I Sparkly Heart Love Central Park

by Heather on August 29, 2011

I’ve been to NYC several times and Central Park is magical to me. It’s so big that you can get lost in middle. An oasis of trees, ponds, and architecture. I could spend days just looking at all of the designs carved into the different bridges, walkways, structures. Kate Spain really captured what I love about Central Park in her fabric line. So much that I think I could be a Kate Spain groupie.

I love my Central Park fabric, but I really wanted to start using some of it. Here it is, matched up with some Kona Coal. I’m exploring the negative space aspect of a quilt, as well as using grey as a neutral. I feel so modern. At least for today. Tomorrow when I am doing laundry, I bet I won’t feel modern at all.

I completed this quilt top while on a quilt retreat. I loved it and then spent weeks agonizing over how to quilt it. I ended up with an all over design, kind of a mock feather, but it picked up on some of the motifs of the fabric. The binding also took me several weeks of agonizing. I think I showed binding options to ANYONE who would listen. One of the other members of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild suggested the two tone to solve my issues. Brilliant woman! I love the way it turned out. I had a bunch of Project Runway episodes recorded, so I sat down yesterday and finished the binding.

Oh and I also pieced the back. I would like to think it was inspired, but really it was so that I didn’t have to buy as much fabric for the backing.

Design is my own. Having a design wall and 11 other opinions on which fabrics should go in what order was very important in the creation of this quilt. Kind of like a quilting bee, only with Queso and Margaritas.

{ 15 comments }

1 dan August 29, 2011 at 10:56 pm

Really lovely. The prints glow against the solid gray, and the two-tone binding is a great accent.

2 Heather August 29, 2011 at 11:02 pm: Thanks! The grey really does pop the colors. I love that effect!

3 The Odd Luminary August 30, 2011 at 8:14 am

Beautiful work. I especially admire the movement you achieved through your colors. Also, a quilting bee with margaritas sounds like a delightful quilting bee to me!

4 Heather August 31, 2011 at 9:03 am: I love the term movement. It really describes what I was wanting. I used “flow”, but movement works better. And yes, margaritas with the Austin Modern Quilt Guild at a retreat is great fun!

5 Catherine August 31, 2011 at 3:11 am

Love this quilt! The colours blend in so beautifully and dark solid really makes those prints pop!

6 Heather August 31, 2011 at 9:04 am: Thank you!

7 Angie August 31, 2011 at 7:48 am

Queso and margaritas, huh? Sounds like my kinda guild! Love the dark Coal with the bright colors…fabulous contrast. Love the back, too.

8 Heather August 31, 2011 at 9:05 am: Yeah, we are in Austin. I found out, at my first retreat, that queso is a food group all by itself here. Everyone has a queso recipe. Except me, the NW girl. But I can give them all tips on coffee.

9 Debbie August 31, 2011 at 9:00 am

Absolutely beautiful!!

10 Nurseli August 31, 2011 at 1:24 pm

Love it! It came out beautifully! I love anything Kate Spain does, and have also been wondering what to do with my Central Park fabric. I’ve been hoarding it.