The Abigail Quilt - Black and White Version

I realized recently that I have never made a black and white quilt. After more than a decade of quilting and dozens and dozens of completed quilts, not a single one of them was black and white.

This seems especially strange because I love buying black prints and have a large number of them in my stash. The Abigail Quilt pattern was perfect for my very first black and white quilt because it (a) is a great stashbuster, (b) would show off some of my favorite black and white prints that I have been hoarding, and (c) the bold pattern would really work with a limited color palette. 

First, I pulled black prints - I didn't want anything too busy but I wanted variety. Mostly, I wanted to make sure that I had some really dark prints that used very little white and some that were a "lighter" black and that used more white. Since all of the prints are the same color, I wanted to make sure that they didn't look like the same fabric.

Then I moved onto the white prints. At this point, I wasn't sure if I wanted to stick with WHITE whites or if I was willing to include some creamier white prints. 

I decided that I would include both because I wanted to and it's my quilt. I did try to make sure that I was including different scale - some are very small scale and some are larger. Having prints with different scale helps draw your eye around the quilt and gives it movement. 

After making this quilt, I will definitely be making more black and white quilts in the future. If you are new to putting together your own selections of fabric (instead of just working with a fabric collection) this is a great way to get started because it really simplifies the color scheme.

The backing fabric is an older Alexia Abegg print called Thistle Night that I have had in my stash for a while. I considered going bright for the backing fabric, but sticking with black and white just felt right.

One thing that I love about the finished quilt is that it feels both traditional and modern - right in the middle, just like me.

If you would like to make your own version of the Abigail Quilt, you can pick up a copy in my shop.