Colourwash Quilt

Here is a sample of patchwork that I made several years ago. It is made out of small squares of fabric each one a different pattern and colour. Each square is about 1 1/2 inches when sewn together. By blending the squares from light to dark they can be assembled in different combinations to achieve different effects. For example, you can start with the lightest fabrics at the top and then use squares that get gradually darker towards the bottom. You could also gradate it from light to dark from the inside out towards the edges or the other way round. You can also combine them in much more complicated patterns. It is the small size of the squares that makes them blend together so the overall effect is of a colourwash as in a watercolour painting.

This is a great way to make something out of your small scraps of fabric as you only need a small piece of each.
Depending on how many squares you want to sew together you can make cushion covers, wall hangings or even full sized quilts.

Once the squares are assembled you just need to back it with wadding and lining, finish it off with bias binding and run some quilting stitches over it. The quilting stitches can be done in a variety of patterns as well. This really pulls the whole thing together and gives it a lovely textural quality.