Bar Code Variations

Today I want to show you some of the many options for the Bar Code quilt pattern. I had lots of fun playing around with colours creating all these mockups, and now I want to make them all!

The Bar Code quilt pattern is a modern take on the traditional rail fence, with a pared back, minimalist feel to it. The pattern includes instructions for 4 sizes and 3 colour variations and is available in the pattern shop.

Bar code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - link to the pattern shop

Without further ado, here we go!

Blocks with 3 or 6 colours (version A)

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in pink and green on white background Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in pink, green and blue on white

This two were the first versions of Bar Code I ever designed, for a friend's baby daughter. The one on the right with the blue bar is what I actually ended up making for her, but I wanted to include both.

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in green and blue on white Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in blue ombre on white

These two would be perfect colour schemes for a cottage or seaside home. Or a little boy's nursery if the parents like the gendered colour schemes.

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in blue and yellow on charcoal Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in blue and yellow on white

I love how different these two look with just a change in the background fabric. The charcoal background makes me think teenage bedroom, and the one with the white background would look perfect in my living room. We have an open plan kitchen, dining room and living room, with navy accents in the living room and yellow cabinets in the kitchen.

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in pink ombre on chocolate Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in pink and yellow on charcoal

I could see my daughter claiming this pink and chocolate version. It reminds me of one of my favourite chocolate bars from back home that has a berry cream filling. It's delicious!

The pink and yellow version on the right actually started out on white background, but looked a bit too tame, so I added the charcoal background to make the colours pop.

Single colour blocks (version B)

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in white on berry Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in berry on white

I can't decide which one I like better, berry pink on white, or white on berry pink. 

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in white on navy Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in yellow on navy

The blue and white version is a very calming quilt that I could see working in just about any room, and any house. On the other hand, adding a complementary colour for the stripes makes the quilt on the right really pop.

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in black on white with pop of pink Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in black on white with pink binding

And this one is a fun little experiment. I started out with just black on white, and then thought "what if I added a pop of something unexpected?" So I added pink bars.

And then I got carried away and wanted to see what pink binding would look like on this version. I think it's super cool, and I'm going to keep this in mind as an option if I ever end up making a quilt for a teenage girl.

And just for fun, here's an option that combines the alternating blocks option from version A  with the two-tone scheme of version B. 

 Bar Code quilt pattern by penny spool quilts - mockup in black and white with alternating blocks 

Scrappy quilts (version C)

Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in scrappy on white Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts - mockup in scrappy on charcoal

For the scrappy look, I just have two versions, with a white and a dark background. Since the scraps will change from person to person, I wasn't trying to make up various options of scraps, but I could see this also work really well with coordinated scraps. For example using all pastels for the bars, or all jewel tones. Or even mixing the scrappy with the two-tone version and using all the same colour for the bars, but different fabrics.

As you can see, there are lots of options, and I find myself combining ideas and coming up with yet another version every time I look at them. 

 Bar Code quilt pattern by Penny Spool Quilts

Want to see more Bar Code quilts? Check out these blog posts:

Bar Code Square Throw

Bar Code Pillow (& the rest of the pillows in the series)

Tester Quilts

And join the Bar Code quilt along starting October 18th, 2021

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