These slow summer days ares the perfect time to reflect on some of the quilts I’ve especially enjoyed longarm quilting in recent months. One that brought immense pleasure was the Pas de Deux quilt by Sabine Hofferer. What, a finished Pas de Deux quilt already? Yes! Sabine tends to take my designs as a starting point and run ahead to finish them ahead of schedule. I suspect that she enjoys the challenge of figuring out patchwork construction for herself. Certainly, reverse-engineering the Pas de Deux sampler must have been quite a puzzle.

Sabine has a great style. You can find her on Instagram at @la_boite_a_couleur. She loves working with bright, vibrant colors and especially favors fabrics that feature the art of Charley Harper. Her Pas de Deux certainly does Harper justice, with a playful personality that matches the fabrics themselves. It instantly brightens up my longarm quilting stuido!

For quilting I recommended the charming Triple Arc quilting design. The pattern’s light-hearted arcs reminds me of the way birds hop, hop, hop along the ground. Opting for all-over quilting can be wise with a visually complex quilt. It unifies the project rather than adding another layer of complex design.

During the quilting process I so enjoyed taking in this quilty treasure. There’s so much to discover! Look at how she turned the checkerboard group into checkers of confetti squares vs. bird fussy cuts. What a good idea.

In fact, in every part of the quilt Sabine has cleverly featured Charley Harper illustrations: in circles, in drunkard’s path curves, in star centers and even in patchwork elements altered to show off the fabrics better. Well done!

I have never sewn with Charley Harper fabrics myself, but Sabine makes a good case for them. I especially love how they combine with the V &. Co Ombre Confetti fabrics, as she’s done here. It’s painterly and perfect. You can find Charley Harper fabrics in America at The Confident Stitch and in Canada at Troll Brothers. Fat Quarter Shop stocks the complete Ombre Confetti line and you can also find it in The Netherlands at Nanno Creative.

And here is Sabine’s finished Pas de Deux quilt in all it’s glory! Oh, what patchwork fun. I know this was a blast to sew, and it will certainly be pure joy for anyone to cuddly with. Cheers to Sabine!

Now, how about an even closer look?

Wow! What a masterpiece. I love that Sabine used her favorite fabrics in abundance, because that’s what fabric is for.

join Pas de Deux

So, what are your favorite fabrics? What have you been collecting for something special? Perhaps Pas de Deux is your chance to create a spectacular sampler all your own? You can still join the Pas de Deux sew-along and work through the already-released materials at your best pace. The last chapter of this club will be published in September. Your special quilt can still be finished in time for winter weather or even holiday gifting.

Let me know if you have any questions. Maybe we’ll see the beginnings of your rendition at #PasdeDeuxquilt soon!