another crossroad

do i need another wip? of course i do! i've been thinking of making another "crossroads" quilt in low-volume fabrics and in early december i just went ahead and started it.

"crossroads" blocks are so fun to make as each is a small pairing of fabrics and a mini project in itself. my first one came together a few blocks at a time over several months and i decided that starting another one would allow me to have fun one or two blocks at a time when i didn't have much time to quilt but wanted to do something quick and satisfying to sew.

i decided to go with pink centers instead of the traditional red centers since the fabrics would all be low volume. red seemed like it would be too strong, so a softer red (aka pink) would be better. kona's color of the year 2017, pink flamingo, is a lovely bright pink with a bit of coral to it.

i found so many fun prints in my stash and scraps that are low volume. i decided to use color prints for the rectangles (fields) and neutral prints for the strips (roads). i've generally gone for contrast in density within the block between those two parts. 

my definition of low-volume is a little loose. some of my early picks were very light in color. others i grabbed seemed low-volume when i took them off the shelf, but felt a lot more vibrant when placed with the other light ones. i think that will balance out as i go.

this older leah duncan print is well-loved and i was excited to include it in this quilt, but it came out a lot more saturated with color than i expected compared to the other blocks. but i'm loving it and keeping it anyway.

i'm so glad i started this project in conjunction with the others i have going because it's been quite fun and satisfying. i've been using little bits of some favorite fabrics that i still have in little scraps, like this cute firefly bunting print.  

i've found several liberty tana lawns that are working beautifully. i was unsure about using that art gallery fabrics oval elements with the "ros" print, but i think it works really well. 

most of the prints i started with had pinks in them and went really well with the flamingo centers. when i decided to add other prints that didn't have any pinks in them, i was unsure they'd work. but they totally do. that's one of the fun things about the consistent centers in the blocks - they really tie the quilt together and make all the scrappiness feel cohesive.

this "theo" liberty print is just the cutest with the grey gingham, isn't it? it might be my favorite so far.

if you haven't started a crossroads quilt yet, what's stopping you?! go over to treehouse textiles and get yourself the pattern and start pulling scraps together. you will love it!

and, yes, i already know which one i'm making next when this one is finished.

any guesses?