Gloaming in Quilty

Have you ever made an orange peel quilt? This classic design gets a modern update from Shelley Cavanna! She used the fresh teals, aquas and limes from her Gloaming collection to create "Cornflower Maze" for Quilty Magazine.

"Cornflower Maze" by Shelley Cavanna and machine quilted by Darby Myers;
featured in Quilty September/October 2018

What inspired you to create an orange peel design?
After taking a curved piecing class at QuiltCon a few years ago, I started playing around with incorporating squares and curved orange peel pieces in a design. The magazine pattern actually uses fusible applique instead of curved piecing, which is an even faster way to make the quilt.

How did this block come together?

To me, it looks like dragonflies. The tail ends are the lighter parts in the center, and the lime squares are the heads. So each block has four dragonflies. The tails also come together to look like a flower. A version of this block was featured in one of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks issues. I had used the block to create a bunch of different quilt designs, and Cornflower is one of them.

Tell us more about the quilt.

I originally mocked up the quilt using the one block over and over. But it seemed like too much—the design got muddled and less interesting. I also like having some sort of secondary pattern in my quilts, so I took out some blocks to create open space, and then added in more orange peels. It created a maze look that really appealed to me.

How did you decide on color placement?
I balanced out the light and dark color values of my Gloaming prints, and it seemed to work best to have the tails be lighter. The darker blues definitely create a maze.

What do you like best about this quilt?
I think it’s a fun take something that’s traditional (the orange peel) and update it to make it modern. I’d love to see this on a black background, turning the dragonflies into fireflies. Or using florals to create flower blocks.

Tell us about the machine quilting.

It’s an allover design. My long armer uses clear thread, and I think it adds some nice texture without distracting from the design.

Click here to see the entire Gloaming collection.
Click here to visit Shelley's website. 
Click here to purchase the Cornflower pattern.
Click here to find Quilty magazine.

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The colors of fall: A New Leaf

Autumn lovers, rejoice! The colors of fall last for such a short time, but with Terri Vanden Bosch's A New Leaf quilt, you can enjoy those bold hues whenever you want. Terri used Jackie Robinson's Autumn Leaves collection paired with a paper pieced tree block to make this fun quilt.

"A New Leaf" by Terri Vanden Bosch;
featured in Quilty Sepember/October 2018

What attracted you to Jackie’s fabric collection?

Jackie's fabrics are always so beautiful up close –the tiny bit of metallic glitz just makes this line sparkle even more—like the late fall sunsets shining through the half bare trees!! The collection has a great variety of dark, medium and lights in it, which gave me plenty of options for the trees.

Can you talk about this quilt design came to be?

When I was a child, we traveled to my grandparents’ house and we would pass through a small town with a maple tree-lined street. The top branches of the trees on either side of the street would touch each other and form a canopy of leaves over the road. Seeing those trees meant that we were half way to Grandmas' house!! Only 45 more minutes to be carsick and stuffed with three of my siblings in the back seat of our Dad's Ford. 

Funny twist to the story--my daughter and her family now live in this small town--and the Maple trees still line that street!!

So I designed the quilt to be trees--Leaf Lane was my original name. I think it would be fun to make a few of the "trees" bare--then they might look more like trees and less like leaves.

Why does paper piecing work well for a design of this style?

Paper piecing gives me freedom to create designs that are not based on the straight lines of grid based blocks--while I love those too--sometimes it is just fun to play  and create something new!! I used to be scared of paper piecing--but once I started using the Add-A-Quarter ruler to trim off the excess fabric to a 1/4" seam allowance for easier placement of next fabric--I was hooked!!

Any tips for making quilt?

Always make a test block when paper piecing. Each person has their own way of doing this technique--so make sure the cut fabric sizes work with the technique you use before cutting out the whole quilt. After making sure the cut fabric sizes work for you, then stack the pieces to make for easy chain piecing.

Can you talk about how you quilted this, and why?

As a professional long arm quilter I find that choosing the motifs for quilting is one of my favorite parts of the quilting process. I am quite passionate about making the quilting design fit the feel of the quilt.

I chose a greeny/gold thread color to do a swirling vine and loop across the entire quilt top--mimicking the swirling vines and leaves on some of the fabrics. This let the fabric and piecing be the star of the quilt.

What do you like best about the quilt? 

The simplicity and movement of the rows just feels right and makes me remember the maple-lined streets of a childhood memory!!

Click here to see the Autumn Leaves collection.
Click here to visit Terri's website.
Click here to purchase the kit for A New Leaf.
Click here to purchase the A New Leaf pattern.
Click here to find Quilty magazine.

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Gloaming Cover Girl!

Have you seen the July-August 2018 issue of Quilty magazine? Check out that cover girl! The Twilight Beads quilt, designed by Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton, uses Shelley Cavanna's Gloaming collection. Gorgeous! 

We asked Joanie and Melanie to talk to us about their cover quilt. 

What attracted you to the Gloaming collection?

We loved the color palette. Shelley talks about how the palette came from the gloaming time of day, when these colors show up, and the turquoise, lime and mulberry prints really appealed to us.

How did this design happen?
Melanie really loves flying geese. We challenged ourselves to make a design that is fat quarter friendly, but also contemporary and fun to sew. This quilt is made completely from flying geese.

"Twilight Beads" designed by Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton;
pieced by Vicki Swanson and quilted by Sheri Zalar;
featured in Quilty magazine July/August 2018

The quilt looks scrappy, but it still has a color pattern. How do you do that?

The layout is scrappy, but we grouped colors to give it a more pleasing feel. The flying geese are sewn together into sets of three, and you can follow our design to get the same look. Scrappy is fun, but sometimes it takes longer than it needs to. By making specific color sets, the quilt assembles quickly.

So the diamonds are made of flying geese as well?

Yes. Depending on how you turn the sets, you get that diamond.

How do the sashing rows enhance the design?

It creates breathing space around each column and at the top and bottom. As a bonus, you don’t have to worry about the points matching up between rows!

What do you like best?

I like how it’s kind of a little surprise to have the squares mixed in there with the flying geese. It’s a fresh, geometric look without being too blocky. Plus, it’s a really approachable quilt to make.

Click here to see the entire Gloaming collection.
Click here to purchase the kit for Twilight Beads.
Click here to purchase the July/August issue of Quilty magazine.

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More Holiday Magic: Snowflake Table Topper

Table toppers are perfect December projects--they sew up quickly, and it's so satisfying to add a little sparkle to your seasonal decorations. Christina McCourt designed this Snowflake Topper for the November/December issue of Quilty magazine. She used the snowflake-themed prints from Kanvas' Winter Story collection. We asked Christina to tell us about her unusually shaped topper.

"Snowflake Topper" by Christina McCourt;
featured in Quilty magazine November/December 2017

What attracted you to the Winter Story collection?

I absolutely love the colors in the Winter Story Collection—the red, green, white and black fabrics. Fabrics with a black background are awesome because they really show off the colors and designs.

Do you have a favorite print in the collection?

My favorite is the black print with the red, green and white snowflakes. They are all beautiful fabrics though!

We love the shape of your table topper.  What made you go beyond a square? Any tips for binding the angles? 

I knew I wanted to do something that wasn't a square, a rectangle or a circle. I wanted something in an odd shape. By adding triangles to the sides, I achieved what I was looking for. I have used this shape before on a Christmas tree skirt.

I just cut width of binding strips for the binding. However I wish that I had done bias cut binding. It would have had more give for the angles. For the inner corners I snipped them so that when sewing on the binding I could "straighten" the side to sew on the binding.

Can you tell us about your design?

Once I had decided on the shape, I had to choose a theme. I wanted something that could go beyond the month of December, so I decided on the applique snowflake block. I auditioned several blocks before deciding on the pieced snowflake star. The lattice in the snowflake star provides a wonderful secondary design that connects it all together. I used the same fabric for the binding to pull it all together. Using Winter Story allowed me to stay with the snowflake theme. 

What do you like best about this quilt?

I like everything about it really. If I have to choose one thing, then, I like the applique snowflake the best. The snowflake stands out against the green fabric. It is fairly simple applique.

Anything else you’d like people to know about this quilt? 

Don't let the odd shape or the applique scare you off from doing this project!

Click here to see the entire Winter Story collection.
Click here to purchase the Snowflake Topper pattern individually.
Click here to purchase the Snowflake Topper kit.
Click here to find the November/December 2017 issue of Quilty magazine or look for it at your local quilt shop.

Don't miss our other Christmas-themed posts this week! 

Holiday tutorials

Technique Tuesday with Debby Kratovil: Hexagons with Festive Season

Traditional and modern holiday quilt features

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Holiday Magic: More Quilt Inspiration

Ready for more holiday inspiration? Today we're sharing two very different quilts designed by Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton. The first quilt, "Garland," is more traditional in color palette and design, and the second, "Sugar Plum," is brighter and more contemporary. We asked Joanie to talk to us about both of these designs; you can read her answers below.

 Melanie and Joanie designed "Garland" using the Florentine Christmas collection. Classically elegant, this rich red and green palette is enhanced with metallic gold. The quilt design has a bargello feel that creates a garland effect.

"Garland" by Melanie Greseth and Joanie Holton; featured in Winter Festival of Quilts 2017

What attracted you to the Florentine Christmas collection?

The rich colors are so Christmasy, and the gold adds a beautiful touch.

Do you have a favorite print within the collection?

The red snowflake print that is in the inner border. I’m always a sucker for good Christmas reds.

Is this a bargello quilt?

It’s reminiscent of a bargello, but it’s assembled in horizontal rows. It’s a nice intermediate quilt with lots of strip quilting and a few hourglass blocks.

What do you like best about the quilt?

I really like the quilt as a whole. Even though it’s assembled in horizontal rows, the vertical rows that are created have a wave effect.

Click here to see the entire Florentine Christmas collection. 
Click here to purchase the Garland pattern individually.
Click here to find the Winter Festival of Quilts 2017 magazine or look for it at your local quilt shop.

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Melanie and Joanie's "Sugar Plum" quilt has a completely different look. They used Holly Helgeson's Merry Little Christmas collection, which features teal blue, bright and lime green, and pops of fuchsia. The quilt has a medallion feel but is actually assembled in rows!

"Sugar Plum" by Melanie Greseth & Joanie Holton; featured in Quilty November/December 2017

What do you like about the Merry Little Christmas collection?

We liked that it wasn’t traditional Christmas colors. It’s a cute line with some really fun prints, and we thought it would be interesting to take a more traditional looking quilt and add a little spunk to it.

Do you have a favorite print in the collection?

I really like the dark teal with snowflakes. We weren’t sure it was going to work in the quilt, but it adds such a nice weight to the half-square triangles, and then we repeated it as the outer border.

How did this quilt come together?

It has the feel of a medallion quilt but it’s not really. We felt that twist made it less traditional. The quilt includes many different blocks, which came about organically. Once we’d established the medallion center and the framed outer edge, we wanted to add more interest so it wasn’t so plain. That’s how we got to the trailing four-patch blocks.

What’s your favorite block in the collection?

The electric fan (curved pinwheel blocks with white). It gives such a good visual to the spin of the blocks because of the curve. People are often scared of curved piecing, but the Drunkard’s Path units in this block aren’t scary.

What do you like best about the quilt?

I love how all the blocks work together to create a playful quilt, but at the same time, each block is interesting on its own.

Click here to see the entire Merry Little Christmas collection.
Click here to purchase the Sugar Plums pattern individually.
Click here to find the November/December 2017 issue of Quilty magazine or look for it at your local quilt shop.

Don't miss our other Christmas-themed posts this week! 

Holiday tutorials

Technique Tuesday with Debby Kratovil: Hexagons with Festive Season

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