Welcome to our first official Wagon Wheel sew along email!  Thank you for joining us  – I'm really looking forward to our time together, and to seeing what turns your Wagon Wheel takes!

 

This week I'm offering some guidelines in choosing your Wagon Wheel fabrics. I'll also be discussing this info LIVE on our Zoom in two days! Wendy, Amy and I will  be answering any questions you may have, so join the zoom Thursday (September 12 at 6:30 pm ET, 4:30 MT) with the link below!
 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87178987496
Meeting ID: 871 7898 7496
 

Week 1 Goal
Gather your supplies, including fabric and pattern! Post a photo of your fabric pull on Instagram by midnight September 15 (ET) with hashtag #wagonwheelsal24 to be eligible for our Week 1 prize (more about that further down)! While you're posting, take a moment to introduce yourself – it's a great way to connect with the nearly 500 like-minded souls around the world who are sharing the sew along experience with you!

If you don't already have a copy of the pattern, you'll need one asap! The Wagon Wheel pattern and the optional acrylic template sets are available across the pond from The Next Stitch, in Canada from Fabric Spark, and stateside from moi or Sewtopia – the latter has a combo discount for both pattern and templates!

I'm the worst when it comes to this; (I've always been a look-at-the-pictures and figure-it-out-as-I-go kind of person) but I implore you not to follow this example! 

 

The pattern has loads of essential and necessary information, from the backstory of the Wagon Wheel pattern, to fabric, cutting, and time-saving tips. Invest the time now—a quick front-to-back read-through right off the bat will give you an overview and pave the way for a smooth roll out. 

When I re-read the introduction to the Wagon Wheel pattern, I was reminded that the seemingly “unselfconscious choices” of quilters past is something that has always inspired me. My guess is they just didn't have a wealth of options at their fingertips, and made do with what they had on hand to great effect. 

 

The best way to start a new project is to make time for whatever gets your mind going—for me, it could be a visit to the flea market, browsing art or vintage quilt books, or thumbing through fashion magazines. I take snap shots to collect the palettes that inspire me—a fashion ad with unusual color combos, colorful vintage packaging, sometimes even the logos on trucks—to use later as a guide for pulling from my stash. Stay open, and pay attention to what excites you!

 

If you find yourself feeling indecisive or overthinking things, try setting some arbitrary parameters for your project. Put a scrap of each of your fabric choices in a paper bag and blindly pull three to five to create a palette. (It's surprising how freeing this simple exercise can be.) Chances are, all your options will “go” together anyway; you're just employing a little spin on the wheel of fortune to help make the final selection!

 

Having an intention for your project offers its own set of parameters for your choices. What size are you making? Does that limit your options for fabric choices if working from your stash? Making a quilt to gift? Consider the palette of the recipient's decor, or ask for a piece of personal clothing to incorporate, and work the other fabrics around that. Or maybe you want to challenge yourself to work with a palette that's different from your regular go-to choices. Always use prints? Try using 30% prints and 70% solids.

 

Noodle around with this  downloadable coloring sheet to help you play, and plan your ideas.

A straightforward approach to choosing fabrics makes for a cohesive, sophisticated finish, and avoids a lot of decision-making throughout the process. To me this translates into a clear system for your choices—one fabric for the wheels, one for the axles, one for the background etc. My original version of the pattern in my book Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration (above) used a limited fabric palette, focusing attention on the strong graphic appeal of the pattern.

Assigning a specific color for each block part puts the focus on the interaction of these parts. Axle and wheel fabrics similar in temperature (cool or warm), or similar in value (dark or light) can make the X of the axles less conspicuous (like the two versions above). Or, do the opposite and emphasize the axles with highly contrasting colors or value as I did with my orginal version.

It's easy to bring a bit of variation to this straightforward approach by using wheel fabrics in the same hue that vary in intensity or temperature, or using a range of prints in the same color family.

 

When my Bonny fabrics came out, I made a Wagon Wheel similar to the one in my book, but substituted the solid wheels with prints in one colorway (below). 

Below are more examples of using a range of wheel fabrics, paired with consistency in the ground and accent fabrics. Left, by Wendy at The Next Stitch, right by @leannelovessewing. 

 

The Wagon Wheel instructions include cutting layouts for using yardage or fat quarters, making it easy to highlight a stack of favorite fat quarters for the wheels!

When I design quilt patterns, it's typically to showcase a new fabric collection. That means I'm using a range of textures and colors for the “feature” parts of the pattern, so I usually pair the prints with a consistent solid ground color to keep things manageable. My brain tends to lean toward a balance that is strongly theme, with a little variation.

 

That changed for me when I saw a Wagon Wheel quilt that @bmariedavis posted on social media (below left). Totally outside my usual approach, with varying block backgrounds, axel, and wheel fabrics, but it is SO successful, and visually cohesive. It also looks like she had so much fun making it! 

 

The block by @lugi5000 (below right) showed up in my feed recently and is another cool variation I hadn't considered! Can't wait to see what this looks like across the whole quilt!

Although the pattern instructions call for cutting all your fabric up front, you may want to consider a few different sash fabric options, and wait to cut until you have some blocks made. This way you can more easily “audition” your options to gauge the effect of your choices. Note: a soft hue or value makes for a more subtle grid, a bold contrasting hue makes the grid a standout feature.

 

Adding directional fabrics to the mix is a magical way to add subtle or bold interest and variation to your Wagon Wheel, even while keeping your fabrics consistent. 

 

Wendy from The Next Stitch used a fine plaid on white (from my Darling collection) for the sashing in her Wagon Wheel below, adding a delicate textural touch as a stunning compliment to the boldness of the wheels.

 

Fussy cutting can use a bit more fabric than cutting economically, but you can create fun effects by selectively cutting. The large wheel pieces are great for fussy cutting, especially because you can make the pieces appear to rotate around the center with a directional print like this dot stripe from my Patchwork Panel 5. 

I hope you find this helpful in making  fabric choices for your Wagon Wheel. If you find you need more guidance, please feel free to reach out to our online sew along community —they're a great, supportive group! 

Don’t forget to post a picture of your fabric pull with hashtag #wagonwheelsal24 by midnight, September 15 for a chance to win our prizes for this week:

 

• Two issues of QuiltFolk magazine – the Connecticut issue (featuring yours truly!) and the current Oklahoma issue! A beautiful, ad-free print magazine that features a new region each quarter, QuiltFolk explores the people and places that make it unique. Whether you’re an experienced quilter or just beginning your journey, Quiltfolk offers creativity and connection for all. 

 

• A fat quarter bundle of beautiful Celeste fabrics by Sally Kelly, donated by our friends at XLN Fabrics!

 

• A bundle of my Patchwork Panels! Each panel showcases artwork from my archives, recolored and regrouped on 2.2 yard panels for a curated, convenient stash-builder. Every panel features 8 fat quarter prints, a bonus print, and fun numeric artwork! 

Karen, aka Lady K Quilts won our FABULOUS pre-sal prize, a Bonny fat quarter bundle and the super-duper Ruby + Bee swatch set from Windham Fabrics! Congratulations, Karen!