How to Mix Prints in your Quilts -- The "Bette Midler Print" Technique

Have you ever found a really fabulous print in the store and bought it right away, only to take it home and never use it because you can't figure out what to pair it with?

This is a super common problem amongst quilters, so know that you're not alone!

Prints add so much interest and texture to a quilt, but with so many different types of prints, it can be a little overwhelming to know how to pair different prints together to get the look we want.

Now, for starters, there is no right or wrong way to mix prints-- it is going to be a matter of your personal tastes and preferences.

I have a lot of different Print Mixing tools and techniques I teach, but one of my favorite print mixing tricks is to think about the prints in our quilt like a Broadway show-- solids are like the stage, small scale prints are like the set decorations, medium scale prints are backup dancers, and large scale prints are like Bette Midler.

When Bette is on stage, you just cannot take your eyes off of her!

Now, if we just have Bette by herself on a stage, it might not look as grand and spectacular as if we have the full show with fabulous set decorations, backup singers and dancers, all around Bette dressed in sequins and high heels, right?

At the same time, if there is too much going on, like lots of other lead singers at the front with microphones and high heels, Bette isn’t going to stand out quite as much.

So vary the type and scale of prints you choose. Maybe don't throw a whole bunch of "Bette Midler Prints" together unless you love a wild, patterned look. 

Give your "Bette Midler Print" some backup dancers and a solid stage on which to shine!

When you’re thinking about the types of prints you want to include, you need to ask yourself-- what look am I going for? What do I want to emphasize? 

We dive a lot deeper into color and print mixing in Meander. Click here to learn more and sign up!

I'd love to hear from you, do you have any "Bette Midler Prints" that you've had a hard time figuring out how to use? Leave a comment below!