Choosing fabrics for a BOM or sampler project can be a bit tricky. Since there is so much going on with all the different blocks, having a cohesive fabric palette brings everything together and helps the project to not look like a scrappy mess!

I wanted to share 7 Fabric Palettes that work beautifully for BOM and sampler quilts!

Solid (or nearly solid) Palettes

Let's first talk about palettes that include all solids, textured solids, or "blenders", i.e. fabrics that read as mostly solid. 

Here is the color palette I chose for these Meander BOM samples. Again, since there will be so much going on with all the different block patterns, I wanted to simplify the color palette, so the attention/emphasis is on the block designs. 

So I chose 3 blues (light, medium, and dark) and a couple of aquas (light & dark) with a pop of gold and fuchsia. Since blue and aqua are right next to one another on the color wheel, they are quite harmonious and will blend together nicely, then I jumped to the warm side of the color wheel for my 2 pops of color!

Color Palette

Alright, let's look at some different ways of putting this solid (or nearly solid) palette together in a BOM or Sampler quilt. 

Same Background for all Blocks

Having the same background fabric for all the blocks will lend a lot of cohesion and help draw your eye to the individual block designs. Here is an example with a light background and a dark background. Each of these blocks are examples of Meander Blocks you can choose for your BOM-- there are lots to choose from, and you can choose whichever techniques you want to explore!

Light

Dark

Alternating (light, dark) Background

Here is a similar palette, except we are alternating the background fabrics between light and dark. It adds a bit more interest to the quilt without the distraction of a bunch of different colors.

Different Backgrounds for Each Block

And for a more colorful look, here is an example with a different color for each background. Notice I kept all the backgrounds blues and aquas, which allowed it to be colorful without things getting too wild/distracting for my tastes. 

Print Palettes

Alright, let's add some prints to the mix! For these Meander BOM samples, I kept the same blue/aqua palette with pops of gold and fuchsia. 

Print Palette

Same (solid/nearly solid) Background

Below I used the same fabric for the background of all the blocks, and I chose a solid so that the prints in the foreground would really pop!

Different Solid Backgrounds (or nearly solids) for Each Block

Here I kept all the backgrounds solid or nearly solid, but I did use different colors for each. Notice, again, I opted to keep all the backgrounds blues/aquas for cohesion's sake.

All Prints

And finally, here is a sample with all prints!  In The Meander Guild, we have a full Color Curriculum, and we learn a lot about print mixing. One key thing to keep in mind when mixing prints is SCALE. Notice, I was really deliberate with the prints I paired together to ensure there was enough contrast between the foreground and background. That contrast was either with color, value (how dark or light a color is) or the scale of the print. 

There are SO many different ways you can pull together your palette for your BOM or Sampler Quilt project. Pulling together a palette at the beginning of the process will help keep the quilt cohesive, but do allow yourself room to play while you're working on your blocks, swapping out fabrics and adding in extra pops!

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