Cloud Surfing Quilt Design Evolution | Shannon Fraser Designs
January 30, 2020
It’s an exciting day, my fabric loving friends!
Shannon here, popping in again from Shannon Fraser Designs to share the design evolution of the original Cloud Surfing quilt I posted last week (click here if you missed it).
When I designed the Cloud Surfing baby quilt, I fell immediately and madly in love with it. But I wasn’t sure whether other quilters would get as fired up by it as I did – ha! An occupational hazard of being a quilt pattern designer 😉
But you’ve blown me away with your love for this modern design!
I didn’t really have any intention of offering her as a pattern, but then there was a delay in my guest post here and I found myself with extra time to sneak in a new version. This time, I was eager to expand on the original design and take it a step further. I played around, but I kept coming back to this final layout. It had all the movement I love in a quilt pattern and meant it was now large enough so you can snuggle with her on the sofa. Which is key, right? The quilty snuggle factor plays into my quilt design all the time!
What I particularly love about this version is that the colorway is a true collaboration with the AGF team. They had visions of retro surfboards / tropical vacation in Hawaii – the cozy sand with pops of orange and soothing blues. Yummy!
I took this theme up a level by featuring the "Laki Island Daylight" print from Mister Domestics’ Aura collection, which is designed based on his trips to Hawaii with his daughter – aw. I also added in a little retro pop with the "Hula Dolphins Vog" print. It’s a riff on a polka dot, but with the added dimension with the subtle dolphin silhouette design around the dots. It’s like it was made for the Cloud Surfing quilt 😉
Did you know that AGF has linen? I didn’t have a clue and I ADORE linen. It even made its way into my very first quilt!
So, I was super excited to dive in and start cutting up this textural and soft beauty. Here’s a close-up so you can see what I’m talking about!
I always like to know what fabrics have been used in a quilt I love, so here’s a full rundown of the fabrics featured in this retro Cloud Surfing quilt:
- AGF PURE Solids in Tiger Lily
- AGF PURE Solids in Dried Carrot
- AGF PURE Solids in Maldives
- AGF Premium Linen Blend in Sand
- Denim Fabric by AGF in Indigo Shadow
- Laki Island Daylight from Mister Domestics’ Aura collection
- Hula Dolphins Vog from Mister Domestics’ Aura collection
I especially love the combo of the textured linen, with the silky soft PURE Solids and then a little pop of their denim!
Quilting cotton + linen + denim – all in one quilt?
Say, whaaa?
Yup! I did it!
I threw in all the different fabric substrates to create the most quiltalicious texture.
And did you know their denim is the same weight as their PURE Solids? Cool, right? No need to worry about whipping out a denim specific needle or wrangling with tension issues because you’ve got different weighted fabrics. Plus, if you’re looking to add in some hand quilting details there will be way less strain on your hands compared to traditional denim.
Proof that mixing textures, solids, and prints can lead to a quilt with lots of visual and tactile interest without feeling overdone.
What are you waiting for? Stock up on all the amazing Art Gallery Fabric substrates and then head to Shannon Fraser Designs to grab the Cloud Surfing quilt pattern and get ready to get your quilty curves on 😊
To celebrate the launch of the Cloud Surfing quilt pattern, Jenny from Papper Sax Sten, the team at Art Gallery Fabrics and myself have joined forces to bring you an epic giveaway including:
- A full set of Jenny’s amazing Oval Drunkard’s Path rulers – which include all 3 sizes featured in the pattern.
- All the fabrics I used to create this lap quilt, including the backing and binding – yassss, which means you’ll get to totally recreate this retro beauty!
- And 2 free PDF copies (one for you + one for a friend you tag) of the newly launched Cloud Surfing pattern from me.
To enter – head over to my Instagram feed and follow the instructions to join the fun!
I’ll be back again next week sharing a fun home décor project! You’re not going to want to miss it!
xo,
Shannon