Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Spotlight Cushion

Spotlight cushion in gray linen + Paperie fabric collection | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltedpillow

You know those creative people that you so admire their style. 

It can be completely different from your own, but there’s something about it that just sparks joy?  

That’s what Amy’s work always does for me. The fabrics she combines. The little details she sneaks in that add just the perfect touch. And the way she styles and photographs it just makes me smile. 

I’ve been lucky to collaborate with Amy Sinibaldi, from Nana Company, a few times now – for her Playground fabric collection (see the Playtime Quilt I made) and again with her Sonata line (see the cute table runner I made) for Art Gallery Fabrics. I just adored those projects. 

Rainy Day Sewing book with gray Essex linen and Paperie charm squares with rose gold stork scissors | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #sewingbook

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission. 

So, naturally, when I heard Amy had written a new book – *Rainy Day Sewing – I was all in to help support her latest venture.  

The book, co-written with with Kristyne Czepuryk from Pretty by Hand, is filled with 18 adorable projects that I had the toughest time choosing from. I was even tempted by Chloe the Cat and I’m not one to sew dolls! Proof just how enticing Amy and Kristyne have made the projects in this book. In the end, I opted for the Spotlight Cushion. Mainly because I’ve been holding onto a small stack of charm squares Amy kindly included in the very first package she sent me for the Playground Showcase. That’s Amy, always including the cutest unexpected little treats in every package. I love that about her! 

Gray Essex Linen + Paperie Fabric collection charm squares | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #fabric

Paperie is tough to find in stores these days, but I did manage to find this *FQ bundle!  

And so, I thought it was fitting to finally dip into those treasured prints and bring them to life in this fun (and quick) quilted cushion. 

Since I wanted the focus to be on those Paperie prints, I decided to keep the background neutral with a gorgeous gray linen. You know my love for texture and linen is one of the best ways I know to add texture without overwhelming a project. 

This gray linen is leftover from my apron and bag making days, but a great substitute would be *this one.  

Gray linen + Paperie fabric collection featured in Spotlight quilted cushion on a black chair with flowers | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltedcushion

Front and back views of the gray linen + Paperie fabric Spotlight cushion | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltedpillow

When it came time to quilting, I really wanted to keep the focus on those cute pluses, so I opted for tone on tone by going with this *gray Aurifil Thread in 40wt. I matched it so well that you can barely see the stich work in the photos! But trust me they’re there 😉 

Since my pillow form was a little larger than the one included in the book, I ended up having to bump the size of my pillow. Which meant I was a little short on the gray linen. But you know when you’re so committed and in love with an idea that you just want to make it work? Yup, that’s what happened here. I tried rummaging through my stash for an alternative to the linen, but my heart was just set on using it. To make it work, I pulled out some scraps from my Playground project and featured this gorgeous Chopsticks print that was one of my allll time faves from that collection.  

Back view of the gray linen + Paperie fabric Spotlight quilted pillow | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #DIYpillow

I’ve been holding onto it to feature it in a project and thought the print and colours matched perfectly with the charm squares I was featuring on the front. I kept it really simple and went with a rectangular band in the center and then surrounded it with the gray linen. I love how it pops! Plus, it means I now have a reversible pillow! Love when a dilemma turns into an even better outcome! 

The pattern includes instructions for an envelop closure, but I tend to prefer zipper closures. So, I busted out my old Singer sewing machine to sew on the *invisible zipper. Love that seamless finish! 

MATERIALS & NOTIONS 

Here’s a full list of materials and notions I used to bring this pillow to life: 

Library Gardens – from Amy’s Paperie fabric collection for AGF 
Paper Circles – from Amy’s Paperie fabric collection for AGF 
Quoted – from Amy’s Paperie fabric collection for AGF 
Happily Ever After – from Amy’s Paperie fabric collection for AGF 
Chopsticks in Rainbow – from Amy’s Playground fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics 
Linen – was from my stash, but this *gray linen would work perfectly
*White 50wt thread for piecing 
*Gray 40wt thread for quilting 
*Hera marker for plotting my quilting lines 
Kwik Klip 
Spotlight Cushion pattern from the *Rainy Day Sewing book 

 

Gray linen + Paperie fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics featured in the completed Spotlight quilted cushion | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #diyhomedecor

RAINY DAY SEWING BOOK TOUR

There are some seriously fabulous designers and creatives participating in Amy and Kristyne’s book tour. Here’s the full list of makers: 

Faith from @faithessenburg 
Ange from @ALittlePatchwork 
Kristina from @centerstreetquilts 
Shelley from @coral_and_co 
Ro from @eloise_et_moi 
Andy from @abrightcorner 
Jenni from @sewlavenderstitches 
Mariana from @sewmariana 
Shannon from @shannonfraserdesigns (Hi! That’s me!) 
Fran from @cottonandjoy 
Cheri from @tinkerellen 
Olivia from @thishandmadelife 
Priscilla from @cottonstitchcollective 
Kim from @retro_mama 
Elise from @eliseandemelie 
Anne from @said_with_love 
Sarai from @sarai_hobbies 
Nina from @ninacotonet 
Minki from @zeriano 
Sedef from @downgrapevinelane 

 Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour participants

Gray linen + Paperie fabric featured in Spotlight quilted pillow with vase of yellow flowers | Rainy Day Sewing Book Tour | Shannon Fraser Designs #homedecor

Be sure to check out #rainydaysewingbooktour for a full overview of all the fun projects! 

I hope this project inspires you to get creative and spruce up your home interiors 😊 

Happy quilting! 

xo

Shannon

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