Modern Fans Sew-Along: Color & Layouts

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

Although the Modern Fans Sew-Along does not officially kickoff until next week, I want to give you some more color options and creative layouts to show you how versatile the Modern Fans quilt pattern really is.

To get you caught up...

  • The Modern Fans Sew-Along officially begins September 12, 2018.
  • There is no official sign up. All you need is the Modern Fans pattern. Your level of involvement is completely up to you. Every Wednesday I will post instructions on what we will accomplish that week along with any tips and pictures. Thursday morning the SQ newsletter will go out with a reminder. Each weekly blog post will also include what picture you need to post to Instagram to enter that week's prize. See the link below for the list of prizes. More details, rules and regulations for each prize will be posted in that week's blog. Each prize winner will be announced on Tuesday. Then we start all over again on Wednesday until after 9 weeks we have a finished quilt top!
  • Live videos, group support and lots of tips and help will be given through the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook Group.
  • For a full list of supplies, the schedule, sponsors, prizes, rules and regulations, read more here.
  • To win the grand prize, you must make a throw quilt top or larger and post a full shot of it to Instagram using #ModernFansSA. The grand prize is...a BERNINA 350 PE sewing machine!!! 
Modern Fans is a bold, contemporary quilt pattern that includes king, queen, twin, throw and baby quilt sizes as well as a video tutorial! | Suzy Quilts https://suzyquilts.com/modern-fans-sew-along-color-layouts

Think of this post as the prologue – a way of easing you into the sew-along so that by the time we are actually cutting fabric, you are 100% confident in your fabric choices and itch'n to get to those curves!

Starting Wednesday, Sept. 12 we will launch into Week 1 of the sew-along. That week will include picking fabric, gathering supplies and choosing a pattern layout. I'll go into more details next week, but I know that some of you are planners and like to know what to expect. 😉

Choosing a Modern Fans Layout

See more Modern Fans photos and links to fabric in this blog post. The Modern Fans quilt pattern includes 5 unique templates that can make 4 unique blocks. There are so many ways you can arrange and rearrange these blocks, but I'm just going to expand on a few of those ways – most of which are included in the pattern.

Trending patterns!

If you have Adobe Illustrator, I created a tutorial video to show you how to: 

  • Open your Modern Fans pattern in Adobe Illustrator
  • Change the colors of your illustration
  • Use the Recolor Artwork tool to try out different color palettes
  • Drag and drop color palettes from online to use as inspiration

I always keep a running Pinterest board or color inspiration to help me out in situations like this. Here's a link to that board.


CALM LAGOON 

This design opts out of using Block 2. Instead, it incorporates equal amounts of Block 1 and 3. The variation is seen by dividing Block 3 into two groups – one using light blue as Template B and one using mint green. This layout can be found on page 16 of the pattern.

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

The next two colorways are variations of the same layout as Calm Lagoon.

Succulents

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

Malibu

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

GARDEN BLOOMS

This design opts out of using Block 1. Instead, it incorporates equal amounts of Blocks 2 and 3. To achieve this medallion appearance, divide Colors 1 and 5 into similar gradating colors. This variation can be found on page 18 of the pattern.

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

The next group of colorways are variations of the same layout as Garden Blooms.

Glazed & Infused

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

Leather Bound

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

Jansport Backpack

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

Day Dreamer

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

Fat Quarter Rainbow

This color combo was inspired by a rainbow fat quarter bundle I saw in one of my favorite online fabric shops. Each FQ can yield 4 templates. I'm going to make this into a fun rainbow baby quilt! See the next set of layouts for that mockup.

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

SUNSET BABY

This design opts out of using Block 3. It is symmetrical and subtle, accentuating the strip piecing in Block 1. I made this variation as a baby quilt.

You can see more pictures of my hand-quilted sunset baby quilt here.

Modern Fans is a bold, modern quilt pattern that includes king, queen, twin, throw and baby quilt sizes as well as a video tutorial! This baby quilt uses lots of different subtle textures.

ARMY SURPLUS

This layout is unique in that is uses the strip piecing from Block 1, but with the Block 3 templates (Temp-C and D)

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

Rainbow Baby (FQ friendly)

To save myself from listing every single color, I grouped the fat quarters – so when you see "8 total Temp-E" just know that you will be cutting from 3 different fat quarters.

The Modern Fans quilt pattern is incredibly versatile. By rearranging the unique quilt blocks you can make lots of different layouts and designs.

If you have a favorite color palette in mind, but don't know where to shop, check out my list of favorite online fabric stores. Let me know in the comments what layout and colors catch your eye!

Next, as we launch into Week 1 of the sew-along I'll reveal the throw quilt I'll be making. Let's just say that it is inspired by some beautiful Japanese fabric and my lovely friend Corenna – a master gardener. I'm getting so excited! Are you??

22 thoughts on “Modern Fans Sew-Along: Color & Layouts

  1. lyndsay.eliason says:

    Oh man! I picked up my fabrics today and can’t wait to get started. And that grand prize!!! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼😍😍😍 how amazing!
    Looking forward to the weeks ahead. 😊

  2. Laura says:

    I literally never compete in anything online but I want to do this quilt and have the crappiest sewing machines!! I might have to suck it up and learn something new like sewing curves…

  3. Kathy says:

    And just when I thought to myself, no more SALs!! (cause I still don’t have the last two SAL tops quilted) I’m such a sucker for a great pattern (I’ll be buying this one this weekend) and then you post this prize hint (OMG!)…and top it off with a cherry – the color combo possibilities, how can I not play along?!? Did I mention that curved piecing is my nemesis? And yet, my FOMO is kinda getting to me on this one.

  4. Stef says:

    I love*love*love that you have a colorway called Rainbow Baby. I am making my Modern Fan for a friend’s Rainbow Baby due in December… I’m using Art Gallery’s Fusion Sparkler fabrics so my colors will be different, but I love it all the same.

  5. chicago911 says:

    I bought the pattern, cut the templates, bought fabric and now I don’t understand how to enter the contests? Any suggestions?

    • Suzy Quilts says:

      I can help with that! 🙂 To enter the weekly giveaways you need to post a picture of your Modern Fans sew-along progress to Instagram, and use #ModernFansSA in the caption – that hashtag is how we can see your post. All of the weekly prizes are listed here in this introductory blog post. We just wrapped up the prizes for Week 1 (which you can see here), but starting tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. CT we will begin fresh with a new giveaway and new prizes! Look for the new post later this afternoon telling you what the photo prompt is and what we will be working on this week.

  6. nicole1 says:

    I’m so sorry to be such a newbie, but this is my first quilt not from a kit…..I’m doing the calm lagoon version. How can I tell my fabric yardage amounts per color and also the cut quantities per template for a larger size quilt (twin)? I’m pretty smart, but seem to be drowning in the math here. I’m cutting and pasting diagrams and adding up pieces trying to figure it out. Is there a better way?

    • Suzy Quilts says:

      Hey Nicole, the fabric requirements are listed in the image next to the diagram of the Calm Lagoon layout. If you look at page 3 of the pattern there are diagrams on how to cut your templates the most efficiently. Does that answer your question?

      • nicole1 says:

        That would be for the throw size, no? I’m doing a twin and was trying to do the math, but I think I’ve got it figured out. Based on the charts for the main pattern, I was likely overthinking the “doesn’t use Block 2, but instead equal amounts of Block 1 and Block 3….” and the impact that change has on the fabric requirements for the larger size. I just multiplied everything by 2.5 so I’ll have enough for my twin size and a few extras for practice or that matching pillow! (Just a little frazzled by all the new information coming into the brain!)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *