Oh, Fransson!

Sparkle Punch Quilt-Along

There seemed to be a lot of interest in more specific instructions for making a quilt like the one I made Mo, so I'm going to start the year with a quilt-along!

Like any of my quilt-alongs, this is going to be a series of posts without a specific timeline for completion. My goal is simply to provide instructions that you can follow on your own time.

My instructions for making a 60" x 72" quilt will be posted as follows:

January 4: What You'll Need

January 11: Making the Stars

January 19: Making the Quilt Top

January 25: Making the Quilt Back

February 1: Finishing the Quilt 

More photos of my finished quilt can be found here.

I'm not going to start a separate Flickr Pool for this quilt-along but, as always, I welcome photos of your work in my regular Flickr Pool.

Looking forward to quilting with you! 

Tokyo Subway Map Quilt: Basics and Supplies

This is the first post in my Tokyo Subway Map Quilt-Along.  This is a laid-back quilt-along that you can join any time you want.  There is no need to "sign up" but, if you want to share photos of your work, you are welcome to join my Tokyo Subway Map Quilt-Along Flickr Group.

 
Welcome to the Tokyo Subway Map Quilt-Along!  I will be posting instructions for making a 60" x 60" quilt composed of 1,600 tiny squares.  (Time to use up those scraps!)  The quilt top will be pieced from 25 blocks, which I'll describe in a series of 25 posts. 

If you're looking to do something a little different, please don't hesitate to make your own drawing and/or calculations for a revised version in a different shape or size.

Please note that, although my pattern was inspired by a real map of the Tokyo Subway System, it is a stylized interpretation that makes no attempt to duplicate the system's actual layout. 

 
A note about difficulty level . . .The construction of this quilt is both incredibly straightforward and deceptively complex.  The fact that every block is made only of squares means that we'll only be cutting squares and sewing with straight seams.  However, the small size and large number of the squares, as well as the unconventional arrangement of the subway "lines" running through each block, demands a certain amount of precision.  In particular, it will be imperative to keep seam allowance consistent throughout the quilt. 

Please let your own comfort level be your guide in deciding whether this is a project for you. 

 
The quilt top will be made from a grid of 40 x 40 squares measuring 2" x 2" before they're sewn.

The squares will fall into the following groups:

"Lines"

The quilt top includes 10 different subway "lines" each indicated by a different color.  Refer to the chart below to see how many print and solid squares (each 2" x 2") you will need for each line. 

Feel free to use as many or as few different fabrics as you like.  I suggest letting your stash be your guide.  If you have lots of smaller scraps, consider cutting fewer squares each from more different fabrics.  If your stash is made up mostly of larger pieces, consider choosing several of your favorites and cutting an equal number from each. 

If you don't have many appropriate fabrics in your stash, you may want to invest in 1/4 yard pieces of one or two prints in each color before starting this project.  If you don't have much solid fabric, a Kona charm pack can be a fast way to get a bunch of little pieces.

This composition relies heavily on harmony among the print and solid fabrics in each colored line.  Lay prospective fabrics/scraps on your work surface and consider whether you think they look right together.  If one fabric sticks out on your table, it's likely to stick out in your quilt too. 

This project will be most successful when made entirely with monochromatic prints.  However, because the squares we're using are so small, you may find that it's possible to fussy-cut monochromatic 2" x 2" squares from a larger print (e.g. green squares cut from large leaves on a big floral print).

"Stops"

Subway "stops" will be represented by squares cut from black and white print fabrics.  Use as many or few different prints as you like to cut 60 total "stops" each measuring 2" x 2".  For best results, choose bold, graphic prints that do not include any color.  Don't hesitate to fussy-cut some of these squares.

Background

All background squares should be cut from the same white solid.  I recommend Kona White or Kona Snow.  Enough white solid squares for this project can be cut from 2 5/8 yards of fabric at least 42" wide.  Cut 45 strips 2" x width of fabric, subcutting into 891 squares 2" x 2" each.

 

I suggest cutting all of the squares before you start piecing.   I'll discuss this more when we get into piecing, but having all of the squares cut will make it easier to distribute each print evenly across the quilt top.

My next quilt-along post will include general piecing directions, including the layout of the first block.

I'm looking forward to quilting along with you!

ETA:  A Q&A thread is now up in the Flickr Group.  Please refer to it for asking or finding answers to questions about the pattern.  Thanks!

Scrappy Paintbox Quilt Finished!

Want to make a quilt like this?  Join the Paintbox Quilt-Along!  See other people's Paintbox Quilts here.

 
I'm a woman on a mission this week.  Last week, one of my students asked me how many quilts I have going at any given time and I was embarrassed to admit that I'd lost count of my WIP quilts.  So, this week I'm trying to get as many as possible completed!

This quilt is approximately 62" x 72".  I should have known this since, you know, I wrote the pattern, but I was still surprised by how big this finished quilt seemed!

 
The finished quilt includes 40 different Kona solids and 200 different prints.  The sashing is Essex cotton/linen (White and, on the back, Putty). 

When I was dividing up the fabrics for the blocks, I accidentally used one of the prints in two different sets of blocks, meaning the total number of prints before binding was actually 199.  I added an extra print to the binding though, bringing the total to an even 200.

 
I made my scrappy binding from 28 different prints, each cut to 2.5" x 10.5".  I sewed them end-to-end and made double-fold binding.

If you want to make binding for your Paintbox Quilt from a single fabric, you'll need 1/2 yard fabric (at least 42" wide), cut into 7 strips 2.5" x WOF.

I love the back of this quilt!  I had debated putting words on it (like the original one) but I'm glad I didn't.  I love all the negative space.

 
And, of course, you can't go wrong with a swatch block like this!

As a reminder, all of the print fabrics that I used in this quilt are tagged on my Flickr Photos.

The 40 solids I used were: Black, Coal, Ash, Brown, Bright Pink, Berry, Copen, Mulberry, Jade Green, Caribbean, Lagoon, Pacific, Azure, Peacock, Pistachio, Candy Green, Lime, Grass Green, Clover, Kiwi, Chartreuse, Peridot, Olive, Cactus, Canary, Buttercup, Corn Yellow, Ochre, Tangerine, Orange, School Bus, Mango, Red, Rich Red, Coral, Tomato, Pomegranate, Candy Pink, Cerise, and Melon.

 
George-Michael has already adopted this quilt.  I'm not sure I'm ever going to get to use it!

Making and Sewing Binding

 

The binding we're making for this quilt is straight-grain double-fold binding.  The strips we cut for our binding were cut on the grain, rather than on the bias.  There are pros and cons to both straight-grain and bias binding. 

Straight-grain binding:

• Requires less fabric

• Is easier to work with, particularly for making sharp corners.

Bias binding:

• Is useful for binding curved edges

• Can be a more interesting way to show off geometric prints like plaids or stripes

• May wear longer, since the creases aren't right on the grain

I use straight-grain binding for most quilts and think it's a good choice for a simple quilt like this. 

Start by cutting enough 2.5" strips to go around your finished quilt, plus a couple of extra inches.  Trim away selvedges.

I usually sew my binding together end-to-end, using a half inch seam allowance.  If you do this, be sure to use a slightly smaller than normal stitch to prevent the seam from pulling apart as you work. If you like to make "scrappy" binding using more than one fabric, sewing the strips end-to-end tends to look a little nicer, since the seams are perpendicular to the edges of the quilt.

 

Alternately, you can sew bias seams in your binding, as shown above.  Sewing bias seams isn't strictly necessary, but can result in somewhat less pressure on the seam and more even distribution of the seam allowance.

Use the method you feel most comfortable with.  Personally, I think that pieced binding (as in the example above) looks best when sewn together end-to-end.  If you're using a solid or a smaller or non-geometric print, the way you sew your binding strips together is going to be less apparent on your finished quilt.

 

Once your binding strips are sewn together, press the entire length in half with wrong sides together. 

You can begin pinning your binding at any point on your quilt.  I would just suggest doing it at least a foot from any corner.  (As you pin, the raw edges of your binding should line up with the edge of your quilt, wih the fold on the inside.)

If you find that any of the seams in your binding ball within an inch or so of a corner, you may want to unpin everything and adjust your binding to prevent this.  Having a seam at the conrner can make achieving perfect mitered corners difficult!

When you come to a corner, you'll need to fold the binding in a specific way in order to make a perfect mitered corner.  Start by folding the binding perpendicular to the side you just pinned, as shown above.

Then fold the binding back, as shown above, making sure that the fold is lined up with the edge of the quilt.

 

Turn the folded area so it looks like the above photo and pin in place.

Continue pinning around the entire quilt, repeating the last few steps at each corner.

When you reach the point where the two ends meet, trim away excess fabric and remove the necessary pins to make your binding look like the above photo.  Press the area, creating creases where the two ends meet.

Remove enough pins to allow you to use the crease you just pressed as a guide to sew the two ends together.

Trim the seam allowance to about half an inch and refold, press and pin the binding back in place.  You should now have continuous binding pinned all the way around your quilt.

Sew your binding to the quilt.  I use a 3/8 inch seam allowance, because I like my binding to fit tightly.  If you'd like a little more ease in your binding, you may want to use a 1/4 inch seam allowance instead.  If you have a walking/even-feed foot, you might consider using it here.  If you don't, you may need to lengthen your stitch and turn up your tension slightly to get a nice stitch through all the layers.

When you reach a corner, sew up to the diagonal fold in your binding, as shown above, and backstitch to secure.

Fold the binding back over the area you just sewed and, starting at the corner, continue sewing the binding along the next side.

Sew all the way around your quilt, repeating the last two steps at each corner.

 

Turn your binding to the back of your quilt.  To secure while you sew, you can use pins or binding clips like the ones shown above.  They look and work like hair clips, but are actually designed to hold binding in place while you sew.  (Don't put them in your hair though!  They don't have the same kind of rubbery guards that actual hair clips do.)

 

I like to use a "knotless" start when sewing binding.  To do this, fold a length of thread in half and thread the fold/loop through a sharp needle.  Pull the threads so the loop is at the long end of the thread and the loose ends are up near the eye.  Insert your needle into your quilt sandwich near the edge of your binding and pull it back up through the binding, leaving the loop as shown above. 

 

Thread the needle back through this loop . . .

 

. . . and pull, making a nice little anchor to start your stitching.

 

Begin sewing your binding down, making a stitch every quarter inch or so.  As you sew, make sure that you're pulling your needle and thread through the quilt back and into your batting, but not back through the front of your quilt. 

 

Sew around each corner, folding the binding into a nice mitered corner, as shown.  Continue sewing all the way around the quilt, until all binding is secured.

  

And that's it!  Your binding (and your quilt) is done. 

Free-Motion Quilting

 

I prepare my machine as follows:

• Fit machine with darning/free-motion foot.

• Set stitch length to zero.

• Lower feed dogs.

• Fit machine with a new needle (90/14 Universal or 90/14 Machine Quilting).  Free-motion quilting puts a lot of stress on your needle, so using a stronger one is often a good idea.

I've read about lots of ways that people whose machines don't have stitch length controls or lower-able feed dogs work around this.  If you're one of those people and want to discuss how you prep your machine, or if you need tips, check out this thread in the Flickr pool. 

  

For this quilt, I used Gutermann cotton thread in a light warm tan to match the natural Essex cotton/linen I used for sashing.

Because free-motion quilting takes so much thread, I like to fill a number of extra bobbins before I start.  (For this quilt I went through four.)  I always use the same thread and bobbin color.  It's more forgiving of slight irregularities in tension (i.e. you won't see little dots of the back color on the front and vise versa).

 

For my scrappy quilt, I used Gutermann polyester thread in white.  I should probably mention again the importance of using quality thread.  I've found that the Gutermann 100% polyester does fine with my machine but, when I've tried to use other poly threads (Dual Duty XP comes to mind) it's been a disaster.  If you're pulling your hair out trying to get a good stitch, try switching to a higher quality or just a different kind of thread.  It might make all the difference.

 

Here's another example of a quilt where I matched the thread to the sashing used.  I'm showing several examples of this because I think it's a good strategy for choosing thread color, since it keeps the sashing looking plain and sharp.

 

Here's an example of white thread used over bright colors.  Because the sashing and areas of most of the prints are white, the thread actually blends pretty well with the brights.

 

The above quilting was done with Coats and Clark cotton quilting thread.  It's not my favorite because I like my stitches to be less pronounced but, if you want your stitches to show, it may be a good choice for you.

Regardless of whether it's the "regular" cotton thread or a cotton designed specifically for machine quilting, I've found cotton to the be easiest and most forgiving thread to quilt with.  If you're a beginner, I would definitely recommend starting with cotton.  Keep in mind that you need to buy thread designed to be used in a machine.  Thread labeled as being for "hand quilting" has a waxy coating that you don't want to put in your machine.

Most traditional quilters prefer cotton because it is the same fiber being used in the fabric and, usually, the batting. This can lead to more even wear over time.

 

I do my quilting in a meandering pattern with no sharp angles and without crossing any of the lines.  Free-motion quilting is sort of like drawing with thread so, if you haven't done it before (and especially if you're not accustomed to drawing) you may find it useful to practice drawing a quilting pattern on a piece of paper first.  

A lot of people refer to the style of quilting I use as "stippling."  As I understand it, stippling means that none of your stitching is more than half an inch apart.  By that definition, what I do could definitely be described as stippling.  None of my stitching is more than about half an inch apart.

 

Once you've figured out what kind of pattern you'd like to use for quilting, you may want to practice on a "mini quilt sandwich" before moving on to your quilt.  My mini sandwich is about twelve inches square.  If you're not sure about your thread color choice, making a patchwork mini sandwich with your scraps can be a good way to audition different threads.

 

Because your feed dogs are lowered, the only thing moving the fabric will be your hands.  I described the process earlier as being like drawing.  The twist is that, with free-motion quilting, you move the quilt/paper instead of the needle/pen. 

Begin by manually lowering your needle, pulling the bobbin thread to the top.  Holding the tails of your thread and bobbin, make several stitches in the same place, creating a "knot" of sorts.  Move the quilt sandwich, stitching in your chosen pattern just an inch or so away from where you started.  Pause, making sure your needle is in the down position, and trim the loose threads.

 

Continue stitching, filling in your quilt sandwich in your chosen pattern.  You'll notice that your hands are not only in control of the shape of your stitches but also in their length.  If you move too slowly, your stitches will be too small and tight but, if you move too quickly, your stitches will be too long and loose.  Part of the reason for practicing on a mini sandwich like this is to get a feel for the right balance between pressure on your presser foot and the speed with which you move the sandwich. 

 

I've seen the suggestion that you should do free-motion quilting "as fast as you can."  While I do find that working more quickly than slowly results in a good even stitch and nice curves, I think it's important to keep your speed in check.  If you start going too fast, your stitches can easily get out of control.  I suggest practicing on mini sandwiches until you've figured out a rhythm that works for you.

Once you're ready to work on your quilt, take a little time to prepare your quilting area.  I suggest using the largest table you can and cleaning it first to make sure no dust or lint gets on your quilt as you work.  One of the keys to moving your sandwich around easily during quilting is making sure that all of it stays on top of the table.  If any of the sandwich hangs off the edges, it can weigh things down, making it more difficult to move.  You can either fold the sandwich, as in the photo above, of just bunch if up in a pile on the table.  I tend to start with the quilt folded and unfold/bunch it on the table as I work.

 

This is a pretty low-tech diagram but, hopefully, you can get some idea from it the order in which I do my quilting.  I find that, with anything larger than a baby quilt, the center is the most difficult part to quilt.  As such, I try to work in a circle around the center.  I find that the trick is to quilt in even swaths across the top.  If I don't make an effort to keep quilting in an even-ish swath, it's much easier to end up with little unquilted nooks and crannies that are difficult to get back to without either stitching over already quilted lines, often bunching the fabric slightly. 

 

Start quilting the same way you did on your mini sandwich -- by making a few stitches in the same place, quilting for a couple of inches and pausing (with the needle down) to trim the loose threads.

 

Continue quilting, turning your sandwich over periodically to make sure your stitches look good on both sides.  (You don't want to finish half the quilt before you realize that you have a thread tension problem!)  If you do have a tension problem -- for instance if your stitches are loose and loopy -- take a deep breath, take your sandwich off the machine and pick them out before moving on, possibly with a different thread.

 

You can see in this photo how I've rolled/bunched the quilt on either side of the area that I'm quilting.

 

Even after you perfect working on your mini sandwiches, it may take some time to get a feel for moving your whole quilt around.  Some people like to wear gloves (either the kind designed specifically for quilting or just yellow dishwashing gloves) to help them get a good grip on the fabric.  I prefer to work without anything interfering with my hands, so I usually just hold the bottom of the sandwich on the left side of my needle (as shown above) . . .

 

. . .and the right side of my sandwich with my right hand.  (Note: I am right-handed.)  For whatever reason, I find it easier to control the sandwich when I have one hand on top and one underneath. 

This is yet another instance where you'll need to figure out what works best for you and go with it.

 

Unlike with regular sewing, where fabric is pulled away from you as it works its way through the machine, I prefer to pull my sandwich toward me as I quilt.  I'm not sure if this works for others as well, but I find it easier to see what I'm doing if I start at the bottom and work my way to the top, as shown in the above photo.  I talked earlier about keeping the whole sandwich on the table at all times.  The one exception I make is when I'm pulling the sandwich toward me and end up with a lot of it in my lap.

 

As you're quilting, be sure that you're taking out safety pins before you get too close.  (You don't want any broken needles if you can avoid it!)  I keep a little bowl nearby to collect these as I work.

Depending on the strength of your table, you may find that free-motion quilting causes a lot of vibration and/or movement of items on top of the table.  If you have anything, especially a beverage, in your work area, you might consider placing them on a different nearby surface before they march right off the edge of the table!

 

If you're doing an allover pattern, you will probably run out of bobbin thread several times during quilting.  When that happens, take your sandwich off the machine and trim loose threads.

 

Replace the bobbin and return your sandwich to its former position.  Place your needle in the down position within a couple of stitches, but not right at the end, of where your bobbin ran out.

 

As when you started, make a couple of stitches in place to secure and then quilt an inch or two away.  Stop, with your needle in the down position, trim threads and move on with your quilting.

Be prepared for free-motion quilting to be physically strenuous.  It can take a surprising amount of work to shift your sandwich around just right.  If you get tired or frustrated with it, walk away for a few hours.  There's no reason you need to finish your quilting all at once.

It took me a little less than two hours to quilt each of my mod sampler quilts.  This is a much improved time over when I started using free-motion. 

 

Once you're finished with your quilting, square up the edges of your quilt using a ruler and rotary cutter.

 

Don't be discouraged if your first attempt isn't perfect.  Free-motion quilting on a standard machine can be tricky and it will probably take a few projects before your stitching looks exactly how you want it to!

Another thing to keep in mind is that, while you will have been staring at your quilting stitches for hours, the recipient of your quilt (unless he or she is also a quilter!) is less likely to pay them any attention.  I find that, when I'm upset with the way a project looks, walking away from it for a day or two is usually the best policy.  

Making the Quilt Sandwich

  

Start by laying out your batting on a clean, smooth floor.  Spread your quilt top on the batting, smoothing out any wrinkles.  You may need to actually crawl on the top of the quilt to do this.  Trim batting to within about two inches of your quilt top.

 

Starting from the top, carefully roll your batting, as shown.

 

Continue rolling until you have a batting tube like this and set it aside.  Don't worry about pinning the batting roll.  The natural tendency of most battings is to cling to fabric, so your roll should hold itself together without any help from you.

 

Now spread your quilt back on the floor, right side down.  Starting at the bottom of the quilt, use a strip of  painter's tape to secure the edge of the quilt back to the floor.  Move to the opposite (top) side and, pulling the quilt back ever so slightly toward you, tape the center top to the floor as well.  Repeat with the left and right sides and each of the four corners, each time pulling very gently, but not stretching, to make sure the quilt back is completely smooth.

 

Bring back the batting roll and, starting at the bottom, slowly unroll the batting and top onto the quilt back.  You have several inches leeway on all sides, but want to make sure that a) all parts of your quilt top are "inside the edges" of the quilt back, and b) your rows are perpendicular to the sides of the quilt back and parallel to the pieced row on the quilt back.  If you see that you're off, don't hesitate to re-roll your batting and start over.

 

Depending on the width of you top back fabric, you may have several extra inches at the top of your quilt.  Don't worry about that for now.

 

Once again, smooth out your quilt top and batting.  I usually do this by starting at the bottom and crawling up the center of my quilt, smoothing as I go.  You want to make things smooth, but be careful not to warp your fabric as you work.  If you notice that your smoothing is making your blocks wonky, ease up a little bit and work them back into a nice gridded shape.

 

Once your fabric is arranged the way you want it, use curved safety pins to secure all three layers at the center of each block.  If you're new to free-motion quilting, you may also want to place pins at the intersections of the sashing and around the edges.

 

Placing these pins is awkward at first, but it's something you're likely to get the hang of with practice!

 

Once you've placed all of your pins, use scissors to trim through all layers about two inches from the edge of your quilt top.

 

You'll want to handle your quilt sandwich with some care.  However, if you've done a good job with smoothing and pinning, you should be able to flip your sandwich over and have the back be as smooth and even as the front.

 

Choosing Fabric for the Mod Sampler Quilt

I have no foolproof formula for picking out fabrics.  I just encourage you to know what you like and seek that out.  I suspect that part of the reason people have trouble choosing fabric is a lack of confidence.  Most of us make decisions about colors and prints all the time.  We decide what clothes to wear and how to decorate our homes.  If you're feeling overwhelmed by your fabric options, stop to consider what you like.  What colors have you painted your home?  Do you wear mostly solid colors or prints?  Know what you like and, if you're not finding it, look somewhere else.  Nobody wants to spend hours working on a quilt with fabrics they don't really like!

The Mod Sampler is based on six pairs of fabric (12 total fabrics).  It will be most successful when six of the twelve fabrics (so half of each pair) share a particular characteristic, while the other six (the other half of each pair) share another.  Ideally, there will be some contrast between the two halves.  Some examples are: light/dark, color/neutral, warm/cool, print/solid, and multicolored print/monochrome print.

I've put together several groups of fabric that I think would look good for this project and I'm just going to talk through different ways that I think each could be used. 

This first example is for a monochromatic color scheme using light and dark pinks.  Take a look at the prints I've chosen.  They're all small to mid-sized prints that are color-on-color or color-on-white/ecru.  Notice how there are no sharp angles in any of the prints. Notice also how the solids that I've paired with each print vary.  Some of these pinks are more orange and some are more violet.  This will make for a more interesting composition. 

For the Mod Sampler, I could use the 12 prints (six light and six dark), the 12 solids (six light and six dark) or any six solids with any six prints.  I would use a white or ecru sashing for this one and, whichever prints or solids I ended up using, I would use two of the lighter choices for the back pieces and one of the darker choices for the binding.

Here's an analogous color scheme using greens and blue with a little bit of yellow.    Instead of dividing these by color (which would be difficult since they're all multicolored prints) I've divided them by type of print.  One group is geometric/tile/scrolly prints and the other if floral/botanical prints.  I've also picked out two sets of solids, one is all blues and one is greens and a couple of yellows. 

The options for this set of fabrics are pretty much the same as for the first group: Use the 12 prints, use six prints with six solids or use the 12 solids together.  I would choose sashing for this one based on how bright I wanted the finished product to be.  If I were looking for a very sharp, bright look, I would go with white.  For a more subdued look, I would choose natural linen or a neutral colored cotton.  Since most of the prints are of similar value, I would probably choose one geometric and one floral for the two back pieces.

Rainbow color schemes are always fun for me.  This one uses six colors and pairs a light and dark value of each.  I've shown an example above of how this can be done with prints or solids.  Of course, you could also pair six prints with six solids, as I've described in some of the examples above.  If I were pairing solids with prints, I think I might go for more contrast by pairing the dark solids with the light prints and vice versa.

A rainbow color scheme would also be a great way to make the scrappy version of this quilt.  You'd just need to gather scraps in six different color groups and make one set of blocks using each color.  If you wanted to keep some uniformity among your scrappy blocks, you could use the same solid for each set of six but use a variety of print fabric scraps on each.

This is another one where I would choose either white or neutral sashing depending upon how bright I wanted things.  For the backing, I would pick two different colors but keep them the same temperature (e.g. pink and orange or blue and violet).  For the binding, I would probably go for "bright but light" like the light yellow or light aqua.

I think the very simplest thing you can do for this project is to focus on two colors that you love.  In this case, I've paired red prints with aqua prints.  Most of the prints are small to medium sized and most of the prints are just red and white or aqua and white.  There are two exceptions (the Flea Market Fancy print with the espresso eyelets and the Lotus Wallflower, which is quite a bit larger than the other prints) but that just helps to keep the composition interesting.  What you want to avoid in a composition like this is adding fabrics that have too many other colors.  Make sure your fabrics read "aqua" and not "aqua with yellow flowers and little ducks" (or something like that). 

I would use white sashing for this one, two of the aqua prints for the backing  and a red print for the sashing.  Note: I would not suggest making binding out of gingham or plaid unless you cut it on the bias.  (The fabric requirements for this quilt contemplate making straight-grain binding.)

I have been hoarding black and white prints for a while now.  I love the way they look with bright colors and I think they could be used with this pattern paired with either bright colored solids or monochromatic bright prints.  I would definitely use white sashing for this one.  The back, I think, is a little trickier.  I would probably end up choosing two of the black and white prints with lots of white background and then using a bright color like chartreuse or hot pink for the binding.

Another easy strategy for this pattern is to buy fabric from a single collection or designer.  This layout uses prints from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party and Good Folks.  I've again separated them by type of print rather than color and I've selected both a deep and a light set of solids.

This is a set of fabrics where I would definitely not use white or off-white sashing.  If you look at these prints you'll notice that there's almost no white in them.  If I wanted something bright with a lot of contrast, I would choose a solid color like gold, tangerine or teal.  I think a natural/neutral sashing would also look great.

Because I cut most of it up into little patchwork pieces, I don't usuallybuy the larger scale prints from collections like this.  The back of the quilt, however, would be a good place to showcase large-scale coordinates that you haven't used in your patchwork blocks.  (And there's no problem with using those large-scale prints in your blocks!  It's a matter of personal preference.)

Of course, you don't have to use quilting fabric at all!  I'm a big fan of vintage linens and think they would look great in this quilt either alone or paired with some light, bright solids and white sashing.