Block Widow Fabric Inspiration
The Block Widow pattern releases in just a few days, on September 22! And I wanted to make sure you have plenty of fabric inspiration for this quilt. The bigger the quilt size, the more FQs are needed to make the quilt. If you love pulling in lots of fabrics, go for the large throw, and the scrappy spider version. If you like using fewer fabrics, I’d recommend the small throw, one-color spider version. This way, you can focus on a scrappy background and easily pick out a contrasting fabric for the spider.
The mockups I’ve put together below are all the large throw size, with a solid spider. Make sure you save the version you like (hello Pinterest!) so you can reference when you head to your local quilt shop this weekend! Don’t forget, you can color in your own version with the digital coloring page over at QuiltInk.
Ruby Star Society
Let’s start things off with our favorite modern quilting cotton line!
Washi Plus by Rashida Coleman Hale is hitting stores right now, and with these candy color fabrics, I couldn’t help but mock this up! If you like this version, the blue, orange, yellow and pink fabrics make a great scrappy background. Keep the cream fabrics for the spider body. In this version, I used the Roll With It in Natural for the spider body.
I honestly can’t choose between a dark spider and a light spider, so I had to include two versions of Washi Plus. The dark spider body looks best when the scrappy background fabrics don’t use the other the dark fabrics from the line. Focusing on the light blues, pinks and yellows help emphasize the contrast between the background and the main spider motif. I used the darkest print in the line, Washi in Bluebell, for the spider body.
I would like to pat myself on the back for this mockup! I have a hard time using cool colors, but when I pulled up the Hello Alice line by Sarah Watts, these rich purples just called out to be made into a Halloween quilt. Save the lighter fabrics for the spider body - in this version I used the Falling Aces in Shell for the spider.
The Geometry collaboration line has had my heart ever since I first saw it. I love the Grandpa’s closet vibes these prints bring to the Block Widow pattern. I’ve mocked up up with speckled in the spider body and spider accent.
Art Gallery Fabrics
I know some quilters like softer colors than I typically gravitate towards, so let’s move over to Art Gallery Fabrics, who make great use of romantic palettes.
I haven’t worked with wovens too much, but the straightforward assembly of the Block Widow lends itself to working well with them. Here, I’ve used Wildflower Wovens by Suzy Quilts to create a cozy cottage vibe. If you go this route, use the light cream color for the spider body, and you’ll have to repeat a few colors in the background, as there are fewer fabrics in this line than the large throw calls for.
We’re straying far from the Halloween vibes of the quilt, but I just love the romantic background patchwork with Marigold fabrics by Maureen Cracknell. There’s something interesting about the contrast between the charming florals and spider design… it reminds me of Charlotte’s Web.
Ok back to my roots! Halloween prints. Art Gallery Fabrics always puts out the sweetest, spookiest prints. If you like these fabrics, use the prints that are heavy on the black and white in the background, and save the orange prints for the spider body.
Solids
I love the look of solids in a scrappy background. If you’re the same, I’ve got you covered with a few different lines of solids.
Kona Cottons always has the greatest variety of solids. Here are the colors I’ve used in this small throw mock up:
Background:
Acid Lime
Aloe
Candy Pink
Dahlia
Gumdrop
Honeysuckle
Orchid
Pool
Spider Body and Accent
Celestial
Natural
I can’t picture a more perfect Halloween palette than these Tula Pink solids. This is a baby size mock up that uses the following fabrics:
Background:
Cosmo
Hibiscus
Limeade
Pear
Persimmon
Sweet Pea
Taffy
Tula
Spider Body and Accent
Diva
Glacier
These Pop solids remind me of hard candies like Smarties or Pez! Here are the colors used in this small throw mockup:
Apricot
Daffodil
Lime
Petal
Pink
Rose
Sunshine
Spider Body and Accent
Crocus
Saffron
I hope you have so much planning fabrics for your Block Widow pattern. I’ve got plenty of other Halloween projects for you to daydream over. Have you seen my Pump Queen quilt block? It’s perfect for sweet and spooky sewing, and I have lots of resources to walk you through the triangles and inset circles.
