Mariakerke by Michelle Yeo was inspired by fabrics within two antique quilts from the 1830’s & 40’s which she purchased while at the European Patchwork meeting held in St Marie aux Mines, a village in the French Alsace, in 2022. Michelle attended the show with her Belgian friend, Françoise, who lives in Mariakerke in the city of Ghent. While in the Alsace, Françoise and Michelle always stay in a family-owned hotel run by Marie-Rose. When naming this line of fabrics ‘Mariakerke’ seemed very fitting given the ‘Marie’ theme throughout her trip when these quilts were bought.
Michelle loves to collect antique quilts and in particular ones from the early 1800s. She loves the range of prints found in floral chintz fabric and border prints from this era which she loves to feature in quilts using Broderie Perse. This technique involves cutting out parts of, or the whole of, a printed design and rearranging the cut motifs to create a unique new design, which is then appliqued onto a background fabric.
Mariakerke includes a stunning floral print in three colour ways with feature flowers in pinks and teals and a beautiful border print featuring two floral sprays each of which is mirrored for effect. The collection also includes two of Michelle’s trademark serpentine prints, one which runs vertically down the fabric and the other a diagonal serpentine floral. Mariakerke also features feathers, paisleys, a delicate calico vine and a wideback abstract wholecloth which would look amazing in any quilt. Michelle can’t wait to begin designing heirlooms of the future using Mariakerke
Click here to purchase Mariakerke Stars patttern.
Click here to purchase Françoise's Garden patttern.
Click here to purchase Mariakerke Giant Dahlia patttern.
