How to Use Navy Gingham in Quilts: Pairing and Project Ideas for a Classic Check
Some prints are the star of a quilt, and some are the steady supporting players that make the whole project work. The Seasonal Basics Gingham Navy fabric from Riley Blake Designs belongs to that second, hardworking group. Designed by Christopher Thompson as part of the Let’s Wander collection, it is a Riley Blake Designs Basic in a classic navy gingham check. It is 100% cotton, measures 43"/44" wide, and is sold by the yard, so you can order the amount your project actually calls for.
Why Gingham Works as a Quilting Basic
A basic is a print you reach for again and again because it pairs easily, adds pattern without noise, and fills more than one role in a project. Gingham checks do all three. From across the room, a navy gingham reads almost like a textured dark blue — calm, even, and easy to place next to busier prints. Up close, the woven-look check gives seams, borders, and backgrounds a quiet structure that a flat solid cannot. That dual personality is why Riley Blake positions this fabric for quilting, apparel, and home decor alike.
Color Pairing: What to Put With Navy Gingham
Navy is one of the most accommodating colors in a stash. For a classic Americana look, pair this gingham with reds and whites — it sits naturally alongside the other Seasonal Basics in the Let’s Wander range. For a softer, vintage feel, try it with faded chambray blues, cream, and dusty rose. It also makes a strong grounding fabric for bright, modern palettes: set it beside clear yellows, coral, or crisp white and let the navy keep the combination from feeling scattered. When you are auditioning combinations, fold a strip of the gingham next to your focal prints — if the check holds its own without competing, you have a good blender.
Cutting and Piecing With a Check
Checks reward a little extra attention at the cutting table. Press the fabric first, then line your ruler up with the printed check lines rather than the raw edge, so strips and squares come out visually square. When cutting long border or sashing strips, check the check again after each cut; a small drift becomes noticeable over length. In piecing, gingham is forgiving in small pieces — squares, rectangles, and half-square triangles all show the pattern nicely — and a 43"/44" width cuts efficiently into the strip widths most patterns call for. If you are matching checks across a long seam, such as on a quilt back or a border join, pin at regular intervals and sew slowly enough to keep the lines aligned.
Project Ideas Beyond the Quilt Top
Use navy gingham as sashing or an inner border to frame blocks with a crisp, tailored edge, or as binding on a red-and-white quilt, where the check adds a picnic-table charm. It makes an excellent quilt backing for lap and picnic quilts, and it carries easily into home decor: table runners, placemats, napkins, and throw pillow covers all suit the pattern. For apparel, the quilting-weight cotton works for casual shirts, skirts, and children’s clothing where a classic navy check always looks tidy. Small projects — tote bags, aprons, and drawstring bags — are a good way to use up leftover yardage.
Care
Care follows the manufacturer’s instructions: machine wash cold and tumble dry low. If you pre-wash your quilting cottons, pre-wash this one the same way you pre-wash the other fabrics in the project, so everything shrinks and behaves consistently before cutting.
A navy gingham basic will never be the loudest fabric in the room — and that is exactly its value. It frames, grounds, backs, and binds, season after season, long after novelty prints have had their moment.
Shop the Seasonal Basics Gingham Navy 44"/45" Cotton Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
