Art Gallery Fabrics - The Creative Blog

Are you ready for a fun home décor project?

I've got a fun one for you!

Shannon here, popping in one last time from Shannon Fraser Designs, with an idea to bring comfort and style to your living room, bedroom or family room.

Remember when I mentioned in my previous guest post that I had fun exploring some new to me AGF substrates? Last time, I got to work with their PURE Solids, Premium Linen Blend and their Denim. This week I’m diving into canvas.

Did you know Art Gallery Fabrics had canvas on offer? I didn’t! Not until my AGF friends told me it was something I could play with.

I’d been meaning to make some floor pillows for the longest time and having this fun stack of pretties to dive into finally got the project kick-started.

Now floor cushions are not revolutionary. It’s not a new idea by any means, but I figure they’ve been around for a while because they satisfy several needs: they bring comfort, are pretty to look at and are practical to have around!

Stitching this floor cushion totally brought me back to my early days of making and selling aprons, bags, and pillows. I still make them on occasion, just not as often as I used to (quilts have kinda stolen the show for me!). But I’ve been on a kick lately and have been wanting to make a floor cushion for the longest time. Getting my hands on some AGF denim and canvas finally got me fired up to make it happen!

My family get-togethers are pretty packed and seating is always at a premium (with lots of musical chair shenanigans to go along with it!). So, I thought a floor poof would be the perfect addition for added seating when I’m in a pinch. Or, at the very least, a fun napping spot for Pips 😉

Having never sewn with canvas, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was in for a treat!

First off, it cuts amazingly well. Having been used to working with silky slippery cotton, the canvas just stays put – ha! You can’t layer it as much as cotton when cutting (it’s a workout to cut through allll those layers), but otherwise, it was a cinch to work with.

Since I just adore the tree print featured on the "Mystical Woods Solar" canvas print, I opted to forgo piecing and kept the cushion top and bottom as a whole cloth. Even better, was that my Juki had no problems stitching through the layers of canvas, batting and muslin. It was as though I was quilting through any other cotton. It was fantastic! Just look at the pretty texture the organic wavy line quilting adds to the printed textile. It’s like the trees are nestled amongst hills. I love it!

For the sides of the cushion, I decided to go with the AGF Denim in Indigo Shadow. I love how it pops against the soft cream and pinky/ peachy tones of the canvas. I wanted the focus to be on the tree print, but I wanted to add some additional texture through simple 1” straight line quilting. It adds a little dimension without being too bold. Plus, running your hands along it feels ah-mazing! AGF’s denim is the same weight as their PURE Solids, so you’re not dealing with the typical density of traditional denim. This means their denim has that silky softness you’ve come to expect from their quilting cotton. It really does feel divine.

A quick heads up – I didn’t pre-wash my fabric, and I did notice some dye rubbing off on my hands as I was quilting her up. You may want to pre-wash to avoid that transfer and/ or make sure to use some color catcher sheets when you do wash your project.

Since the devil is in the details (and we love our details, right?), I opted to add piping around the top of the cushion. I would have had this poof done way quicker had I omitted this step, but just look at how cute it is. I used the AGF Denim in Fading Darts and some cording I picked up at my local fabric shop. It was quick to piece and I feel adds that perfect finishing touch.

Now that I’ve got one made, I’m eager to try it again. Except for next time I plan on making the poof a little smaller. I'm thinking of featuring the trimmings leftover from my Cloud Surfing quilts (read more about the inspiration here and the design evolution here) that have been beckoning me to play with them! I’ve already got most of a top pieced, I just need to finish her up and decide whether she needs to become a pillow or a wall hanging - decisions, decisions. Sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss out on how I finish her up!

I have had THE best time guest blogging here and chatting with you 😊 A special thank you to the AGF team for having me and trusting me to play with all the fun fabrics! I hope my posts have inspired you to step outside your quilty comfort zone, to explore different substrates and, most of all, to just have FUN!

Happy quilting my friends!

xo,

Shannon