Have you seen the gorgeous floral collage quilts popping up lately? I have seen a number of them at the last couple of quilt shows I have attended. One was a dressmaker’s form made of flowers and at the last quilt show, there was a really pretty rooster wall hanging made of floral fabrics collaged together.
The patterns are the work of Laura Heine. The more I see these, the more smitten I become. She has designed all sorts of patterns that utilize this collage method.
Potpourri Collage Pattern; Giraffe on Newsprint Fabric Background
I love this one. The giraffe was created against a background of Carrie Bloomston’s Story Newsprint fabric. This is one of my very favorite Bloomston fabrics. (If you want a better look at it, click here because I carry it in the shop.). It makes a fantastic background for this design.
Laura doesn’t just use animals (though she has many) but also cars, campers, birthday cakes, pin cushions and even Santa.
She uses the collage technique across all sorts of fun themes.
Last week, while I was shopping at Ben Franklin, I picked up three floral pieces, just 1/4 yard each. I’ve decided to start collecting florals and to attempt one of these patterns. I think smaller floral pieces are adequate and in fact, I could have even bought an 1/8 yard cut. These three are really pretty florals and the colors vary greatly. I did that intentionally as I don’t have any plan yet so I am unsure if I will only use certain colors or the whole rainbow.
This particular Timeless Treasures fabric is so pretty. It looks like a water color to me. Cutting it up for the floral bits will be perfect for this sort of project.
When I got home and went to put these away, I decided to do a quick scan and pull any florals I already had. To no one’s surprise, I had plenty! Isn’t it amazing what we have tucked away, here and there!
Florals, florals, and more florals.
Reds, purples, teals, blues, pinks and greens. All kinds of flowers!
Before I go any further with this, I need to pick which pattern I want to attempt. Then I need to do some research and see whether anyone has any tips on these patterns. In fact, have any of you tried one of these? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on the pattern and the collage process. I don’t think I should purchase anymore florals until I have a plan. Also, I have a few things in the works that I need to finish up before starting this. It is fun to look forward though and add this project to the list (the long, never-ending list!)
Linking to Molly Sparkles Sunday Stash link up as well as Main Crush Monday!
I have her kit for the cat, but I haven’t made it yet. Have you seen the cow? It’s so cool!
Have you looked at the instructions? Does it seem clear? I am fairly confident about giving it a try but am really curious how the pattern is written.
Wow! I haven’t seen those collage quilts before and they are just amazing. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! I have seen several of them made up and I just love them. They are really interesting to look at. So, crossing my fingers on this and I will give it a shot!
The squirrel is my favorite.
I couldn’t remember the squirrel and went back to her website to check it out. Wow! That is a cool one. I think it looks more difficult than some of the others, though I honestly don’t know if that is true. Really intricate because it looks like she used slivers of fabric to get the right effect. Thanks for mentioning this one Kathy.
I recently purchased 11 different florals with no plan in mind – I just fell in love with them. I got one yard cuts, so there’s plenty for whenever I have a plan in mind. I love the collages you shared, and am interested to see how you approach making one of your own. I wouldn’t even know where to begin! That text print is the *perfect* background for that gorgeous giraffe!
This would be a great opportunity for doing a swap with people and adding florals that way. hmmmm…… I need to think on that one!
I will write a progress post but I am trying to wait and finish a few things first. Itching to start this is a good motivator tho!
Oh wow! That looks like a fascinating adventure! I am looking forward to watching your progress on this one!
Well, stay tuned Janice. I hope to get going on it over the summer. 🙂
Check out MarveLesArtStudio on Etsy. Her spool collage is beautiful. We are trying the collage technique in our guild. Several are working with Laura H. patterns. I have heard they are very explanatory. I decided to draw my own pattern to see if I like the technique. It isn’t finished yet, but I found a variety of flower looks /colors was important. I think that is why a lot of people go with Kaffee fabrics. Even tho my dog will only be a wall hanging AND I thought I had a lot of florals…I need more!! I also googled a lot of other collage artists for tips and the look I like. I seem drawn to the ones that have a bit of outline showing. Hope this all makes sense. It is a fun technique.
Nikki, This is really helpful information. Thanks for taking the time to write. I have a few Kaffe and will likely pick up a few more. I am thinking I need some that are lighter in color and value to add to my stack so far. I get what you are saying about the outline helping to define the shape. I feel like that adds a lot. Keep me posted on what you come up with!
I’ve looked those patterns a few times. The Dress Collage pattern is my favorite. But I hesitate on buying the pattern. Just too much going on right now. They are unique and pretty.
WOW this looks so amazing. Really beautiful
When you do get time to start this I hope you keep us updated, as I have the giraffe pattern I just HAD to buy and would love any tips you have to offer.
Definitely. My daughter and I were talking yesterday and we both love the pig pattern so I ordered it. I won’t work on it until summer but it is a start! I will post an update when I get going on it. Take care!
To be honest, when I first started seeing collage quilts on IG, I thought they were really neat but I had zero interest in making one. When I saw these by Laura Heine though, I’m getting drawn into them. The Mini Pincushion is very attractive to me, and I know my daughter would love the Chirp Chirp pattern since she loves “birdies”. The patterns aren’t cheap! I’d be very interested to see if the patterns are “user-friendly”. The pig one is very appropriate for your daughter. 🙂
I really love the free form look to the collage and I think (I hope?) it will be a fun project. Julia and I are going to work on the pig collage over the summer and I look forward to it being a joint project. I will keep you posted. I have been reading about the patterns and watched a video Laura has posted and it doesn’t look terribly difficult. Crossing my fingers that it isn’t!
These are all new to me but seem intriguing and lots of fun! It will be interesting down the road to see what you come up with!
These are somewhat new to me as well. But when I saw them at the quilt show(s), they really caught my eye. A fun twist on fusible appliqué and improv. Anyway, I will post updates as I go this summer!