LAYOUT IDEAS
Pretty much as soon as I decided to make a new Perfect Pairs quilt with a lovely muted rainbow colour palette, my mind started whirling with ideas for the block layout. Now this is exactly the sort of thing that keeps me awake at night as I contemplate different variations, which is why I always keep a notebook and pen nearby to jot down my ideas. Whilst there may be endless possibilities, I’ve narrowed it down to four versions .....well so far anyway! I would add, if like me you are using nine feature fabrics on just three different background fabrics each month, (fabric club members, this is you too) I would suggest that so that you can get a nice even distribution of fabrics and background fabric tones in the finished quilt, DO NOT sew the blocks together until the very end. Here are my current thoughts:
The Orderly Version
This is perfect for those of you who like things neat and organised, and it’s probably the closest to resembling a rainbow in real life. Equally, you could also try the same idea in columns instead of rows, so I'm thinking reds in column 1 (first on the left), pink in column 2, brown in column 3 and so on.
The Diagonal Version
It’s still neat and organised, but this layout it could be argued feels that it has a bit more energy to it. I can imagine that when you are snuggled under or had this folded on the back of the sofa, you would be able to nicely see all the colours!
The Random 'ish' Version
A little bit like marmite, you will either love a random layout or hate it. Personally, I enjoy randomness, but I still need a touch of order. My brain definitely could NOT handle a 'lucky dip’ style layout where I completely picked my blocks at random when piecing them together. So, in this option, I have made sure that each row and column contains each colour just the once.
The Puzzlers Version
Once I had completed Option 3, I then thought of my darling dad and his love of Sudoku, which he passed on to me. For those of you who haven't fallen down the rabbit hole of a Sudoku puzzle, the premise is that each row, each column and each 3 x3 sub grid must contain digits 1–9 with no repeats. So the concept is completely transferable to a quilt...right?!
I hope that you feel inspired, but if you are still contemplating and would like to plan you very own unique layout, I've created a colouring in sheet for you to print.
Exiting isn't it!
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
Throughout the sew-along, I will share my progress on Instagram and I will use the hashtag:
#PFTPerfectPairsSewAlong
Please do add your own photographs to the hashtag so that we can all see. I've also created a Perfect Pairs 'Highlight' at the top of of my grid on Instagram, where I will group all 'reels'. So it is definitely be worth keeping an eye on my page there.
Wishing you LOTS of happy stitches!
Sarah xo
