Dreaming of...an evening in Paris

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.

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Sweetie Pie: Soft and...Sweet

As fabric lovers, one of our favorite things is seeing how two different people choose to use the same fabric line. A certain print or colorway grabs one designer's fancy, while another goes in the opposite direction. In the following posts we'll show you two perfect examples of this concept, both featuring Michele D'Amore's Sweetie Pie collection. 

This quilt, featured in the August-September 2013 issue of The Quilter, uses the soft, delicate florals from the line. Designer Michele Crawford, a pink, blue and white lover, picked her favorite prints to stitch an easy-to-stitch quilt that shows off the medium tones of the fabric. Michele talked to us about how she designed the quilt below. 

What attracted you to the Sweetie Pie fabrics?

I am very traditional and love florals! I thought this would be a perfect collection for a summertime quilt. It reminds me of happily waking up under a quilt in grandma's house with a breeze coming through white Cape Cod curtains. I can also see myself cuddled under this quilt on a porch swing on a cool summer night.

What is your favorite print in the collection?

The main blue floral used in the outer border. I LOVE pink, blue and white together.

Why did you decide to pair the prints with a white on white tonal?

Using a white on white tonal [instead of a solid] gives a softer look to the quilt in person. I like contrast in my quilts and thought the white tonal would also keep it looking fresh and "summery."

How did you come up with the block design?

I am inspired by the fabric first, and then design the quilt to feature the fabric in the best possible way. I have been viewing a lot of modern quilts on Pinterest lately, and wanted something traditional yet modern and simplistic.

What do you like best about the quilt?

I had imagined this quilt on a white wicker chair or rocker on a porch. The editor liked my vision and I was happy that that's the way it was photographed.

Talk about how the machine quilting.

The only machine quilting that I do myself is to "stitch in the ditch" so the "fancy quilting" as I call it is done by my professional quilter, Kay Kimball who uses a Gamill with a Statler. Kay is the one who truly determines how my quilts are quilted. Sweetie Pie is quilted with white thread. The center of the blocks are cross hatched while there is a "loopy" stitch used in the white and striped borders, and the outer border feature a meandering leaf pattern.

  

Anything else you'd like to share?

I love the double wedding ring fabric from this collection and used it on the back of the quilt.

Find the kit for "Sweetie Pie" and learn more about Michele here.

See the entire Sweetie Pie collection here.

Find The Quilter magazine here.

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