Get to know Shannon from Shannon Fraser Designs
January 16, 2020
Hello, my fellow fabric lovers! I’m super thrilled to be guest posting here today. In fact, I’ll be guest posting over the next several weeks with some fun projects, inspiration, and tips to share with you.
But first, let’s get to know one another a little 😊
Hi! I’m Shannon. I’m the modern quilt pattern designer and maker behind Shannon Fraser Designs. I’m based out of Montreal, Canada and you can usually find me stitching away in my home studio with my hair in a top knot, sipping copious amounts of coffee all while hanging out with my loyal sewing companion – Pips – my cat!
We’ve already established we’re mutual fabric enthusiasts 😉 And that’s exactly where my journey with sewing and quilting started.
I loved fabric, I just needed to figure out what to do with it – ha!
So, I got to sewing. Teaching myself one project at a time. Diving in and just figuring it out as I went along. I eventually started selling my handmade aprons, bags, and cushions. That is until I stumbled upon a YouTube video on how to make half-square triangles, or HSTs, as I’ve fondly come to know them as. Yes, lots of acronyms to get familiar with when first exploring the quilting world. But, oh what a wonderful world it is.
One HST block leads to another, and before I knew it, I was well on my way to creating my first quilt top.
This was back in 2015 and I haven’t looked back! To say I’m hooked would be an understatement. I just felt like I found my creative home.
There is so much to explore and learn that it can be a little overwhelming.
Been there before too, huh?!
Yeah, this journey of sewing and quilting has been a series of highs and lows as I continue my exploration and try new things.
This is why I started designing my own quilt patterns to share unique designs that are explained in a way to make them beginner-friendly.
When I started, I knew nothing about fabric companies or fabric designers. And what a world it is to explore!
It can be a little intimidating to get to know the different brands and stay on top of all the different fabric collections available for us to play with.
But that’s the beauty – there is so much textile goodness for us to explore that we’ll never be out of creative inspiration!
You probably already know this, but not all quilting cotton are created equal. As I tried new fabrics out, I realized that while they’re all listed as 100% cotton they all feel a little different. And I absolutely adore the feel of Art Gallery Fabrics. They’re so silky soft. I remember getting my Playground fabrics from Amy Sinibaldi for the Playground Blog Hop and I was amazed at how soft they felt. I kept petting the stack! Ha! You know you do it too 😉
This is taking me back to the first blog hop I ever participated in and can I just say how nervous I was!
I felt honored that Amy trusted me with her fabrics enough to design the Playtime Quilt.
Everything Amy designs steal my heart, but I have a soft spot for this collection as it had me reminiscing about my childhood and taking a trip down memory lane – love when that happens! You can read more about that project here.
I couldn’t get enough of the Playground collection and used the scraps to create the Spring Lilacs quilt. Proof that fabric scraps are worth holding onto!
After that first introduction to AGF, I was hooked. Hooked on the feel of the fabric – ‘cause, let’s face it, we’re in this for the tactile feel as much as for the final quilt, right?! And there’s something about the silkiness of the cotton that I can’t get enough of.
Which is why I was so in when Amy asked me to play with her Sonata fabric collection. This time I went for a modern table runner using the Modern Aztec pattern. Super cute and practical – love those kinds of projects! Don’t you?
Sonata Modern Aztec Table Runner
My second ever blog hop happened to be for the one and only Pat Bravo! I have a true love for Scandinavian style and her Heartland collection has all those yummy Scandi vibes. There was a shipping mishap with my fabric bundle landing in an entirely different country! Since my original design idea wasn’t possible under the new tight timeline, the Winter Star quilt was born! As much as I love that baby quilt, I was disappointed not to get to make a full-size quilt. So, when the original fabric shipment showed up unannounced, I decided to make the Plus Infinity quilt for my husband. Lucky him, as he just adores owls and was completely smitten with the collection.
Heartland Winter Star Baby Quilt
Here’s where it gets fun, though.
Art Gallery Fabrics offers lots of versatility in their collections and I can go from soft, girly and whimsical to bold, graphic and colorful in a nanosecond! My Flight Plan quilt is a great example of that! I used their Geometrical Bundle-Up which instantly appealed to my love of saturated color and bold geometrical shapes.
I love bold color, but I remember thinking “is this too much?”. Which was quickly followed by “Nah, go bold or go home, Shannon!”. Ha!
That motto is showcased in my House of Cards quilt which features the trimmings leftover from my Flight Plan quilt. I love using those little extra bits to let loose and just play. It gives me a chance to jump between more structured quilt projects (i.e. using a pattern) and what I call my ‘freedom sessions’ of improv quilting just using scraps. It’s two completely different quilt journeys and each appeals to different sides of my creativity.
House of Cards Modern Improv Quilt
There’s nothing demure or delicate about this one, but it’s an instant shot of happiness when I look at her.
So, that’s me – a textile lover who stumbled upon quilting, can’t get enough of bold colors and graphic designs and is known to stop by their fabric cabinet to just pet her stash and get some quilty inspiration.
I’ve been working on a fun project behind the scenes that I’ll finally get to share with you next week!
In the meantime, you can catch some sneak peeks over on Instagram @shannonfraserdesigns.
xo
Shannon