How to Choose Fabrics for a Quilt to Make Secondary Designs Shine
Fabric tips for the Cornerstone Quilt Pattern
When I sit down to design a quilt, sometimes the inspiration starts with the block design. Other times, it starts with a fabric print that I want to showcase. I’ll find a collection I love and begin asking myself, “How can I design a quilt that lets these fabrics shine?”
When it comes to the Cornerstone quilt pattern, it was the fabric AND the block design that inspired me to explore my latest creation =)
One of the questions I’m asked most often is how to choose fabrics for this quilt, especially when the design relies on value and secondary patterns. The good news is that you don’t have to guess because I can let you in on my design process and share with you a few simple principles that can make a dramatic difference in how your finished quilt looks.
One of the reasons I love designing block-based quilts is that a single block can become so much more than it first appears. Simply changing the fabrics, adjusting the value, or repeating and rotating the block into a thoughtful layout can completely transform the look of the finished quilt. The same block can take on an entirely new personality.
As the blocks in Cornerstone come together, a secondary design with unexpected stars begins to emerge, creating a feel that one can’t imagine when looking at a single block on its own.
In this post, I’ll share the fabrics I used for my cover quilt, my favorite tips for choosing fabrics that highlight those secondary designs, and a few layout ideas that show just how much variety can come from one simple block.
The Fabrics I Used
One of the questions I’m asked most often is, “What fabrics did you use in that quilt?”
For the Cornerstone cover quilt, I chose fabrics that emphasized the secondary star design while keeping the overall look clean and modern.
Cover Quilt Fabrics (with Art Gallery Fabrics)
- Fabric 1: Farm Fresh (Summer Homestead Collection)
- Fabric 2: Cherry Lipgloss (Pure Solid)
- Fabric 3: Bumble & Bloom Sky (Summer Homestead Collection)
- Fabric 4: Spruce (Pure Solid)
- Fabric 5: Glowdust Golden (Geobloom Collection)
- Fabric 6: Gingerbread (Pure Solid)
- Background: Glowdust Snow (Geobloom Collection)
Choosing Fabrics That Make the Design Shine
When choosing fabrics, it’s easy to focus on a hero print or a favorite color to begin. But one of the biggest factors that determines how this quilt looks is actually going to be value, or how light or dark a fabric appears. Two fabrics can be the same color family, yet if one is noticeably darker than the other, that contrast helps the shapes within the block stand out. When fabrics are too similar in value, those shapes begin to blend together.
For Cornerstone, I intentionally used value to create the illusion of overlapping shapes across the block. Rather than selecting six completely unrelated fabrics, I recommend choosing three color families, with each pair consisting of a lighter and darker value of the same color.
For example:
- Fabrics 1 & 2: Similar color, with Fabric 2 darker
- Fabrics 3 & 4: Similar color, with Fabric 4 darker
- Fabrics 5 & 6: Similar color, with Fabric 6 darker
Those subtle value changes give the block a layered quality, allowing the center stars to shine while adding depth and movement throughout the quilt. The effect isn’t dramatic within a single block, but the fun lies in this discovery as the blocks repeat across the quilt and the shading helps the secondary star designs emerge. Of course, this is just one approach. If you choose fabrics with stronger value contrast, the quilt will take on a bolder, more graphic look.
Watch the Youtube Video below for more information:
The Asymmetrical Block Is Where the Magic Happens =)
One of my favorite things about Cornerstone is that it’s built from an asymmetrical block. Unlike many traditional quilt blocks that look the same no matter how they’re rotated, Cornerstone has a clear sense of direction and that was completely intentional from the beginning of my design process.
As the blocks begin repeating across the quilt, they start interacting with one another in ways that aren’t obvious when you’re looking at a single block. Your eye begins to discover new stars and geometric shapes formed in the spaces between neighboring blocks, creating movement throughout the quilt. Those secondary designs are one of my favorite parts of quilting because you don’t quite see them yet until it is time to sew the blocks together.
What makes Cornerstone even more exciting is that the layout doesn’t have to stop there. Simply rotating or rearranging the blocks creates entirely different secondary designs while using the exact same block. In other words, while the piecing doesn’t change the overall personality of the quilt does.
Here are a few layout ideas to explore:
Each arrangement creates its own sense of movement and balance and that’s what I love about this design!
Quilt Requirements
If you’d like to make your own Cornerstone quilt, here are the fabric requirements:
A Quilt That Rewards Experimentation
One of the things I enjoy most about Cornerstone is watching how dramatically it changes with different fabric choices and layouts. A brighter palette creates a playful, energetic quilt. High-contrast fabrics emphasize the bold, graphic shapes, while subtle value changes allow the secondary stars to quietly emerge. Even something as simple as rotating the blocks creates an entirely different visual rhythm. Every version tells its own story.
That’s one of the reasons I love designing quilts. A pattern provides the framework, but it’s your fabric choices, layout decisions, and personal style that bring it to life. No two Cornerstone quilts need to look alike, and that’s exactly what makes seeing each finished quilt so exciting.
If you’d like to make your own version, the Cornerstone Quilt Pattern is now available in my shop. I can’t wait to see the fabrics you choose, the layouts you explore, and the unique personality you bring to the design.
Happy quilting!
Christina
