Slice & Stitch Challenge: Shannon Fraser

Hi my fellow stitchers! I’m Shannon – the quilter and pattern designer behind Shannon Fraser Designs. I’m super thrilled to be popping in today to share a little quilty story with you!

It kicks off with this fun question: “What do you get when you pair an ombré fat quarter bundle with a trio of ombré threads, some fun quilting rulers and a modern quilter?” I’ll give you a hint – it’s cute as a button and has lots of texture.

If you guessed a fun modern mini quilt – then you’d be right!! 

Being an Aurifil Artisan comes with some fun opportunities and collaborations – like this one – the Slice and Stitch Challenge hosted by Aurifil Thread, OLFA, and Michael Miller Fabrics. You’ve surely heard of them. 😉

If you know me, then you already know my love for Aurifil and you’ve seen me sneak Michael Miller Fabrics in quiiiiiite a few of my quilts (here are just a couple of examples: Irish Vortex and Guiding Lights Quilted Wall Hanging).

What might surprise you is that this was my first opportunity to work with OLFA products. I’ve heard of them. I’ve had them on my quilty wish list, but I hadn’t had the chance to give them a go.

I was raring to go and had designed a fun new pattern when there were some inventory challenges due to the hubbub of COVID. As a result, some of my design elements needed to change. Instead of panicking, I just rolled with it. This is what a creative life is – unpredictable.

Sometimes you need to adapt to a fabric shortage, or not having your preferred thread colour on hand. This is where we thrive – living on the edge and making creative decisions as they arise!

HOW I HANDLED THE ‘QUILT DISASTER’
So, what did I do? How did I handle this ‘quilty disaster’? I went back to the theme – “slice and stitch”. It fits perfectly with what I love about quilting – diving in and seeing where you land.

So, I brought it back to my first love – improv. Improv and playing with colour. And how glorious are these ombré yellows? I want a full quilt in these!

They brought me so much happiness and sunshine a few Saturdays ago, that’s why I named her Sunshine on a Saturday. 😊

DESIGN DETAILS
After giving my bundle a good press, I dove in with some classic strip piecing. I paired them up in a way I could explore how the different values played off one another.

And then I sliced!

Ha!

It felt good.

Being short on time, I went with my instinct and pieced them back together in a way that felt ‘right’ to me.

That’s the beauty of improv. Exploring a design through how it feels to you.

Once I had my mini pieced, I decided to have some fun with the quilting and worked in a woven grid, using the 1¼ʺ x 12½ʺ Olfa ruler.

I also used it as another opportunity to see how the shades of yellow thread played against the yellow fabrics. Of course, no mini is complete without a label 😉 You can find a DIY Tutorial here.

MATERIALS FEATURED
Here’s a full run down of all the materials and tools I used to create this little mini:

• Light yellow
• Medium Yellow
• Dark Yellow
• Aurifil Color Builder Box in Sicily Yellow
• Olfa Ruler 1¼ʺ x 12½ʺ
• Olfa Ruler 4½ʺ x 4½ʺ
• Olfa Ruler 6½ʺ x 6½ʺ

AFTER THOUGHTS
This one makes me think of summer and daffodils. Not sure why – but that’s the feeling I get!

How does it make you feel? Share in the comments below. 😊 For more info on making this mini, head over to my blog!!

Happy quilting!
xo,
Shannon

PS for more quilty fun, sign up for my weekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/sfDFDNews.

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Head on over to OLFA’s blog to check out Amista Baker‘s project and don’t miss our final Slice & Stitch Challenge for 2020 coming up in November!