Some Ideas For Larger Focal Prints and Selvage to Selvage Designs

June 24, 2025

As many of you know Deb and I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Dallas. One of the amazing things that stood out to me was how some things seem so simple when you actually see them but yet we don't think to implement these simple things in our sewing and quilting projects.

Some of the prettiest fabrics out there are large scale prints and print designs that run from selvage to selvage. If you are like me, these catch your eye but then I have trouble using them in my quilting. Many of these prints really don't play well with others when they are chopped up into smaller pieces (the pretty design is lost and you are left with random mismatched squares that don't even look like they are from the same piece of fabric).

While in Dallas we were treated to a class with Moda designer, Robin Pickens. She often has some of these type fabrics and I loved some of the ideas she gave us for using them.

Quilted yardage of a selvage to selvage design in Robin Picken's upcoming "Peony" line.

Just look at this gorgeous fabric. The design goes from selvage to selvage and could be a bit challenging to use in traditional quilt blocks. But think how awesome this quilted piece of fabric would be if it was made into a large tote bag. You could pick out a nice blender fabric in one of the darker colors to make some outside pockets and another coordinating darker color for the straps.

But how else can we use something like this? Robin Pickens had some great ideas for this particular fabric. Look how she used the two different colors of this same design in two different runners.

Other than using two different color fabrics, can you spot how she changed it up a bit with these two runners?

The one on the left uses the design just in the center of the runner and finished up each end with the pieced triangles. But look at the one on the right.......she cut a piece of the design that was close to the selvages and used that almost like a "cuff" for each end, then placed the pieced triangles, and then put the remaining piece of the fabric strip in the center of the runner. So easy but yet so effective!

Now look how she utilized that fabric as a border option on this throw quilt. It frames the center medallion perfectly! And just think how quickly that would sew up.

Here is another option! I loved this new pattern she is releasing with this fabric line. Such a unique way to showcase these type fabrics. And if you don't care for hearts, how easy would it be to switch those blocks out for another block you like.

This pattern is called "Raining Love on You" by Robin Pickens, pictured in her upcoming Peony line.

And with this type pattern you could also just use some large scale prints for the long strips, some of those great prints that you hate to cut up in small pieces. Look at this Kaffe Fassett option. How great would it look as the long strips and then you could make the hearts out of coordinating blenders that pick up some of the colors.

What a shame to cut these large flowers up into small squares and lose the bold impact!

Now let's look at another Robin Pickens fabric that has the selvage to selvage design. There is an amazing array of colors across the fabric, one colorway works it way into another, purples to reds, to oranges, to pinks to yellows.......

If you cut large squares out of this fabric in each of the different colored areas it would look like each block came from a different piece of fabric. You could make an entire quilt by using coordinating blenders with each colorway. How about starting with a pattern similar to this one.

How simple would it be to cut the different colorways out for the bigger blocks in this pattern, and then finding some great blenders with a more subdued pattern that coordinates and using those for the smaller surrounding blocks. That way your eye will focus on those large floral squares and the more subdued fabrics surrounding it won't distract or compete with it.

I hope this gets you thinking about different ways to put this type of fabric to use. I know I'm really excited to use some in future projects!

Twila

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