Make it Modern: Daily Zen

Inspired by the modern quilting show QuiltCon over the weekend, we're sharing projects and fabrics with a modern twist this week, as well as some photos from QuiltCon itself. 

First up is the "Daily Zen Quilts & Projects' by Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton. This 56-page book features' 11 projects made from Michele D'Amore's Daily Zen collection for Contempo Studio.

The projects keep with the Zen theme--in addition to quilts, you'll find a yoga mat, an eye mask and neck roll, and a carry-all tote that can hold sewing projects or your yoga class supplies.

Joanie and Melanie worked with Benartex and Landauer to develop the "Daily Zen" book, with the idea of showing quilters many different ways to use a fabric line, all in one resource. We asked Joanie to talk about the book and projects she and Melanie designed.

Why did you use the Daily Zen collection?
It was fresh and fun to work with--Michele had some neat colors blended together, and a lot of grays that worked with colors that pop. Her black and white prints are perfect for modern quilts. I think both quilters and quilt shops are drawn to the contemporary and modern fabrics (like Daily Zen) but aren't always sure how to use them in patterns. Our book addresses that.

Tell us about the cover quilt. 
The "Unified" quilt on the cover is an example of a traditional block we tweaked--it's an oversized snowball block. The design looks like a chain, but very oversized. 

Do you have a favorite quilt from the book?
We loved all the quilts, but I really liked the Zen Garden quilt. It's a very contemporary take on a Drunkard's Path square. Bright and modern, and not as hard as it looks. 

And how about some of the other projects?
Our theme for projects was based around the theme of the fabric. For us, sewing is very zen. When you work on a project and it all comes together, you have this lovely calming feeling. That's what we took from the fabric--where is that place in your life where you go to have that peaceful feeling?

The carryall tote was a super fun bag to make, and so cute!

 The eye mask and neck roll go with the "feeling zen" theme. 

What else do you want readers to know about your book?
The projects are easy to make--we tried hard to make them accessible to many skill levels. But most of all, we hope quilters and sewers can find the corner in their world where they can sit and relax and enjoy the projects they've made!
Watch for Melanie and Joanie's next book, debuting at Spring Quilt Market!

Melanie and Joanie even have a bonus project to share with you, thanks to Landauer!

Click here to download Melanie and Joanie's free pattern for a travel sewing wallet.


Click here to find the Daily Zen Quilts & Projects book. (You can also click on the "Look Inside" tab to see a short video with sneak peeks of some of the other projects featured in the book!)
Click here to see Daily Zen featured on the blog and here to see our Contempo booth from spring Quilt Market featuring these fabrics.