Sew in Love {with Fabric}: Let's Go Large!

Designer Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch Gallery used the Somerset collection by E. Vive in two of her newer patterns, Star Struck and Sew Classy. Today, she's sharing these quilts with us and talking about why the fabric works so well in them.

Star Struck by Ann Lauer

Sew Classy by Ann Lauer

So you're a lover of big prints?

I love large prints that are real showy. They're just so vibrant and exciting, and they even show off beautifully from a distance. Plus, the tonal supporting fabrics work so well with the focals. They create quiet time.

How did you use these big prints in your two patterns, Star Struck and Sew Classy?

Both of those patterns use a 10'' square of the focal print, which is big enough to truly show off the flowers. There's enough variation in the fabric design that I was able to fussy cut the squares differently—I didn't have to repeat the same flowers in a square over and over again.

Tell us about your design.

I used a Nifty Notions tool called the half rectangle tool. It's a very simple tool to use, and it created several elements in each quilt—that's how I made the black frame around the floral squares in Sew Classy, as well as the green triangles in the sashing. For a totally different look, I used the tool to make the blue star points in Star Struck. These two quilts look so different considering they are made up of many of the same elements. Between the focal fabric and the tool, you get a real showy quilt with either one.

What's one thing you really like about Sew Classy?

I love the jazz of the stripe in the border. And I think the black background is so striking on the focal print. Okay, that's two!

How about Star Struck?

It's a quilt without borders. I've been designing more like this. A bit more contemporary. The quilt looks difficult to make, but it's actually pretty easy.

We're pretty sure we know the answer already, but what is your favorite print in the Somerset collection?

The large floral. It's really striking, and it's such a nice combination of lots of varieties of flowers, but also enough negative space to let the design breathe. You can it in many different ways and you'll always see the background.