Star Spangled Runner

Memorial Day and the 4th of July are right around the corner, but there's still plenty of time to stitch up a patriotic project! 
Ramona Sorensen's All Hands on Deck table runner is featured in the Summer 2019 issue of Easy Quilts magazine. This red, white and blue runner is made using a Card Trick block variation and features the Star Spangled collection from Kanvas. We asked Ramona to talk to us about her design.

What attracted you to the Star Spangled collection?
It reminded me of summer--picnics, parades, friends and families getting together.

Do you have a favorite print in the fabric line?
I like the whole collection, but my favorites are the 4th of July prints and the fireworks prints.

How did you come up with the design?
It started with the block. I was making a quilt for a club at work. I picked up two card trick blocks to stitch together and realized there was another block "hidden" in them. After some thought, I sketched out the block and then I started playing with quilt designs. 

How did you choose the border treatment?
When  I was experimenting with designs, I decided that the square in a square blocks would make a good edge finish for the project. They fill in the zig zag edges of the blocks. 

What do you like best about the runner?
I like that you can use a centerpiece without taking anything away from the design. And you can cover it with serving platters and the touches of red and blue still peek through to remind you of the occasion being celebrated.

What makes table runners so appealing? 
You can always hang them if you prefer--there are no rules that say it can only go on a table.



Click here to see the entire Star Spangled collection.
Click here to find the Summer 2019 issue of Easy Quilts magazine.

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Hello, Purple! Two Easy Quilts magazine designs

The Fall 2018 issue of Easy Quilts magazine featured two different quilts made by designers Joanie Holton and Melanie Greseth using Kanvas fabric collections. They're both done in varying shades of purple, and they're two totally different looks! Take a look at both and leave a comment letting us know which one catches your eye! 

Midnight Wind Chimes is an art quilt--a quick-to-stitch wall hanging featuring the elegant and dramatic Pansy Noir collection. 

"Midnight Wind Chimes" by Joanie Holton and Melanie Greseth;
featured in Easy Quilts Fall 2018

Tell us about this quilt design.

We wanted something different—a wall hanging that was a piece of art. We took a minimalist approach with the design, to give it a modern feel. This is a very accessible quilt for a beginner to put together.

What attracted you to the Pansy Noir collection?

The metallic aspect is so strong in the fabrics, and we wanted to create a design that would reflect that. It was really fun to play with these more contemporary prints!

How did you choose the background fabric?

We went through a lot of options! We started with the tonal prints in the collection, but realized that we needed something more eye catching. The metallic gold in this print, as well as the tight design, adds a dramatic feel to the quilt. We used the same print for the binding so the quilt didn’t have a framed effect.

Was it fun deciding on the fabrics for the pieced strips?

It was! We wanted to find a way to use the beautiful prints without overpowering the quilt. The waves are fun to use—we love how the purple waves look. And the butterfly print is so different—we fussy cut it to highlight different areas of the print.

What do you like best about this quilt?
Even though it’s a small quilt, the longer you look at it, the more details you notice. It’s very artsy to me.

Click here to see the entire Pansy Noir collection. 
Click here to see more from Melanie and Joanie.
Click here to find the kit for Midnight Wind Chimes.
Click here to find Easy Quilts Fall 2018. 

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"Freshwater Pearls" uses the plum colorway of the Essence of Pearl collection and combines two classic quilt blocks into a unique pattern. 

"Freshwater Pearls" by Joanie Holton and Melanie Greseth;
featured in Easy Quilts Fall 2018

Tell us about the design.

It’s really easy to pass over traditional blocks for new designs. You see them always in the same layout. We challenged ourselves to figure out a new way to use some very traditional blocks. The color placement of the darker plum fabric creates a floating appearance for the square in a square.

Can you talk about how you used the large floral print in this design?

So often a large floral is the focal point, but we chose to focus on the darker plum in the blocks. We used the floral as more of a background, so it creates dimension without overpowering the design. I think it creates a wispy feel.

What attracted you to the Essence of Pearl prints?

Definitely the unique palette. That dark plum color really drew me in. It’s so dramatic!

What do you like best about this quilt?
I like how the dark plum changes the perspective of the blocks. It creates a new pattern and I like how it looks.

Click here to see the entire Essence of Pearl collection. 
Click here to find the Freshwater Pearls pattern.
Click here to find Easy Quilts Fall 2018

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Spring-spiration!

It's mid April and we're all eager for spring flowers. If Mother Nature isn't cooperating, we can enjoy those flowers in fabric! Today we're featuring two magazine quilts packed with florals. These issues are on sale now, so grab your own copy and start sewing!

Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton used Kanvas' Floral Impressions collection to create the lovely Romantic Impressions quilt. The name describes this soft rose and ivory quilt perfectly! 

"Romantic Impressions" designed by Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton;
quilted by Naomi Polzin; featured in Quilter's World Summer 2018

 Joanie talked to us about this quilt: 

What attracted you to the Floral Impressions fabrics?

I think what pulled me in first is the background print of loose petals and flowers. I actually worked backwards on this design—I knew I wanted that in the background because it was so romantic and fresh.

This collection comes in two colorways. How did you choose which to use?

I’m not usually much of a pink person, but the blush and cream combination was such a fresh coloration.

Tell us about the design.

The orange peel is such a nice gradual curve to work with, and I love the effect it creates. I like on-point layouts because it changes the feel of the block. It really creates movement and helps the circles to show up. We added a thin border to help stabilize the bias edges without standing out too much.

What do you like best about this quilt?

I just think it’s pretty. It has such a soft, romantic feel and I always love a good butterfly print. And I really love how the background fabric pulls everything together.

Click here to see the entire Floral Impressions collection.
Click here to find the Summer 2018 issue of Quilter's World.

Jackie Robinson designed this striking wall quilt using the delicious blues and yellows from her Hydrangea Blue collection. Made up of a simple block, the Color Drift quilt flows from blue to yellow with plenty of blooms along the way! 

"Color Drift" designed by Jackie Robinson;
pieced and quilted by Pat Szymanski;
featured in Easy Quilts Spring 2018

Jackie talked to us about her quilt: 
What inspired this quilt design?

It’s a take-off of my Easy Trip Around the World pattern. It uses the same simple block, but I changed the layout and color placement to create this design.

What makes this quilt so easy to sew?

It’s made from strip sets—you make what I call a “fancy nine-patch” which is a 3x3 with a couple of double long units.

You love the blue and yellow combination, don’t you?

I do. This quilt gradates from blue to yellow. There are three main color combinations that make people happy, and this is one of them. The prints that are both blue and yellow help to bridge between the tonal coordinates.

Photo: The Quilting Company

Click here to see the entire Hydrangea Blue collection by Jackie Robinson.
Contact Quilting and Crafts by Mercer to purchase a kit for this quilt. 
Click here to see Jackie's other patterns featuring Hydrangea Blue. 
Click here to purchase the digital quilt pattern. 
Click here to find the Spring 2018 issue of Easy Quilts magazine.

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Looking for a Tropical Boost? We have one!

If winter has you bundled up inside and you need a little cheer in the post-holiday letdown, try out this tropical project featured in Easy Quilts magazine! Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton used the whimsical Happy Hour 3 collection from Kanvas to create a table runner and placemats. They're sure to put your in a happy hour kind of mood...just add a little lemon! 

"It's 5 O'clock Somewhere designed by Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton;
featured in Easy Quilts Winter 2018

What attracted you to the Happy Hour 3 collection?
We just thought it was so fun! Novelty prints can be more challenging to work into a pattern, but these prints are so playful that we wanted to create a project that was both accessible and useable.

Do you have a favorite fabric?

The black allover toss caught my eye. It worked out really well on the placemats. And, it has drink recipes on it!

Tell us about your design.

The drink stripe is another cool print that we really wanted to work into the project. It’s so dramatic. 

A fussy cut strip of the stripe worked perfectly running down the center of the runner, surrounded by alternating sections of the collection’s second stripe. We were also able to use the silver cocktail stripe at the top and bottom of the placemats.

 

Runner

Placemats

What was your intent with this project set?

We were thinking girls’ night in—have some friends over for a night of cocktails and conversation.

Click here to see the entire Happy Hour 3 collection.

Click here to purchase the pattern.

Click here to find Easy Quilts Winter 2018 magazine. 

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