Tangible Culture

We are already well into 2020 and it seems like it went quick and extremely slowly at the same time! I've been busy with lots of great things in the works for Tangible Culture over the past few months. Stay tuned for more info on a few of these ventures soon!

But first I wanted to share with you all of the great quilts I made over the holiday season!

Zero-Waste Upcycled Quilts

I opened my Etsy shop in December and made a limited run of new quilts out of the scraps leftover from some of the custom quilts that I made last year. As I mentioned in my last blog post, the goal here is get as close to zero-waste in my quilt production as possible. The first set of quilts in my shop are all inspired by my maternal Grandmother, who was always sewing something and making do with what she had. She also always had sun-catcher crystals hanging in her dining room and I now have a crystal from her house sending rainbows across my sewing space every time the sun comes out. With that in mind I created a set of quilts all inspired by rainbows and love and they make great gifts for newly engaged or married couples, anniversary presents, or fun play mats/art for a nursery or kids' room. They all come with a customized label so you can make the gift personal and they ship for free in the US. I hope you'll check them out on Etsy and bring one home for yourself or someone special!  

If you could like a custom option similar to these or have another idea please do contact me. I'm happy to put together custom color combinations from the fabric I have on hand or custom designs.

Here are the five quilts that make up my first Etsy collection:

Large Rainbow Heart

This large rainbow heart is a perfect size for a lap quilt or a play mat for a new baby. It also has the option to add a hanging sleeve if you would like to hang it on your wall!

Large Pixel Rainbow

This large pixel rainbow quilt is perfect to use as a lap quilt, play mat, or larger wall hanging for your home!

Large Pixel Heart Wall Hanging

This pixel heart quilt is ready to hang on your wall! It has two different black fabrics in the background which create a subtle checkerboard texture.

Small Pixel Rainbow Wall Hanging

This small scale rainbow quilt is ready to hang on your wall as a bright and cheerful addition to any room!

Little Love Wall Hanging

The little love wall hanging has already sold but I would love (pun intended) to make you your own if you are interested! Just send me an email and I can put one together.

The customer who purchased this quilt actually had it framed and it looks gorgeous on her gallery wall!

Cardinal Memory Quilt

This was a very special custom memory quilt. The customer had purchased some cardinal fabric that reminded her of her grandmother, who loved birds and especially cardinals, and wanted to make a Christmas present for another family member. She showed me the fabric and I gave her some ideas for traditional block patterns that would highlight the cardinal fabric. She selected a star block that alternates with a four-patch and we then worked together to select additional fabric that would complement the cardinal print and give the quilt a wintery feel. 

For the back the customer had also purchased fleece printed with the same cardinal design on a larger scale. It makes for a very warm and cozy quilt and I had so much fun putting this one together.

Family Heirloom Finished

“Janice did a beautiful job finishing my family quilt. Her work is very detail oriented and professional. I would highly recommend her.”

- Chris J.

I also had the honor of finishing a very special quilt top for another customer. This adorable appliqued kitty quilt top was found in the customer's mother's things and has sat for several years while they looked for someone to finish it for them. I provided the customer with a couple of different options for quilting designs and she selected an allover pattern with tracing around the kitties. The top was hand pieced and hand appliqued, with the kitties appliqued onto muslin fabric. We selected more muslin as the backing fabric for the quilt to compliment the design of the original top. The result is such a sweet quilt and I'm happy that the customer will now be able to enjoy such a special family heirloom!

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Do you have an idea for a custom quilt that is made from traditional quilt fabric or have a quilt top that you would like to have finished? Please reach out! I'll be happy to chat options with you! And don't forget to check out my Etsy shop if you are interested in one of my premade upcycled quilts!

Photo Credits: All photos by author, except image of gallery wall which is courtesy of the customer who purchased the Little Love Quilt.