Spotlight on our Elite Eight

We've hope you've been enjoying our version of March Madness as much as we have! The decisions have been tough, and the voting has been close, but you've narrowed the field from our original 16 fabric lines down to eight. 

Let's take a closer look at the remaining eight contenders, in alphabetical order.

Antoinette

Classic Jacobean designs by Michele D'Amore in a gorgeous chocolate and pink color combination. Don't miss the pencil stripes, tattersall plaid, and the double and triple print fabrics, perfect for borders and more.

Botanical Garden Balis

Rich, saturated colors in leaf and flower designs. Each fabric features a virtual rainbow of colors for a layered look, from coppers and golds to purples and greens. 

Ellie Ann

Romance is back with Eleanor Burns' collection, inspired by turn of the century English cottages. Delicate roses, wallpaper stripe, Victorian medallions and a patchwork print all come in three colors ways: mango, periwinkle, and classic pink.

 Keepsake Balis

Flowing vines and florals in a soft palette--you don't often see batiks done so well in pastels, perfect for the low-volume quilt craze going on right now! A few brighter colors complete the collection for added contrast.

Lili-fied

These bold and modern prints bring the beach to mind! Choose from an orange and fuchsia colorway, or cool blue and green. You'll love the big florals, stylized medallions, modern paisleys, and coordinating mini prints. 

Savannah

Nature at its finest in sketchbook form. These prints are reminiscent of pen-and-ink sketches and watercolor drawings, with some classic paisleys, florals and damasks mixed in, and don't forget the panel of ready-to-use floral blocks!

Somerset

This eclectic collection has everything from jumbo florals to cool stripes and geometric prints. It's a mixture of contemporary and classic prints that works, plain and simple. 

Sun-Kissed

Cool, colorful and contemporary. Leaves, sprays, florals, and oh-so-fun dotted circles set this collection apart. It's available in brights and black/white, as well as an oceanside spa-inspired palette of aquas, mocha, and green.

Remember, voting begins again on 3/26 on our Facebook page! Tell all your friends and be sure to cast your vote! 

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Sew in love with Sun-Kissed

If you've seen the cover of the April-May issue of The Quilter magazine, you've seen Michele D'Amore's Sun-Kissed collection in a fresh (and gorgeous!) quilt. This lap-size beauty was designed, stitched and quilted by Julie Lynch, who shares a bit of her design process with us below.

About the Trip Around the World design:

Julie: I tried a traditional Trip Around the World design first, but it didn't have the same appeal as the on-point version you see below. I had a stack of squares from each fabric, and I just played. I'd agonize—and if I didn't like how the colors looked next to each other, I picked up the squares and tried again until it worked. I don't have a design wall, so it's all done on the floor.

About the Sun-Kissed fabrics:

Julie: This quilt was really fun to make. To me, the fabrics had a 60s vibe. I loved the graphic prints. They were fun. The collection has a great mix of light, medium and dark, and size variation. The solids (from the Colors for Quilters line) were perfect because the prints needed a quiet place to rest your eye.

Details matter:

Julie: I purposely oriented the striped squares (3^rd print out from the center) as you see them to create a zigzag illusion. I used the large circular print in two very different ways in the quilt. The cream background version is chopped up into squares in the quilt. But the design needed a bigger statement, so I used the darker brown version I a big border to help hold the quilt together, visually. I really liked the boldness of this border print.

Isn't a Trip Around the World usually square?

Julie: It didn't look right being plain old square to me. I thought it needed to be elongated a bit. I added in the olive-y green and the blue print squares as additional rows on the top and bottom to create a rectangle

Design tip:

Julie: When you have a quilt top laid out, step away from it overnight, and take a photo of it as well. Coming back to it with a fresh eye, as well as seeing it on a camera screen, helps you see your design with a more impartial eye.

Fun fact:

Julie: I don't use a computer. I've been sewing quilts for Benartex for more than 25 years. They send me a collection—it's always a surprise when it arrives and I start playing around, working with what they've sent. If I don't have an idea immediately when I see the fabric, I often just start cutting and playing with the prints on the floor.

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p.s. Have you nominated a fabric collection for our March Madness Fan Favorite bracket yet? Maybe it's Sun-Kissed, featured on The Quilter's cover, or maybe it's a different line. Read more about the bracket here and nominate your favorites in the comment sections here or here, on our Facebook page. 

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Sneak Peek and a Giveaway!

We've introduced you to Michele and a couple of her current lines, 

Urbanicity and Sun-Kissed. 

Now, how about a quick preview of what's to come? 

We're thinking:

Garden-fresh rose blooms

Inviting home dec color palettes

Coordinating stripes and dots

A gorgeous focal panel

And the final touch, pre-printed patchwork yardage with a modern twist

We're thinking: 

Interlude, Michele's upcoming line

A fresh twist on classic fabric patterns in decorator friendly hues

A sneak peek at Interlude by Michele D'Amore. Watch for it in quilt shops in April.

We're going to give away fat quarter bundles to two lucky blog readers!  One reader will win an Interlude fat quarter bundle and panel; the second will win a fat quarter bundle of Michele's Bold & Beautiful collection! 

Win this bundle and panel from Michele's upcoming collection, Interlude

Win this bundle of Michele's current line, Bold & Beautiful

Enter to win in one of three easy ways:
1. Sign up to follow the blog (see the Google Friend Connect button the right sidebar) and then leave a comment on this post, telling us that you have done so.
2. Sign up to follow the blog via email (see the button the right sidebar) and then leave a comment on this post, telling us that you have done so.
3. Like us on Facebook and then leave a comment on this post, telling us that you have done so. (If you already like us on Facebook, great! Just leave a comment HERE on the blog letting us know.)

The giveaway will be open until Friday, January 18th at 11:59 EST. On Monday, January 21, we'll announce the randomly drawn winner, here on the blog, so check back to see if it's you!

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Sun-Kissed: How it all comes together

Sun-Kissed, another new line by Michele D'Amore, merges sophistication and fun to be cool, colorful and contemporary. The line includes tropical-style leaves, modern medallions, cheery flowers, and of course, a great stripe and playful dot. The collection comes in brights and in a soothing spa-colored palette as well. See what Michele has to say about this line, available now in quilt shops, and about her design process, below.

What was the starting point for Sun-Kissed?

The tropical leaves are a favorite and were the starting point for the collection. The leaves are the center and focus of the group. Once I have that, I know how to go forward. Whatever evolves from that will coordinate with the main pattern.

Sun-Kissed in tropical brights

Sun-Kissed in oceanside spa

Can you talk a bit about how you work?

I generally start with designs on paper, working with pencil, colored pencils, and paint. Then the designs get scanned into the computer.

I find myself working from collection to collection, rather than working on one line start to finish. For me, it's a never-ending process. On a typical day, I would start out thinking that I'm going to complete one line. But as the day goes on, I may find myself starting another line. Something from Sun-Kissed, for example, may develop into a piece for the next line. The next line starts out where the last one left off. It's sort of like an unfinished symphony. I just keep going. 

One common theme in all of your collections seems to be a feel for what colors work so well together. How do you develop color palettes?

My color sense, if I had to pinpoint something, it would come from a home dec. 

I look for a color look that I would live with in my own house. Home dec has played an enormous role in the quilting world. I think people look to those color looks. Particularly with my fabrics, people say 'I can't wait to make something from this for my home.' Now I always try to keep that in mind, that they want it for their home, and color accordingly. 

When I design a line, I'm usually focused on one color look and the color and design sort of go hand in hand for me. But then I do like to produce things in other color looks to give people more of a selection. 


What would you make with these Sun-Kissed fabrics? The possibilities are endless, especially considering the two totally different color palettes, but here are a few great ideas to get you started.

First, our friends over at Children's Corner Patterns knew these bright, happy prints would be perfect for little girls' dresses. 

Here's their sweet and frilly Madeline pattern:

Isn't the dot just the perfect trim?

And Lillian, the sleeveless shift dress:

See the rickrack on the pockets?!

You can also visit our website for free quilt patterns designed specifically for this collection. 

Jump on the hexie bandwagon with Lexi's Hexies by Audrey Page.

Or embrace the soothing calm of Seawall, a super-quick pattern, also by Audrey Page.

Look for Sun-Kissed in either colorway at your local quilt shop!

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