Polka Dots and Stripes: Coordinating Patterns
ByDon’t be afraid of putting antique florals with stripes. Or gingham with country roses. I’ve even put two different florals together in one piece. The trick to coordinating patterns that seem too different to work is to find their common ground. Look at these examples of baby blankets I’ve made with contrasting fabrics:
English tea roses (at least thats what I call them) against a green background work with the soft pink stripes on the flip side. The stripes pick up the color in the roses; you could use green stripes, pick up the blue in the pattern, or even the darker magenta color. See how they compliment each other?
Polka dots are easy to put with patterns. This one, in particular, works because the print is so bold and colorful. Just pick a dot that matches one of the colors in your pattern. Make sure that the polka dot background coordinates as well; if this was a cream background it would not look good with the white between the stripes. Little things make a big difference when coordinating unlikely patterns. TIP - Dots are hard to coordinate with other small, repetitive patterns. With the example above, using dots and small roses would have been overwhelming. In the end, it must be pleasing to the eye. Find some great pattern choices at Fabric.com
Stripes and polka dots can work together! You CAN use wacky colors together if you’re feeling like you want to be noticed, but I would suggest sticking with similar colors. These patterns work well because they are exactly the same. Find the common ground and run with it; here its obviously the two shades of blue that repeat in both the stripes and the dots AND the satin border.
Look closely here, caramel colored gingham and yellow roses actually work together! The caramel color is in the floral pattern, but just barely - its used as shading in the flowers. But pairing these two fabrics really brings the color out in the floral. Also important: using the grass-green border as an accent keeps the combination from slipping into monotone. Pulling the pop of color from the flower stems is just another example of using the pattern to your advantage. Just really look at what you have in front of you and the combinations will be obvious – and unexpectedly chic.
