Overland Journey Orange ... Pillow from Safari Moon

 I am so excited to share with you my first fabric collection with Art Gallery Fabrics. Quilt market is just a week away and I am nervous and excited with anticipation. I have been working very hard this past year designing and now sewing for my booth and had help from my friends with some of my sewing projects. I first found this block online for free and decided to make it using scraps. I re- wrote the pattern originally from Marcia Hohn and altered so that is much easier. I decided to quilt linear lines across... it is not perfect but I do love this pillow. The Orange overland journey fabric goes perfect with Art Gallery Fabrics "Squared elements Lemongrass". Anyhow, I am happy with this pillow I did make some mistakes with some of my projects I can share with you later. In the mean time, I can't wait to see the reality of how all my projects will look once they are put together at quilt market. Fabrics come out in December!

For a Link to this pattern come visit my new pattern store HERE.

Simple entertaining table runner

Here is a beautiful table runner made from blocks HERE all you need to do is piece 2 paper piece blocks and add a center block that matches the same size, The fabrics are Art Gallery fabrics assortments of teal and reds and navy blue. I thought it made a pretty color combo. Great for 4th of July even though that is far away with the Holliays approching. But even having a friend over for a meeting and cookies and tea. Or a garden party. 

Blocks measure 12' add a 2.5 inch boarder in between and sides then bind. Volia I hope you enjoy this post.

Love Frances : )

Becoming a designer with Art Gallery Fabrics

Here is my collection for Safari Moon




I am Thrilled to Annouce that I am now a designer with Art Gallery fabrics. I waited a long time to get here and it was a lot of hard work. I have been a huge fan of Pat Bravo. Her designs jump off the shelves when you see them in the stores. I couldn't beleve one day I read on her blog that she was from Argentina and I jumped out of my chair. That is where my parents are from. My father is a famous composer and jazz musician named Lalo Schifrin who grew up in Argentina. I imedieatly wrote to Pat and told her I was a graphic designer and who my fater was. She wrote back and wanted to see my work... Talk about jumping out of my chair again! You have no idea how nerveous I was. I had to give myself a week to prepare a presentation to her. I was sick to my stomach with nerves! I did not hear back right away in fact it may have taken a week or so to hear back. Well can you imagine...I wanted to bite the head off of anyone who was near me. I was so so nerveous.

When I finally got my letter back I will never forget. I thought I was going to be rejected. I read the first line of the letter and nearly feel out of my chair again!! She wrote back and said after seeing my work she thought I would be perfect for Art Gallery Fabrics. Well then I danced around the room! It was Saturday night no one was home for me to celebrate this victory. But Getting into a fabric company doesnt always mean that they will accept your designs every time. I guess we think yay we did it but this is acturally where the hard work begins...

  

I worked with Pat for seven months before finally launching. I had created some beautiful designs but she was really trying to pull out of me something that was unique and differnt.
I think I felt like during this process that it was pulling blood out of a turnip. You could be a great actor but wrong for the part. So many things have to come together to make a good collection and,
There is so much design out there and she was pushing me to go farther. So I decided to do a lot of research online and found that I love exotic places and illustrating them.  When I looked at some African fashions and all the patterns and noticed how colorful and bold they are, I gravitated toward that style. I decided to tell a story with my fabrics. I buckled up after almost giving up and created something totally differnt.  I sent the new designs to Pat after International Quilt Market Portland 2013 and she flipped over them! I was thrilled.

I also submitted 3 colorways and we had to decide on just two. I love warm colors but seeing all the African designs out there, there were so many emerald, blues, and green strong colors that seem to fit and pop with these design. And this was the birth of Safari Moon. And getting a place in the fabric design world.

I am inspired by  all the bloggers out there and love seeing all the beautiful hand made quilting, sewing going on. It is hard not to be intimidated by all that but I just want to be part of this wonderful world of all you creators out there.

From me I hope that my designs will capture your heart. I want to tell stories with my designs and create illustrative whimsical adventures for the quilter to escape to.

Much Love, 

Frances

Thanks Sara Lawson of So Sweetness for this beautiful interview~

SO SWEETNESS INTERVIEW HERE

Paper Piece Practice

This is a Mariner star paper piece pattern by Carol Doak 

Lately expirementing with paper pieceing... Sometimes I find they can be more work than regular piecing but the results can be pretty spectacular.

Fabrics used in this block are Art Gallery Fabrics , Barij bijoux and grey print with purple print from stash.

Crown of thorns paper piece block by Charise Creates can be found HERE

A beautiful Flower pouch

My husband and I went on a 2 week vacation to Chicago's North Shore. I had some downtime to rest and relax from a very buisy and stressful schedule in La.  We went many days to see my husband's father who is in a rest home. I took this shot there. It is a beautiful meadow with a pond. I picked the wild flowers to put in my father n law's room. This cute project would be a great house warming gift. This cute little project is called "Fabric Gift Pouch"

by "A Spoonful of Sugar" tutorial for this project is HERE

A Modern World...

It seems like I came out of a coma after having my baby. In the 3 years from the tough pregnancy till now, A huge explosion of the modern quilt world happened in blog world and somehow I missed the train. I love so many things that I am seeing! I have not had much time to sew working full time as a graphic motion designer at NBC and trying to pursue a carreer as a fabric designer and having a toddler! So with all that said I am trying to catch up to all these beautiful projects that people are sewing on Instagram, Flickr, and Blogs. I thought I would take some baby steps lately and just expirement (which is what I love to do most) and make blocks with out making a full sized quilt. But if you like these I will always try to give info so you can make them.  

This pretty block came from HERE.

 I used Art Gallery Fabrics with one scrap from my stash and White print for background from my stash.

A "Quicky" Table Runner

I love this book by Rashida Coleman-Hale called "I Love Patchwork"Every project is really cute. I made this table runner and it was so so fun!!!!

It is really easy to do and requires so little fabric!!!!!! All you need is one fat quarter for the solid it calles for linen but I didn't have any so I choose this neutral solid fat quarter that I had.

Then all you need is 3 colors scraps. Less than a quarter yd would do it. 

Would make a great home warming gift. I really want to make more.

Check out Rashida Coleman- Hale's blog HERE

Also you can get the book at Amazon HERE

I love how few pieces of fabric you need for this project!

If you are a med / or beginner this is a good lesson in practicing your quilting tecnique.

I marked the background using Roxanne Chalk Marking Pencil white. It is really great because the lines lasted long enough then disappeared on it's own. The hardest part for me in making this was marking where the "zig zag" lines went. 

Close up I missed the stitch in the ditch a little bit oh well...

No one is perfect lol!

I really enjoyed making this! It took so little time surprising!!!!!