Wildflowers Basics Summer Bluebonnets Paintbrush Multi is a 100% cotton quilting fabric from Moda Fabrics, 44/45 inches wide, printed with bluebonnets and paintbrush wildflowers in a multi-color summer design. It is best for patchwork quilts, borders, and accents where you want a cheerful Texas-style wildflower print that mixes easily with solids and blenders.
What Is Wildflowers Basics Summer Bluebonnets Paintbrush Multi Fabric?
This fabric is part of the Wildflowers Favorites group, in the Wildflowers Basics range, designed by Sentimental Studios for Moda Fabrics & Supplies. The print features bluebonnets and paintbrush — two classic summer wildflowers — in a multi-color palette on standard quilting cotton.
It is 100% cotton and 44/45 inches wide, the standard width for quilting fabric sold by the yard. That makes it straightforward to use in most quilt patterns, which are written for 44/45-inch fabric: yardage charts, strip cuts, and fat quarter friendly layouts all work without recalculating widths.
As a Basics print, it is designed to be versatile rather than a one-quilt novelty. The wildflower motif gives a block clear character up close, while the multi-color mix lets it coordinate with blues, reds, greens, and warm neutrals picked out from the flowers themselves. Use it as a feature fabric, as sashing or borders, or as a lively print for a table runner or baby quilt.
How to Use It
Cutting: Press flat before cutting, and check the direction of the print if you want the flowers running a consistent way. Cut with a rotary cutter, ruler, and mat for accurate strips and squares. Keep print direction in mind for borders, where the repeat shows more clearly than in small pieced units.
Sewing: Sew with a standard quarter-inch seam allowance and press seams as your pattern directs. As a 100% cotton quilting fabric, it presses crisply and feeds evenly under a regular presser foot, so no special needles or settings are needed.
Pairing tips: Let the multi-color print do the talking and pair it with calmer companions. Pull a blue from the bluebonnets and a warm red from the paintbrush flowers for accents, then ground the palette with a cream or soft green blender. A solid binding in one of the deeper colors from the print frames it neatly.
A Project to Try
Try a simple wildflower patchwork throw, about 48 x 60 inches, that uses this print as the feature fabric.
1. Cut the Wildflowers Basics fabric into large squares — 10-inch squares show off the bluebonnets and paintbrush flowers without cutting the motif up too small.
2. Alternate those squares with plain squares in a coordinating solid or soft blender, and lay them out in rows until you are happy with the balance of print and plain.
3. Sew the squares into rows with quarter-inch seams, press, then join the rows to complete the top.
4. Layer with batting and a backing fabric, quilt with straight lines or a gentle all-over design that does not compete with the flowers, and square up the edges.
5. Bind in a deep blue or warm red taken from the print, and you have a bright summer throw for a porch, picnic, or sofa.
Care and Handling
This is 100% cotton, so care for it as you would other quilting cotton. Machine wash in cold water on a gentle cycle with like colors, and tumble dry on low or line dry. If you pre-wash your quilt fabrics, wash this one the same way as the rest of the project. Press with a warm iron before cutting and after washing. Avoid harsh bleach, which can fade a multi-color floral print unevenly, and store finished quilts out of direct sunlight to protect the colors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this fabric wide enough for a quilt backing?
At 44/45 inches wide, it is a standard quilting width, not a wideback, so a larger quilt back would need to be pieced from more than one width. For a small throw, runner, or baby quilt, a single pieced or single-width back can work depending on the finished size.
What does the print show?
Bluebonnets and paintbrush wildflowers in a multi-color summer design, from Sentimental Studios for Moda, in the Wildflowers Favorites group. It is a floral feature print designed to coordinate with solids and blenders.
How much do I need for a throw quilt?
That depends on your pattern and block size. As a guide, 2 to 3 yards gives you plenty of feature squares for a small throw like the one above, with fabric left over for borders, a scarf, or a matching pillow front.
Shop the Wildflowers Basics Summer Bluebonnets Paintbrush Multi 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
