Aviary Fat Quarter Bundle from Windham Fabrics

Aviary Fat Quarter Bundle
Designed by Nancy Gere
Gifted by Windham Fabrics
www.windhamfabrics.net
Reviewed by Jessica Nichols, Editor of FaveQuilts.com

Aviary is a sophisticated collection of 13 fabrics designed by Nancy Gere for Windham Fabrics. The fabrics, which feature birds, feathers, flowers, and a few more geometric patterns, come in understated combinations of black, white, and grey.

Aviary has a delicate feel reminiscent of pretty Victorian wallpapers, and the beautiful but unassuming prints in this collection would look elegant in a feminine quilt. In fact, the only prints in the line that would fit in more masculine quilts are the four plainer prints. These fabrics include in a cross-hatched basketweave, which comes in black with white lines and white with black lines, and an airy floating feathers pattern, which comes in both white and grey. Also among the more graphic patterns are two striped prints in black and white, featuring alternating bands of a ribbon-like stripe and a straight line interspersed with tiny flowers.

The floral fabrics make up the bulk of this collection, including two colors each of small, medium, and large flower prints. The floral fabrics come in a range of grayscale shades and the largest print shows birds in flight scattered among the bunches of flowers. The star of Aviary, however, is the large white and black print depicting a variety of birds perched on flowering tree branches. You can't help but think of spring when gazing at this beautiful pattern. The scenes in this fabric are almost too gorgeous to use in anything but fussy-cut panels.

Together, these 13 darling prints would make an exquisite black and white quilt, but the subdued tones also make them an excellent choice to help other hues stand out in a more colorful quilt. Try pairing these grayscale prints with jewel-tones like teal, plum, and magenta for a high-contrast look. A sunny yellow would also beautifully complement the bold black patterns of this line.