The Best Way to Pick Fabric for Your Quilt: Suzy Quilts Patterns on PreQuilt
Friends, this is the best way to pick fabric for a quilt! ALL Suzy Quilts patterns are now on the PreQuilt app which means you can audition both solid and printed fabrics before committing to sewing a whole quilt. In a nutshell, the way this app works is by allowing you to populate digital quilt mock-ups with colors that coordinate with fabric you can buy. So cool, right?
We know everyone loves the color inspiration mock-ups at the back of Suzy Quilts patterns. One of our most frequently asked questions is if those mock-ups correspond to specific fabric lines. Unfortunately they don't. Those design variations are just a jumping off point to give you ideas of what the pattern can look like. I make those to help inspire you to see each quilt pattern in different ways.
But now, thanks to our partnership with PreQuilt, you will be able to access digital quilt mock-ups for 39 Suzy Quilts patterns and color them with REAL fabric colors, including Art Gallery Fabrics PURE Solids and all three of my fabric lines — Duval, Suzy Quilts PURE Signature Solids, and Evolve.
Keep reading to learn more about why PreQuilt is the best way to pick fabric for a quilt and see a video demonstration. Plus, get an exclusive coupon for your subscription!
The quilt in the main photo above is the Adventureland quilt pattern.
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Get 20% Off PreQuilt with our Coupon Code
Use code SUZYQUILTS to get 20% off an annual Basic or Market plan!
This code does not expire, so subscribe now to get access to all 39 digital Suzy Quilts pattern mock-ups, be able to use both solid and printed real fabric swatches from a variety of companies, save pattern variations to help you when you're fabric shopping, and find out for yourself why this is the best way to pick fabric for a quilt! The code applies to the first year of an annual plan and can only be used one time.
Below is a screenshot of the desktop version of the app with the Starling quilt pattern. As you can see I can swap out any color or randomize the colors I currently have to see if I like a different placement better.
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Above is the Butterfly Garden quilt pattern.
The Best Way to Pick Fabric: What Is PreQuilt?
Run by quilter Laura Henneberry and developer Gar Liu, PreQuilt was born out of a simple need — an easy way for quilters to preview their quilts in real fabric colors. As Henneberry said, "PreQuilt is a website-based software application that helps quilters visualize and plan their quilts. It truly is the best way to pick fabric for a quilt. It's a maker-focused software that is very good at auditioning your quilt idea in multiple different colorways and fabrics so that you can cut into your fabric with confidence."
All 39 full quilt patterns from our shop are now available to color with REAL fabric colors in PreQuilt! This even includes the newly released Luminous quilt pattern, and future quilt patterns will become available on PreQuilt as they are released. You'll always be up to date on our latest patterns! This will be especially helpful for week one of each sew along, which typically focuses on picking fabric.
Above is the Luminous quilt pattern.
What Does the Suzy Quilts and PreQuilt Partnership Mean for You?
You can become a color-selecting pro! Here at Suzy Quilts, we hear from quilters almost every day asking for advice about choosing fabrics for one of our quilt patterns. Some of our favorite posts in the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook group are about this. We love seeing your creativity shine! But now, you can take the guesswork out of what your quilt will look like.
We couldn't be more excited about this because we really do think it will alleviate a lot of the stress of planning a quilt. Because as we all know, fabric is expensive! You don't want to get half way into making a quilt and then decide you actually HATE that shade of blue or a print is getting chopped up in a weird way. The best way to pick fabric for your quilt is by seeing an accurate version of your finished quilt before you even start.
"It's such an honor for us to collaborate with Suzy Quilts and have all her quilts available as digital coloring pages on PreQuilt," Henneberry said. "We love that now everyone can preview Suzy's quilts using the fabrics of their choice and make a piece of Suzy Quilts their own to love. We're also grateful to have this opportunity to introduce her readers to PreQuilt."
What Can You Expect From a PreQuilt Subscription?
"We have two types of PreQuilt subscriptions:
- Basic - which is maker-focused.
- Market - which is designer-focused.
You can subscribe to both plans on either a monthly or annual basis," said Henneberry. You can see the pricing breakdown here.
"As a Basic Plan subscriber, you can expect to be able to create your quilt ideas in PreQuilt and then swiftly be able to audition different solid fabrics as well as import printed fabric. PreQuilt is also a very explorative and play-based program which means that you do not have to start with a completed quilt. You can start with an idea and play with it until you have your final quilt idea," she said. Trust us when we say it's fun to play in PreQuilt!
"Once you've nailed down your final version, you will be able to download a useful quilt map, block information, and fabric information that will help you stay organized while sewing your quilt together. The Basic Plan can save up to 50 quilts and 250 fabric swatches," she said.
And if you want to dive in even deeper, Henneberry said, "Market Plan subscribers have all the same features as a Basic Plan subscriber with the additional feature of being able to create digital coloring pages that can be offered to customers if you are a pattern designer. The Market Plan can save an unlimited number of quilts and fabric swatches."
Anyone can use Suzy Quilts pattern mock-ups in PreQuilt for free, however, without having a Basic Plan, you won't be able to use printed fabric swatches (only solids) and you will not be able to save your quilt layouts.
How to Use Suzy Quilts Pattern Mock-Ups in PreQuilt
PreQuilt has made a tutorial specifically for Suzy Quilts readers using our popular Modern Fans pattern!
The team at PreQuilt gets how difficult it can be to learn a new technology, so they work hard to make it as easy as possible. "We know that there's always a learning curve with software, so we've created a written Help Guide detailing the steps on how to find and use your favorite solid fabric color card as well as how to find and use printed fabric swatches in PreQuilt," Henneberry said.
And they've even made a written Help Guide and video tutorial for how to find and audition all of my printed fabrics! Take a look below.
The Best Way to Pick Fabric for Your Quilt: Suzy Quits Patterns on PreQuilt
So now that we've given you the PreQuilt rundown, what do you think? is picking fabric something you have struggled with in the past? Do you think this app is something that you would like to try? Let us know in the comments!
Oh my gosh I’m so excited about this! I am a complete and utter dope when it comes to technology but I am determined to learn! Also determined to get a computer 😆 I’ve been getting by with only a phone for years!
You can do it. If you can use a phone, you can definitely do it. And if you have trouble, there may be some local high schooler who can help you out, or the Geek Squad at Best Buy, or maybe even the library has resources. You could probably even look up “computer tutoring near me” on your phone. Good luck!
I’ve had several fabric pulls in my online shopping cart for WEEKS because I’m having a challenging time picturing them in my quilt. Signing up for PreQuilt right now!!
Yay!!
Sweet, you’ll be able to mock up all the potential fabric pulls before ordering them. Perfect! And thank you so much for subscribing! Please do not hesitate to email us if you have any questions!
Amazing technology! “Who doesn’t love choices along with a quick snap shot of what is to come!”
I do have one question…I already have a lot of suzy quilt patterns, can these saved downloads be reused when working with her designs? If so, how do you drop in a pre-existing pattern.
Donna
Hello Donna – all of Suzy Quilts regular quilt patterns are available as digital coloring pages on PreQuilt (throw sizes). If you subscribe to PreQuilt, you can save your mocked up version of the quilt to your PreQuilt account and then always come back to it in the future. If you don’t subscribe, you can download a jpg of your mocked up version and save it on your computer.
You will be able to find any of the pre-existing Suzy Quilts patterns on PreQuilt at https://app.prequilt.com/market/suzyquilts. If you have a quilt pattern (like a free one) and it is not available – you can subscribe to PreQuilt and recreate it for your own personal use. We have a free course that can help you get started: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaC22-LQB1W14fO_PsH85Fe9vDHc-803G
I hope that helps and I am understanding your question correctly. If not, please do not hesitate to email us for help. Thanks!
I’m just starting quilting and was looking for a good but easy program to do color design. I’m doing the rail fence pattern to start and was sad to see that rail fence wasn’t offered on your colouring pages. Would you consider adding it as a way for newbies to get started? Thanks!
Hello Kristi – The free patterns are not available as digital coloring pages on PreQuilt, but they are super easy to recreate in PreQuilt and then recolor or mock up using printed fabric swatches. From what I saw of the pattern, the Rail Fence block is 6″ x 6″ finished with each “rail” being 2″ x 6″ finished. You can create the block in PreQuilt and then make copies of it to create the color effect you’d like.
We have a free course that walks you through how to get started. The course is on YouTube and you can find it at youtube.com/prequilt (Modules 5a and 5b will help you with making all the different blocks). And you can always email us if you have any questions!
Thanks!