Sew and Show Saturday—#14. Modern black and white beauty quilt…

Quilting has been a tradition in my family that goes back for generations.  Having that said, I have gained such an appreciation for all styles of quilts—traditional, and modern.  There are so many modern styled quilt patterns being produced now, and I love them!!  So what makes a quilt modern??

• The first thing that makes a quilt modern for me, is the color choices.  When you limit your color selection to two or three colors (black and white, or black and white with a pop of red, or red and white for example) your quilt is going to have a more modern look to it and feel more up to date than a traditional quilt.  The tone of the fabric is a huge factor also being that bright colors will produce a higher level of contrast than pastels.
• The second thing that affects the style is your choice of patterned fabric.  Solid fabrics will always appear more modern, and will also allow you to choose more color variations without looking traditional(for example a quilt of 6+ different color solids will still look modern even though you have broadened the color selection to more than 2 or 3) Within the limits of your color selections, your choice of print can make your quilt feel more modern.  Geometric prints, high contrast prints, and larger sized prints can all help update a traditional pattern to look more modern. 
• The third component of a modern quilt is the actual quilt pattern itself.  There are some quilt patterns that read modern just because of the simplicity of pattern (more geometric lines).  But here’s my favorite thing!!  I think any pattern, even the very traditional quilting patterns that go back for generations, can be updated to look modern.  That is the fun of quilting!!  I love finding one of my favorite traditional quilt patterns and then update it using modern color choices and fabric patterns.

This is why I love this black and white beauty quilt that my mom made…

Again, I think it is the high contrast on this one that makes it more modern than traditional.  Check out the quilting on the white fabrics!!

What would your favorite color choices be for a modern twist on a traditional quilt pattern??