This year I am trying some new things with my quilts: BOLD backgrounds! This all started when I made my Dresden Butterflies quilt for Moda Bake Shop. I didn’t want to just go with white. I instead chose to use Bella Mist solid, and man was I glad I did!! It gave the quilt so much more visual interest, without competing with the bold prints. It was a subtle difference from white that I think made this quilt so much more fun in the end.

When I started seeing lots of Garden Snails quilts going around, I kept thinking I wanted something fun for the background, but I couldn’t figure out what to use. Then Robert Kauffman introduced their Kona Color of the Year, and I was sold. Hook, line, and sinker. I HAD to have some Pink Flamingo in my life and why not use it on my garden snails quilt??? It is the most perfect color of pink in the world. This photo does not do it justice. It’s not bubble gum or pepto bismol pink. It’s not too little girly. It’s not too bright. It. Is. Perfect.

It turned out even better than I could have imagined. I feel like it really pulled me WAAAAY outside of my comfort zone as far as background color. This quilt would have been cute in white. I have a bolt of it ready to go so it would have been super easy. I am glad I went for the unexpected pink flamingo.

I have decided that for all of 2017, and possibly beyond, I am not going to use white as my background color, unless the quilt genuinely needs it. It will definitely take some work and some planning, but there are so many wonderful options out there. Essex linen, crossweave, chambray, peppered cotton, solids, the options are limitless.

Have you ever used a bold background and loved it? I’d love to hear about it. If white is your go-to, try something new and it just might surprise you how much you love not using white!