TOAD-SPO - February '23

Posted by Taylor Krz on February 28, 2023

This month’s Toad-Spo is inspired by the official Pantone Color of the year - Viva Magenta 18-1750. I’m going to be honest, red isn’t a color I typically gravitate towards, aside from a pop here and there. Even though this isn’t a color I would reach for, I like to have the mindset that you can always create something beautiful with the right combination of colors. And what better way to celebrate reds and pinks than February?

MOOD COLLAGE

I wanted a mostly monochromatic color palette (different shades of reds/pinks) but with a punch - and that’s where the yellow (AGF Lemon Tart) comes in, turning it into an analogous color scheme. Viva Magenta (in our case AGF Hibiscus) has a cooler undertone, which compliments nicely when paired with warmer pinks. In comparison, when paired with blues and purples this color will appear even cooler.

COLOR PALETTE

This palette totally pulled me out of my comfort zone and I hope it inspires you to venture out as well! There are tons of different ways to use this palette!

THE QUILT - OPEN ROAD

Our maker, Sarah, decided to go with the Open Road pattern for this month, and we are super happy with this choice! Open Road really allows the colors to stand out from one another with the big center blocks full of half square triangles (HSTs) and bordering stripes.
The fabrics we used are Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids in the colors Coconut Milk, Spiceberry, Hibiscus, Lemon Tart, and Blossomed. The various pinks are perfectly festive for the month and the bright yellow is a nice pop of color in between!

Sarah was a trooper for making this quilt! While this is not a technically hard pattern to make (it's rated as a confident beginner), the points in this quilt require precise trimming and seam allowances. If you want a pattern to help you build up some quilting skills, Open Road is a good place to start!

We sent our Toad-Spo sample off to Ashley Perkins of Hen House Quilting for some longarm quilting. If you don't know who Ashley is, you should really check her out! Her Instagram is full of pretty pretty quilt pictures that will give you so much inspo.
Ashley sent us over some quilting options that spoke to her when she received the quilt. In the end, we went with the Modern Ogee pantograph. The curves in the pantograph really offset the straight lines in this pattern nicely!

The backing fabric of the February Toad-Spo sample is Art Gallery Fabrics Small and Sweet of the Gayle Loraine fabric line designed by Elizabeth Chappell. This was Sarah's pick!! It's so sweet and dainty and a perfect backing for this pattern!

The binding fabric we went with is Art Gallery Fabrics Memory Lane of the same Gayle Loraine fabric line. Everyone loves a good striped binding. This one is a little on the low volume side with the white stripes against the pale pink background.

This quilt turned out pretty great, but we may be a little biased over here... What do you all think? Let us know in the comments! We'd love to hear your opinion! And if you are wanting a little more inspiration using this month's color palette, keep scrolling for some more Toad & Sew pattern mockups!

Open road quilt by toad and sew, red pink, and yellow quilt hanging on white wall

If you’d like to make this quilt a reality, please contact one of these shops!

MAKER SPOTLIGHT - SARAH B.

Meet our featured maker for February - Sarah Bookwalter! Sarah is part of the Toad & Sew tester crew for 2023! She started quilting 15 years ago and really dove head-first into it at the start of the pandemic looking for a creative outlet. Ruby Star Society and AGF Pure Solids are her favs, but she is a big fan of Alexia Abegg!

When looking for inspiration, she turns to her fabric stash - often times seeking our pinks and mustards. Some big quilty goals Sarah has are to design her very own quilt pattern and load up her wardrobe with quilt-inspired garments! When she's sewing, you'll most often find her sewing sidekick, Louis - a 16 year old dachshund mix - right beside her and hear her favorite podcast on in the background. FUN FACT: Sarah loves sushi! If you'd like to be friends with her, you can follow her on Instagram here!