Blanco Quilt Sew Along Week 1 - Fabric Selection

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Hello! Welcome to week 1 of the Blanco Quilt Sew Along! I’m am so excited to get things started and talk all about fabric today because let’s be honest, we all have a deep love of fabric. 😍 First things first, below you will find the fabric requirements for the Blanco Quilt Pattern and be sure to snag your copy from my shop. It’s currently 20% off through May 1st 2021.

	Baby 42″ x 56″	Throw 69″ x 69″	Queen 84″ x 96″
Main Fabric	1 ¾ yards or 6 Fat Quarters	3 ½ yards or 13 Fat Quarters	5 yards or 21 Fat Quarters
Background Fabric	2 yards	3 ½ yards	5 ¾ yards
Backing	3 ¾ yards	4 ½ yards	9 yards
Binding	½ yard	¾ yard	¾ yard

Fabric Selection

I designed the quilt to be made as a two color quilt or as a fat quarter version. Of course you can make it however you like, there have been some amazing scrappy versions made already! Visit the #BlancoQuilt hashtag for loads of inspiration.

My first two Blanco Quilts are two color versions, my third is made with fat quarters, and the version I am making during the sew along is another fat quarter version. I love the variety that can be achieved when making this quilt with fat quarters.

Blue Blanco Quilt block with scrap fabrics and scissors

When working with fat quarters for this quilt you will be able to get two blocks from each fat quarter. So if you would like a bit more variety then you can cut your fat quarters to only produce one block and use double the amount of fat quarters. We’ll go over this more next week when we’re cutting everything out.

Stash Friendly

One of the main reasons I designed the Blanco Quilt to use fat quarters is because I wanted it to be stash friendly. As much as I like buying fabric, I know there are times when I need to shop my ever growing stash. So giving both fabric options is the best of both worlds. A couple of the fabrics I selected for the above quilt ended up not being a full fat quarter (18″ x 21″) so I had to supplement with additional fabrics.

*The way the fat quarters are cut in the pattern you need a full 21″ length on the long side of the fat quarter.*

Since the majority of my stash is still packed in boxes from our move a couple months ago I decided to do a bit of shopping for my fabrics. During the sew along I’ll be using GRL PWR fabrics by Damask Love for Riley Blake Designs and a Riley Blake Confetti Cotton Rainforest solid for the background. I will be stitching the throw size which only requires 13 fat quarters, so I’ll use the remainder of the bundle for my binding fabric.

I did a quick mock-up of what the quilt will look like.

Blanco Quilt Sew Along Sponsor – Fat Quarter Shop

I am thrilled to introduce our sponsor for week 1 is Fat Quarter Shop!

About Fat Quarter Shop
Fat Quarter Shop started as a side hobby for Kimberly Jolly in 2003. She was working as an accountant full time while cutting, packing, and shipping right out of her home during nights and weekends. From the very beginning, she was committed to delivering top-notch service for every single order and customer. As the Fat Quarter Shop’s reputation grew, Kimberly decided to make it a full-time operation. Her husband, Kevin, joined her not long after, and with his help, lots of hard work, and a tireless commitment, the store began to grow.

Flash forward to today, the Fat Quarter Shop offers quilting fabrics, fabric precuts, quilt kits, patterns, notions and more. We also offer a wide range of exclusive kits, clubs and block of the month programs. Fat Quarter Shop stocks major fabric brands such as Moda, Riley Blake, Robert Kaufman, Art Gallery, Andover, Ruby Star Society, Marcus Brothers and Windham. We carry the largest online selection of fat quarter bundles.
-Fat Quarter Shop

Fun fact, Fat Quarter Shop is the very first online shop I bought quilting fabric from back when I started quilting more seriously in 2010/2011! They have a fabulous selection of products, top notch customer service, and shipping is quick. Extra quick for me since they’re based right outside of Austin and I’m in Houston. 😁 Those of you sewing along with us in real time April – May 2021, grab your fabrics and be sure to post them to the #BlancoQuiltSAL hashtag for your chance to win a $35 Gift Card to Fat Quarter Shop!

Blanco Quilt Sew Along Color Inspiration

I’ll leave you with a bit of color inspiration for the sew along. I love the variety and how simple fabric changes can change the look and feel of the pattern!