those new pale pearl bracelets, and also her lighter Jewel prints. I also used the Twinkle Stars in White from her latest Constellations line
-Stripes – Lecien makes some lighter ones, and I also used a couple from the Dear Stella Ostara line
-prints by Megumi Sakakibara
-Riley Blake prints – not sure of specific lines, but seems I used several prints from this manufacturer. (I especially like the light blue/green and the light gray herringbone prints)

Oh, and Westwood Acres occasionally puts together great low volume bundles (they recently sold out of their most recent bundle, but I expect more will be coming, so you might want to check back!)

While this is certainly not a complete list, it’s a start, and I hope it helps those of you who might want to start, or add to, your stash of low volume prints!