Music Lover's Delight

It's so satisfying to find just the right fabric for a quilt you'll be giving as a gift. And if you know a music lover, be sure to add this quilt to your to-do list.

 Designed by Stephanie Sheridan and quilted by Linda Leathersich, the duo behind Stitched Together Studios, this quilt incorporates fussy-cut panel designs and pieced piano blocks for an elegant, music-themed piece. The quilt uses the Concerto and Touch of Luxe collections from Kanvas and is featured in the November/December 2013 issue of McCall's Quilting magazine.

"Symphony in B" designed by Stephanie Sheridan & quilted by Linda Leathersich;
featured in McCall's Quilting November/December 2013

Stephanie shares how she made these two fabric collections work together as she designed this quilt and then Linda shares her thinking behind the machine quilting. 

What attracted you to the Concerto collection?

I have always been a music lover, so I was drawn to this fabric line right away!

Why did you decide to combine the Concerto and Touch of Luxe fabric collections?

The Concerto line has just a little metallic element to it, but I knew that I wanted to make this quilt look much richer and more festive since it was going into the Holiday issue of McCall's. The Touch of Luxe line was the perfect choice, all of the colors coordinated perfectly and it brought just the amount of class and opulence that I was looking for.

What was your vision in designing the quilt? 

I knew that I wanted to create a modern design using both the panel and border print. A print from the Concerto line that I didn't use in the quilt—the angled piano keyboard print--actually inspired the piano key block. When I saw it I knew I wanted something like it in the quilt, but I needed it larger and not angled, so I created the piano key block.

Concerto fabric that inspired part of the quilt design

Any helpful tips for someone making this quilt?

Make sure that you are sewing an accurate ¼'' seam ... especially for the piano key block! My favorite way to test this is to cut (3) 2 ½" X 6 ½" strips of fabric and sew them together using a ¼" seam along the 6 ½" side. Press the seam allowances towards your center strip, then measure. Your block should be exactly 6 ½" and your center strip should be exactly 2". If it isn't, adjust your seam allowance and try again. It is definitely worth the time to do this test and will save a lot of headaches while piecing not only this quilt, but all of your quilts!

What is your favorite part of the quilt?

The layout ... I love the look of an asymmetrical quilt, but my brain fights me every time I try to design that way! This quilt has an asymmetrical look because of the different fabrics in the outer border and the odd number of rows, but it is actually perfectly symmetrical!

Can you tell us about the quilting?

Linda: The quilt itself inspired asymmetrical and musical themes, as well as an elegant feather in the border. My tips for quilting on this particular quilt would be to use invisible thread. It allows the fabric to stand out while creating texture by outlining the instruments. The "Phancy Pheathers and Scrolls" in the border switch directions to create more visual impact, and the scrolls mimic the movement of the quilt backing.

What's on the back of the quilt?

Linda: We used another fabric from the Concerto line that didn't work as well on the front of the quilt, but was one of my favorites in the line.

Find the kit for this quilt here.

See the entire Concerto collection here and Touch of Luxe here.

See more from Stitched Together Studios here.

Find McCall's Quilting November/December 2013 issue here.