The dramatic appeal of Moonflower

If sleek elegance and vibrant colors speak to you, we'd like to introduce you to Sandi Irish's "Moonflower" quilt. Featured in the fall 2013 issue of Quilt Trends, this contemporary design uses magenta and olive green to pop off a black background, courtesy of the gorgeous prints of Kanvas' Floral Philosophy collection by Maria Kalinowski. 

"Moonflower" designed by Sandi Irish;
featured in Quilt Trends magazine, fall 2013

Here's what Sandi had to say: "The magazine picture is stunning! Can I borrow those vases?" Keep reading to learn what she has to say about designing this beauty.

What attracted you to the Floral Philosophy fabrics?

I LOVE magenta and the colors just pop on the black background. The color combination is a favorite of mine, and the quilt turned out simple but elegant.

Do you have a favorite print in the collection?

It's a tough choice to pick just one but I really like the paisley print. It would make a great tote bag, I could even see it in a shirt.

Talk about your design and fussy cutting decisions.

I had actually designed this wall hanging several years ago and had been saving it for the right fabric. Big fabrics need big spaces. This fabric almost gives the impression of hand applique and it's a good fit.

Why did you choose the olive color as the tonal print for the quilt?

When looking for an accent for the main fabric, I didn't want to "over pink" the quilt; since olive is a near opposite on the color wheel, the contrast is nice.

Want to see more Floral Philosophy? Read our post about Kanvas' spring Quilt Market booth, decorated in Floral Philosophy.

See the entire Floral Philosophy collection here.

Find the kit for this project (and learn more about Sandi) here.

Find Quilt Trends here.

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Stopping to smell the flowers

The highlight of the recent Quilt Market in Portland, hands down, was the Kanvas booth winning the 1st Place Double Booth Award! 

Pictured (l-r): Luiza Hajdari, Greta Lynn, Maria Kalinowski, Joanie Holton, Michelle Fairbanks, and Melanie Greseth

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the booth and how it came together. 

The line we chose to feature, Floral Philosophy by Maria Kalinowski, absolutely pops off the bolt with bold, saturated color, and, as the name suggests, the prints are abloom with flowers. 

A sneak peek at a few of the Floral Philosophy prints, available in quilt shops in late August.

The vision: Fill the booth with flowers. 
The execution: 120 larger-than-life tissue paper flowers!

Benny even joined the fun in our overflowing garden of paper flowers!

The booth wasn't just tissue paper blooms, though. 

We took the flowers from this fabric, enlarged them, printed them on vinyl, and...

created floor and table decals!

Combining the Floral Philosophy prints with all those suspended tissue paper flowers made our booth a real statement of color--one you could see from miles (or at least several aisles) away!

Here are close-ups of a few of the quilts hanging in the booth:

And (we're so coordinated!) our Breakfast at Tiffany's style ad for the fabric collection:

To see more photos and learn about the fabric lines and quilt patterns showcased in our booths at Quilt Market, visit our Facebook page and scroll through the Quilt Market album. 

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