Mini Quilts as Color Studies

I’ve made large quilts before that I thought would come out beautifully, but when they were finished the colors just didn’t blend well together! Over time, one trick I’ve learned is to make small color studies to explore and experiment with color combinations before committing to them in a big project.

One I made recently is this mini quilt as you go project:

I’m really happy with how the colors and prints play together, and it feels worth exploring in a bigger project. I made this piece while following instructions in an on-demand workshop offered by quilt artist Amanda Nadig.

Another mini I finished recently is a study of the way the light appears when I’m swimming laps in the pool. This one isn’t necessarily a study for a bigger project, it just is what it is. The fabric is from a recent indigo dye party I attended with friends from the DC Modern Quilt Guild.

And I found the perfect print for the back, too:

A final example is the mini quilt top I created after our Stitching the City workshop - a collection of small vignettes of things I saw that stood out to me along our walk that happened to have a very similar color palette. Here are the inspiration images:

And here is the quilt top:

Not every small study turns into something usable, or something I want to quilt. But making mini quilts is relatively quick and can be quite satisfying and give me more information about a larger project as well.