Kay M Capps Cross loves black and white, and sometime she adds a pop of color…. almost any color!  Many designers will move to a black and white quilt at some point, but for Kay, black and white is her mainstay and really sets her creative spirit free. Her quilts are sometimes geometric, sometimes wonky, sometimes arty, but they will always catch your eye and give you something interesting to look at.

Jailhouse Row is a fun wall hanging.  The cats are paper pieced and can be left as is (just black on a white background) or you can embellish away and dress them up.  Kay says this is an easy quilt, so start sewing and pretty soon all you’ll have all your kitties in a row.

Grab your scraps or use a favorite panel, either way this quilt-as-you-go project will finish quickly. Strong straps (‘cuz they go all the way around the bottom of the bag) and a very roomy interior (it holds a 24″ cutting mat!) will make this Scrap Bag your favorite large (we’re talking huge!) tote.

Paper pieced crisp points and the gold color turn an ordinary pine tree into “Royaltry“.  Be daring and try silk to make it elegant.  The border adds a special touch of interest.

Posy Set #1 is the first of four sets of posy patterns. Finish them all and you will have a 56″ x 74″ quilt full of posies.  Choose your accent color to match your room.

Be sure to check out the book Black & White Quilts by Design.  It includes a dozen patterns for a range of experience levels, with clear instructions for applique and paper piecing.  Browse all the Cross Cuts patterns and you will also notice that several projects are suitable for scraps.

Gray is the newest popular background / neutral fabric color. It’s probably normally thought of as a ‘blah’ color but some of the new gray fabrics are so very pretty.

Beyond the Gate Gray Scroll has a solid gray background with white swirly, curly vines of leaves and buds.

Pale Grey Folio Vine is a tone on tone with a background of varying shades of grey.  The leaves of the vine are tipped in shades of grey.  All the shading creates a very soft look.

As the name suggests, this white background fabric with grey swirls is reminiscent of weddings.   Something Old Something New would make a great border fabric, or even a background, for a wedding quilt.

Granite Beauty Dark Gray is a large print.  The 3″ flowers look handpainted.  It’s just a gorgeous fabric!  Pair this with a light blue – beautiful!

Great for background, Stonehenge Cement is also a good fabric to have on hand if you do landscape quilt.  Lots of variations in the fabric adds the look of lots of texture to your project.

Subtle rose drawings on a shaded grey background is Quilters Rose Smoke.  It’s a very delicate looking, romantic hinting, grey fabric.

Have you tried any grey in your quilts?  Here’s your chance!  Check out the rest of the grey fabrics – they are found in our White, Black and Gray Fabrics section.

We all know that our quilts need light, medium and dark fabrics to bring out the design.  We tend to use several colors to get those values in our quilts.  But sometimes it can be satisfying to use just one color and vary the value within that color.    When you have a lot of other color going on in a room, having a monochromatic quilt can offer a quiet place for the eye.

Square Up by Janet Pittman is a fat quarter friendly quilt.  This lap size quilt (42″ x 54″) is fast and easy to make.  

Break out of the box with this break-some-rules design.  Syncopated Ribbons will let you dig into your scrap bag to create a truly one of a kind quilt.  

What a beautiful quilt for hanging on a dining room wall…  or in your French Country kitchen.  It soothing and pleasing to view.  China Dishes is a quick, easy quilt finishing at 57″ x 63″.

Here’s another quick & easy quilt.  Dutch Treat from Rasmatazz Designs is 64″ square so it on the table or on the wall.  It’s rather striking, don’t you think?  The designer, Susan Nelson, suggests using a color that coordinates with your favorite dishes.

These patterns were designed for a simple color palette, but you can take almost any pattern and make it monochromatic.  If you’re not sure if you’ll like the effect with a particular pattern, just make a couple blocks.  If you’re not thrilled enough to make an entire quilt you can use the blocks for a tote bag or mini table topper.

 Recently, while preparing to start an arty quilt with goldfish, I searched my stash for just the right orange.  It was a quick search - I have so little orange!  Lots of blues, brown, greens, creams, whites, and reds, but just a few oranges.  And I don’t know why.  It’s a lovely color, with good manners.  It will never give you the cold shoulder, but always a warm welcome.  So I’m off on a search for more orange.

Sunny Daisies on an orange background in American Jane Snippets clearly says “Summer”.

Splish Splash Spots Orange is a double dose of happy… polka dots and orange all in the same fabric.

 Surf ‘N Safari is a bright, bold, must-be-noticed orange!  The background undulates from the lightest shade to a deep orange with an overlay of splatters in even darker orange.

 Happy yellow swirls are paired with small blue dots on an orange background in Play Date.  It’s  a litte heavy on the yellow, but  this one . . . .

 
 . . . . with yellow in the form of smallish stars on the same background (also in the Play Date line) gives a hint of yellow, and lets the orange take center stage.

Garden Party orange is very soft and underplayed.  It could be used in a project and wouldn’t shout orange, but a warm feeling would still result.

Getting back to my goldfish, I think Splash Papaya might be just right. It will really pop against the background of many different blues. 

Do you have any orange quilt fabric in your stash?