What is at the top of your dream vacation list?
An all-inclusive resort with a sandy white beach and aquamarine ocean?
A shopping spree at a destination quilt shop, with someone else footing the bill?
Or maybe...a week in Paris?
We may not be able to make your dreams for #1 or #2 come true, but we can give you a glimpse of #3: An Evening in Paris.
Michele Crawford of Flower Box Quilts designed "An Evening in Paris" for The Quilter magazine using Michele D'Amore's Left Bank collection. The Jacobean florals have such a Parisian feel, don't they? Read on as Michele talks about her design and the fabrics she chose.
Featured in The Quilter October-November issue: "An Evening in Paris" designed by Michele Crawford |
What do you like best about the quilt?
I love
the fabric and I believe that my design showcases it well. I love the use of
the different tonal print in various colors! I used the teal to
"pull" the 2 blocks together, and to make the design "pop"
by using it as a border and binding. I am a symmetrical designer so I like to
use the colors or prints within the blocks and "pull" the color
through the quilt. I used the dark floral in the outer border to balance the
quilt design. It would have looked entirely different if the cream floral had
been used in the outer border.
Where do you start when it comes to selecting fabrics?
I
basically look at a fabric collection and see what works well together,
color-wise, for the time of year of the specific magazine issue, and how much
contrast I can offer with specific fabrics within a collection. I chose the two
main prints first, and then picked prints, solids, and tonals to highlight and
contrast the main prints.
Can
you talk about the block you chose? Why did you decide to make the block in two
different color combinations?
With
the two strong main prints I wanted to use the same block, Criss Cross, but
change the position of those main prints within the block.
What prompted you to use sashing in the quilt?
I felt
that with the two main prints in the blocks, the quilt needed a
"resting" place for the eye; that the quilt would have been too busy
if the blocks had been sewn directly together. Also, if the blocks had been
sewn together there would have been a LOT of seams to match!
Tell us about the machine quilting.
I
pieced the quilt, and my machine quilter, Kay Kimball, did an excellent job choosing the right threads and design. She emphasized a simple floral design in
the blocks and chose to only stitch in the ditch on the sashing plus the green
and teal borders. I like to make the fabric and design pop first, and have the
machine quilting as the subtle icing on the cake.
Note: Michele used the cream large floral on the back of her quilt; we wanted to show you a few other interesting options from the collection. Both of these prints would make beautiful backings or could be fussy-cut and used in a quilt top.
See the entire Left Bank collection here.
Find the kit for the Evening in Paris quilt here.
Find The Quilter magazine here.
Gorgeous ... I would love to make this quilt in this fabric for my sister!
ReplyDeleteI love these fabrics. What a pretty quilt
ReplyDelete