All that Glitters...

If you've been a quilter (or quilt admirer) for any length of time, chances are someone has asked you if quilting is really an art form or just a crafty hobby. While we have our opinions on that subject, we're not jumping into that debate. Instead, we're sharing a quilt--three panels really--that is clearly art. We suspect that this design will drop a few jaws...it's certainly not the stereotypical Sunbonnet Sue bed quilt that Grandma made!

Introducing: Special Effects by Joanie Holton and Melanie Greseth of Tailormade by Design

"Special Effects" by Joanie Holton and Melanie Greseth;
featured in Quilts & More Winter 2013

These sisters created this outside-the-box design for the Winter issue of Quilts & More magazine using Kanvas' rich, metallic Touch of Luxe collection. We asked them to share a bit about their design process, and you can read their responses below.

How did you come up with the idea for this piece?

Touch of Luxe is such a contemporary, cool line, and when we first saw it, one of the things we talked about was that it could make a really cool art display type of piece, so that's where we started from.

As far as designing, it was one of those projects that Melanie literally threw the fabric on the floor and started cutting shapes. It was all visual, and all done on the floor.

How else is this design different from others you've done?

We wanted some texture in there, so we used Texture Magic in a couple of the squares. It creates a crinkled effect. When we were working, we decided that it needed something else and we came up with the gold string to finish it off. You want to create the illusion that the string is going across all three panels, so it's laid across each and tacked in place.

Tell us about Touch of Luxe.

This was a really fun line to work with—contemporary but with that added gold metallic, which made it kind of rich looking and added a different effect to it. The fabrics do such a nice job of blending, and with some of the designs, it's almost like a tonal with the appearance of an oil water slick. It's just a really nice touch on this line.

What's your favorite thing about this striking design?

I really like that it's an art wall hanging. Three panels is a neat out-of-the-box way to think about doing a quilt project.

You can see the entire Touch of Luxe collection here.

Find Melanie and Joanie here.

Find Quilts & More here.

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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.

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Pure Sophistication

The collections we've shown you recently have showcased the bold, fun side of Kanvas. While we're all about playfulness and fun colors, Kanvas has another side, strutting down runways with sophistication and glamor. 

Allow us to introduce "Gilded Butterflies,"

made from the Touch of Luxe collection. 

Designed by Joanie Holton and Melanie Greseth,
this lap quilt is featured in the January-February issue
of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine.

Here's a closer look at a few of the rich, metallic gold-detailed Touch of Luxe prints. See the entire collection and find a free pattern here. 

Fleur Cream

Laser Gold

Wings Gold

Harlequin Cream

p.s. Have you entered the giveaway over on our Facebook page? Hurry; it ends on Saturday!

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