Bella Solids Parade | Expert's Picks Day 1

Have you heard about the Moda Bella Solids Parade that fellow blogger Shruti is hosting? Shruti, who blogs at 13 Woodhouse Road (great blog name, right?), had a fantastic idea:

All month long, Shruti's highlighting a color and shade represented by a Bella Solid fabric and asking her readers to share inspiration photos that somehow feature that color. In addition, there are contests, giveaways, quilt-alongs, and more from Shruti with support from the generous folks at Moda and the Fat Quarter Shop. You can see more here.

One of the other activities is to show fabric bundles that are built around each color to showcase the (sometimes very) different ways in which a particular color can be used. Each bundle is comprised of 3 additional solids and 3 prints to complement the day's color. I was thrilled when Shruti invited me to participate in her "Expert's Pick" series to create some of those fabric combinations.

(I know, I thought the same thing you're thinking right now: me? An expert?!)

Over the next several days, I'm going to share my fabric combinations both on Shruti's blog and also here with you. I'd love to hear what you think of each, or any other prints that you might add in to the mix. These posts will be auto-scheduled to go live while I'm at market too, and I can't wait to check in with you all when I'm back!

Before showing my first fabric combo, let me share a brief intro that I wrote for Shruti highlighting my thought process when putting these together:

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Hi! My name is John Adams and I blog at QuiltDad.com. I am also a founding member of Fat Quarterly, a popular e-magazine written by and for modern sewists. Come learn more about us and our magazine on our blog, which always has fresh, fun content about the modern quilting community. I live in Cary, North Carolina, with my wife, 6 year-old twin daughters, 5 year-old son, and dog named Tula (named after one of my fabric designers, Tula Pink!)

I've been sewing and quilting now for about 4 years, and one thing has become clear to me in that time: my absolute favorite part of the entire quilting process is selecting my palette of colors and prints for my projects. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy making small project like pillows, mini quilts, and mug rugs so much -- I can scratch that creative itch and try out new fabric combinations on quick & easy projects. I love Shruti's Bella Solids Parade project and I jumped at the chance to submit my expert's picks!

Shruti's challenge was a bit, well, challenging for me. When pulling fabrics together for a new quilt or project, I typically start with an inspirational print or two. I then draw complementary prints and colors, including solids from that starting point. However, here I was asked to start with a solid, which is a bit different than my usual approach. What I found is that each focus solid would still lead me to a "focus" print or patterned fabric, from which I drew the rest of my palette.

This challenge was GREAT fun, and I hope you like my fabric bundles as much as I do! For those who read my blog, you know that I often have a hard time editing myself, so for a few of my bundles I couldn't help but throw in an extra print or solid or 2. Now I am inspired and already planning projects with each of my new bundles!

Thanks for the opportunity, Shruti!

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And now, on to the parade! Today's inspiration color is Sunshine:

Moda Bella Solid in Sunshine (9900-130)

And here are my coordinating picks:

Top row: Max & Whiskers Blithe Grunge, Bella Solid in Magenta, Bella Solid in Willow
Bottom row: Alhambra II Buttercup Spanish Petals, From Little Things White Partridges, Silent Cinema Blue City Lights