With so much inspiration at our fingertips on Instagram and Pinterest, it’s hard to know where our own unique creative voice begins and the sound of others’ voices end. One simple way to make your projects stand out from those that inspire you, however, is through fabric choice! A few simple tweaks of fabric can showcase your personal tastes and take a project that was someone else’s — and make it a reflection of “you.”

Color

One of the easiest ways to change the look of an existing quilt project is by switching up the color. We realize color is intimidating to many quilters, but it doesn’t have to be! While it’s true that switching color hues and values in a project can result in a new (possibly unintended) design to emerge, this can be part of the fun! Embracing the unexpected can result in great learning opportunities for you as a quilter to determine what you like and don’t like for the future. As you continue to make projects with your own color choices, your confidence will grow in your own abilities to put fabrics together. This is how you will develop and hone your unique creative voice.

However, if altering the colors from the sample pattern is stressful to you — please, don’t do it! There are other ways to bring your uniqueness to a project without taking the joy out of the process. Creative time is meant to be enjoyed! So do what brings you joy!

Pattern Design

Another easy way to add your own creative voice to a project is by staying within the same color family, but switching out the pattern design. This can result in a completely different look if you swap out a large-scale design where the original sample had a small-scale pattern. Or, you can achieve similar but still unique results by staying within the same scale but choosing a pattern design that is more “you.” Perhaps you swap a fabric choice for a designer that you love or an out-of-print fabric that you pick up from someone’s destash. The possibilities are endless with all the gorgeous fabrics we quilters have available to us!

Texture

One more simple way to switch up a project is to change the texture of the fabric used. Selecting linen, vintage sheets, voile, chambray, or woven fabrics will give a different look and feel than quilting cotton. You can mix and match for a juxtaposition of texture or go with one fabric type exclusively. Even if you choose the same color palette as your inspiration project, you’ll still end up with a result that is unique to you!

Shameless Self-Promotion (*wink, wink*)

Shopping secondhand is an awesome way to add an individual flair to your project with fabric selections that are no longer available on the mainstream market. If you’re looking for something special to make your next project shine, why not see what you can pick up in the FeelGood Fibers shop today? We can’t wait to see what you make next!