Pattern on Pattern

Jon and I are going to New York on Wednesday, so today I wanted to make a bunch of potholders so Kim could work on them while I was gone.   I filled some orders for potholders then had the urge to make something new.

I was inspired by the box of fabric that Pam sent me.  She said for a while she was making matching pajamas and pillowcases for people in her family.  And the scraps in the box was what she had left over.   Although all the fabric she sent is really colorful with unique patterns, it was the big pink flower with the yellow wheat-like lines that caught my eye.  When I went searching through my fabric to find what would work with it I saw a vintage piece of fabric (I think it was a dish towel) that Kim gave me a while back.  I had put it in my “special” pile of fabric.  Those pieces that really speak to me. I knew the green plates and vases and flowers on the white ground would be the center piece of the potholders.

I like to mix up my fabrics, using pieces from different time periods.  These potholders have fabric in them from the 1950’s (Kim’s towel) , 1970’s (the yellow and orange and green flowers on red, from Diane) 1980’s (the plaid from Elizabeth) and 2000’s (Pam’s  and Kenna’s fabric and a piece of Kimberly’s blouse).

I’m a fan of pattern on pattern, I like the way it makes my eye move around the surface.   There’s a tiny bit of grey in the vases on the dish towel, or it could go purple, but I chose grey.  Grey and pink, pink and green, pink and red, some of my favorite color combinations.