Studio 180 Design Modern Opulence Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Studio 180 Design Modern Opulence Blog Hop! I’m Diana Mann, a Studio 180 Design Certified Instructor. I am so thrilled to be a part of this week of showing off some stunning designs made with the newest line of fabric in conjunction with Island Batik. These beautiful fabrics in burnt oranges, rich golds, umbers and caramels, and deep navy evoke a feeling of luxury, and as the name implies, opulence. I couldn’t wait to start cutting into my fabrics!

The theme of this week is table runners and table toppers. I knew immediately that I wanted to make the pattern Switchback. I had made this pattern when it first came out as a runner for my bed. The pattern comes in three sizes, and since my table is slightly smaller, the 12 1/2″ x 45″ size was perfect for my needs. I made the medium size, 17 1/2″ x 63″, for my bed. I’ll show you a comparison between the two at the end of the post. I was given these lovely fabrics to work with. Don’t  you just love these geometric prints? Combined with the colors, it reminds me of art deco.

I worked with the navy print as my dark color, the golden umber as my accent 1, and the lighter orange as my accent 2. I had a beautiful light golden yellow as my background.

One of my favorite things about this pattern is that it looks complicated, but uses just two tools! The Tucker Trimmer is used to make half square triangles and combination units, and the Wing Clipper is used to make flying geese. This pattern is perfect for someone who is just learning the tools and wants to practice some of these fundamental units. I got out my Quilter’s Magic Wand and went to work.

Half square triangles are a breeze with my Tucker Trimmer. This tool never leaves my cutting mat! I own a total of eight of them in three different sizes that are offered. That’s how much I use this tool! Of course, I like to have extras when I go to teach, in case anyone has forgotten their tool.

One of my absolute favorite things about Studio 180 Design patterns is how they organize each unit you make by assigning it a letter. You can keep everything in order as you work through a pattern. I always make sure to label my units after I make them.

Once I finished with my Tucker Trimmer I got to work on my flying geese using my Wing Clipper. If you’ve never made flying geese using the four at a time method, I highly recommend it. It goes so much more quickly! I chose to use the no nudge numbers to make my flying geese. This process adds 1/4″ to the starting squares to give you just a bit of wiggle room when trimming the final units down. Check out the Studio 180 Design blog to learn a little more about the process, including links to some fabulous Tips and Tricks videos from Deb. I use the no nudge method when I teach, especially for people who have never used the Wing Clipper before. It makes them successful from the very first trim down!

After all of my units were made, I put everything on my design wall according to the final layout diagram. This pattern has just one layout. You can change the size by making different size units using your tools. I love that about my Studio 180 toolbox – I can make multiple sizes of units with a tool! I can make tiny units for something that would be a mini, large units that can make king size quilts, and everything in between. I sewed everything together and had my husband (who is my long armer) quilt it for me. We chose a gorgeous gold colored thread and a fun pantograph that mimicked some of the patterns in the fabric.

I really love the way the final project turned out. I think it looks fantastic on my table.

It also matches some of the décor in my living room. This midcentury modern chair has a beautiful navy that goes perfectly with my dark fabric and the binding. The gorgeous stained glass in the window also picks up the blue. It was made by my friend Judy. She’s so talented!

Here is a picture of the project laid out. I think it matches my floors pretty well, also!

As a comparison, take a look at the bed runner medium version that I made using completely different fabrics. You can see the size difference, but also how the two projects look totally different because of the fabric choices.

Here is a picture of the one I use as a bed runner on the table.  This pattern is so versatile, and as you can see, completely different depending on the fabrics used. I think both versions are great. But I have to admit, working with the Island Batik fabrics is a purely pleasurable experience.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my stop on the Modern Opulence Blog Hop, and gotten a few ideas of what you can do with this gorgeous fabric line. The rest of this week a few of my fellow Certified Instructors will be showing you their creations that they designed themselves! You won’t want to miss what they have in store for you. At the end of the week there will be more fantastic Studio 180 Design patterns made with Modern Opulence on their blog, including a brand new block of the month!

Tuesday January 17th: Tina Dillard of Quilting Affection Designs
Wednesday January 18th: Phyllis Fay of Tucker University
Thursday January 19th: Raija Salomaa of Quilters Treasure Chest
Friday January 20th: Studio 180 Design wrap up

If you’re interested in classes, I teach both online over Zoom and in person and have some information on my classes tab. Teaching people to use and love their Studio 180 Design tools has become my passion! Enjoy this week learning more about Modern Opulence and the Studio 180 Design tools.

Author: Diana Mann

Hi, I’m Diana of Murgaboo Quilts. I am a Studio 180 Design Certified Instructor and I offer classes online and in person. My passion is teaching people how to use and love their Studio 180 Design tools! I also work part time for the company helping to write patterns, and work with marketing and social media. If you[re interested in taking an online class over Zoom to learn the Studio 180 Design tools, email me at murgabooquilter@gmail.com.