Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber

Designer Tidbits: Me and My Sister Designs

2013-05-22T11:20:00.000-05:00

Barb and Mary, the fun loving sisters of Me and My Sister Designs are here on the Jolly Jabber to chat about their latest and most dramatic collection for Moda Fabrics, Shades of Black! They stray from their usual bright and punchy collections to bring you their favorite prints in black, white and gray. Keep reading for a closer look at the collections, and be sure to stop by their blog!

Mary and I are so excited to be on the Jabber again talking about our newest fabric group for Moda!
It’s called “Shades of Black”.

Not to be confused with the series of books called Shades of Gray. We had this fabric named long before we heard about the books!

We took some of our favorite prints from past collections and gave them a color face-lift. In fact you may recognize some of them.

And there is a new free pattern on our website that I plan to make very soon with the grays! It’s difficult to find gray print fabrics, but I can do some one stop shopping in my own stash now!
Now to answer some Jabber questions! (I’m a faithful Jabber follower and love this part!)

Q: What TV show or movie does your collection best fit into?
A: I think that if this collection was a TV show or movie, it would have to be an old black and white something. Maybe something light and fun like old Andy Griffith re runs. Maybe Aunt Bee might like a quilt to match that dress done in “Shades of Black“?

Q: Tell me about your sewing machine(s). What kinds do you have and how many?
A: Mary and I are not really sewing machine collectors. Mary owns two different Janome’s and two different Singers, one of which is a Featherweight. She does her daily sewing and piecing on her newest Janome and her old Singer is her workhorse that sews through all things heavy and is her go to for hemming jeans.

I on the other hand have an older Pfaff. It’s an older model that goes forward and backwards. Not a computer chip in it. I also have my old Singer that my husband bought for me at the Base Exchange for $75 dollars. I haven’t used it in probably 20 years, but will never be able to part with it. My sewing machine needs are simple.

Q: What is your favorite part of the fabric industry?
A: I think I can answer that safely for both of us, the people! Mary and I really do love going to quilt market and seeing old friends. We also like the teaching and traveling that designing leads to. We have been to visit some fabulous places and met some great people!

Q: From what aspect of your life do you draw creativity?
A: That’s a difficult question and hard to answer. To be honest, most fabric groups start with a simple doodle. No deep and insightful poems or nature photos, just doodles!

Q: What is your favorite print in the collection?
A: I would have to say 221240 or this …

I loved it when we used it in Dilly Dally and still love it.

Mary says …22197 or this …

For some reason she calls it a Bollywood print??

Q: What is the most challenging part of the design process?
A: That’s easy! Narrowing down the prints! We get over a hundred fabric swatches from the mill to choose from with each collection. They are called “strike offs” and from these many small squares of fabric, we must eliminate over half to make the collection manageable. Many of our favorites end up in the “NO” pile.

Q: What are your favorite and least favorite colors and why?
A: Barb: This changes for me yearly. I used to love reds and dull greens. Now I am into turquoise and lime green. I have never met a color that I didn’t like!
Mary: Pink and Pink! I have always loved pink. When my daughters were small she made most of their clothes and they were always pink. To this day they both cringe at the color!

Thanks for joining us on the Jolly Jabber! Hope you had as much fun as we did and enjoy our newest collection … Shades of Black!

Please visit our blog and website today. We are having a give away! You could win this “Shades of Black” layer cake!

Thanks!
Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs

LakeHouse Dry Goods Quilt Patterns + Giveaway

2013-05-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ready for more news from It’s Sew Emma?

We were busier than ever for this Spring Quilt Market, not just with our own patterns, but with new patterns from LakeHouse Dry Goods. Starting this Market, we are writing and publishing Holly Holderman’s quilt designs! We are excited to start this venture with LakeHouse Dry Goods as we are huge fans of their fabric. To add some fun, we are giving away three full sets of the five new patterns, so be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post!

Check out the brand new covers and sweet quilts! All of these patterns feature Holly’s upcoming fabric, Sweet Things.

Snow White is a fun way to combine the Sweet Things panel and vibrant sampler print. Fussycut squares and simple sashing create a pretty-as-a-picture lap quilt.

Right on trend, Modern Butterfly is an adorable take on a pinwheel-butterfly block. Pair colors to create tonal blocks, accented with ric rac antennae. It’s a great project for quilters who enjoy extra embellishments!

Pennants – at the risk of playing favorites, this is our top pick of the bunch! Fun banner rows, sorted by color, are separated by an assortment of ric rac and sashing. The template is included. Pennants creates a small lap quilt, but try making just one row for a punchy wall hanging too!

The Perfect Pillowcase is a piece-of-cake, easy pattern you will turn to time and again. Just three prints create a bright pillowcase, unless you add in the cute cupcake applique. The cupcake template is included, so you’re not limited to just adding it to the pillowcase. Wouldn’t it be fun on a hot pad or cloth napkins?

Polka Dots & Potluck rounds out the bunch with quick quilt you will be inspired to make over and over again. It is LakeHouse Dry Goods’ first pattern for precuts, to boot. This quilt is nearly twin-sized, so you can decorate bedrooms as well! Use a combination of 10” squares and 5” squares, or 35 fat quarters for the blocks. We love it!

These patterns are available through It’s Sew Emma and Checker, and shop owners can contact us for more information!

For a chance to win a set of all five LakeHouse Dry Goods Patterns, comment below letting us know which is your favorite and why. Three winners will be chosen a week from today, 5/29/2013. Good luck!

Spring Quilt Market Giveaway Winners

2013-05-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

What a week it has been! We spent the weekend in Portland, OR for Spring Quilt Market and have been busy catching you up ever since. We hope you enjoyed our recaps on our blog, watched our videos on YouTube, saw our photos on Flickr and kept up with our live tweeting on Twitter. Now, for the fun part! (Who are we kidding, everything about Market is fun!) We have giveaway winners to announce, so sit back and see if you are a lucky winner!

Upon arrival, we just couldn't wait to play a game with you and offer up a prize! We had you match the FQS staffer with the carry on item. It was a bit of a challenge, so we are just choosing a random winner! The answers are below.

We are offering up a bundle of Giggles from our Sample Spree loot. The lucky winner is Cara!

Next, we all went back to Schoolhouse. At Schoolhouse, we spent our day listening, learning and of course tweeting! Our second giveaway challenge was to guess how many tweets we tweeted during Schoolhouse for a chance to win a bundle of Sweet Serenade or Barcelona. Two lucky winners were chosen!

We had exactly 167 tweets come from the Fat Quarter Shop Twitter on the day of Schoolhouse and a few of you got it right!

The winner of Sweet Serenade is

debbiekl said...
167! Love the pictures!
& the winner of Barcelona is Monica said...
167 tweets! Are your fingers tired from all the typing?
Next, we spent our very first day walking the show, and sure did we all walk a lot! We had you guess how many miles Kimberly walked during Quilt Market for a chance to win a bundle of Scrumptious or Honeysweet.

Kimberly walked 5.2 miles at the show! We had plenty of correct guesses, but could only choose two.

The winner of the bundle of Scrumptious is

andri. said...
Am guessing 5.2 miles:)
& the winner of the bundle of Honeysweet is
carol fun said...
I will guess 5.2 mi of glorious fabric viewing! Thanks for the giveaway!
Saturday we played a fun game. We had you unscramble a word for a chance to win a bundle of Love: Collections for a Cause or Vin Du Jour.

The scrambled word was:

And everyone got it right! The answer is: PATCHWORK!

The lucky winners are... free indeed who will receive a bundle of Love: Collections for a Cause and Deb at Chosen Sisters who will receive a bundle of Vin du Jour!

On Sunday we offered up a bunch of books! We are giving away three signed books to four winners!

The lucky winners are, Karen - Quilts etc, Helen L, VickiT and Anne at Spring Leaf Studios.

And last but not least, we showed off our new It's Sew Emma quilts at Quilt Market. You left a comment letting us know which pattern is your new favorite and three winners will receive a pattern pack of the new It's Sew Emma patterns!

The winners are.. SarahZ, Barbara and and RAchel Thompson at wildrachel!

Thanks so much for following along with us! For more Quilt Market coverage, visit our Flickr set and YouTube channel!

Fat Quarter Shop's Favorite Collections at Spring Quilt Market

2013-05-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

We are settled in and back to the grind, but have a little bit more Market to show you. We chose our favorite collections from Spring Market and while it was almost impossible, each FQS staffer made a decision. Here are our favorites!

Kimberly fell for Fig Tree's Honeysweet collection.

Kevin is a big fan of the new 3 Sisters collection, Vin du Jour.

Chelsey is smitten with Scrumptious, the latest collection from Bonnie & Camille!

Jocelyn's Market favorite is Collage by Carrie of Such Designs!

Megan chose the whimsical western, Sasparilla by October Afternoon for Riley Blake!

Codi chose Acacia by Tula Pink as her Spring favorite. The colors are perfect for her!

Debbie fell for the textured vintage look in Patty Young's Just My Type.

Sarah's favorite collection is Nordika by Jeni Baker of In Color Order.

Cheryl was charmed by the prints and colors of Moonflower by Quilting Treasures.

What do you think of our choices? Be on the look out, they will all be on our Coming Soon page in the next few days!

For even more photos from Quilt Market, head to our Flickr Page and let us know which collection is your favorite.

It's Sew Emma Quilts at Spring Quilt Market 2013

2013-05-20T13:30:00.001-05:00

Last weekend at Spring Quilt Market we had the pleasure of wandering the show to see the sights. One thing that never gets old is running across an It's Sew Emma quilt on display and this year we were lucky enough to have 12 It's Sew Emma quilts at Quilt Market! The quilts are new It's Sew Emma patterns and Cut Loose Press patterns. We showed off the cover photos for some of these in previous blog posts (here and here), but we wanted to show off our quilts at Quilt Market! Keep reading to see our quilt babies in the spotlight!

Hamptons made with Midwinter Reds by Minick and Simpson

Heirloom Kansas City Star made with Sweet Pea by Kansas Troubles Quilters

Vintage Days made with Scrumptious

Through the Looking Glass made with Celebration

William's Crossing made with Love - Collections for a Cause

All Aboard made with Flats

Through the Looking Glass made with Paint Box

Vintage Days made with Blushing

Go Bananas CLP made with Coconut Grove

Snack Time Bag CLP made with Urban Zoologie

Gallery of Stars Quilt made with Greatest Hits

Primrose & Poppies made with Wallflowers

We hope you love our It's Sew Emma quilts as much as we do! We may be back from Market, but the fun really never ends. We are going to have a giveaway! Three lucky winners will receive a set of new It's Sew Emma patterns from our Spring release. To enter, comment below letting us know which new pattern is your favorite and what collection you would pair it with! A winner will be chosen tomorrow, so comment now!

Spring Quilt Market 2013: Sunday

2013-05-19T23:40:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that our weekend is coming to an end. We left Portland, Oregon today to head back to our home in Austin, Texas filled with creativity, ideas and inspiration. We were so happy to be surrounded by our quilty friends and our favorite thing ever.... FABRIC! Keep reading for loads of photos and yet another giveaway.

Sandy Gervais of Pieces from my Heart showing off her new line, Soho Chic!

The Basic Grey portion of the Moda Designer Lounge which proudly boasts the Sweet Serenade collection!

Anne Sutton's Woodland Christmas BOM hanging in the Moda Fabrics booth. This Block of the Month is on our Coming Soon page and we are waiting anxiously for it to begin!

The vibrant and colorful display of LakeHouse Dry Goods. Quilts made with Sweet Things, Pam Kitty Love and a few peeks at the upcoming Pam Kitty Picnic!

Matilda by Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures Fabric on display at Quilt Market!

Potluck by American Jane for Moda Fabrics!

Michael Miller always knows how to display the current color trends! Here they show off some highlights from the 2013 Cotton Couture Collection!

Tula Pink's booth featuring the Acacia collection! Full of color!

Bouquet by Annette Tatum for Free Spirit Fabrics on display at Quilt Market!

The Quilted in Honor display at Spring Quilt Market! Supporting those who are or have served our country!

Penguin and Fish showing off their whimsical and soft collection for Clothworks Textiles!

Abbey Lane Quilts in their Spring Quilt Market booth showing off quilts from their new book!

Sarah poses as Quilt Girl in the Windham Fabrics booth!

We saw a bunch of our favorite authors this weekend and received many signed books. For tonight's giveaway, we want to share the love give away a bunch of them! Comment below letting us know your favorite thing from our Market recaps for a chance to win. Three winners will be chosen and announced Tuesday, 5/21/13.

Before heading out we want to thank you for following along as we experienced the fun, creativity and excitement of Quilt Market. See all of our photos on Flickr and Facebook, read our minute-by-minute coverage on Twitter, keep an eye on our YouTube channel for videos and check back here for our Market wrap up throughout next week!

Spring Quilt Market 2013: Saturday

2013-05-19T01:16:00.003-05:00

Another day well spent at Spring Quilt Market in Portland, Oregon! We spent the day walking the show, taking in the creativity and chatting with all of our quilty friends. Keep reading for photos of the booths and be sure to check out our Twitter, Facebook, YouTube channel and Flickr for even more behind the scenes updates from the show!

The Moda Fabrics designers really had us FALL in Love with Moda this year!

Me and My Sister are having always having fun at Market, even when they are working! Their new line, Giggles is just too cute!

Me and My Sisters' portion of the Moda Designer Lounge was filled with quilts made with their new collection, Giggles! Doesn't this make you want to smile?

Zen Chic's latest line for Moda Fabrics is so adorable! Check out Barcelona! (The country and the fabric;)

Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts and her stunning Hope Chest collection for Moda Fabrics! This collection is definitely a favorite!

Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs' Celebration collection! Available (and perfect for) little boys and little girls!

The 100 Blocks designers dancing the Quiltmaker Shuffle! Sarah, Jocelyn, Kimberly and Debbie are in there somewhere! Be on the lookout for a video from Quiltmaker!

Anka's Treasures' booth is filled with items made with her Triangler ruler. There will be a demo on our YouTube channel soon!

Jina and Cindy of Riley Blake Designs pose in front of the fun, retro inspired Bake Sale collection by Lori Holt!

Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew's booth was definitely a favorite! Her new patterns are wonderful, and her debut fabric collection for Windham Fabrics called Wallflowers is an instant classic!

A bunch of projects on display in the Checker Distributors booth! We spy an It's Sew Emma (Through the Looking Glass featuring Paint Box) and a bunch of LakeHouse quilts featuring Sweet Things! The LakeHouse patterns will soon be available on our website!

Verna Mosquera in the Free Spirit Fabrics booth showing off Billet Deux, her latest fabric collection! It is filled with romantic florals!

Lynette Anderson smiling big in her booth! We can't wait for Candy Cane Angels and Wildflower Wood to arrive!

The Summer Fun Block of the Month on display at Quilt Market! We can't wait to begin this fun BOM!

Nancy Halverson of Art to Heart in her very Christmas themed booth!

The Robert Kaufman booth would not be complete without some Dr. Seuss! Here is a fun Green Eggs and Ham quilt!

Sarah, Kimberly, Jocelyn and Debbie pause the craziness of Market for a quick and adorable photo!

A display of bundles, pillows, pouches and clothes at the Anna Griffin / Blend Fabrics booth! They debuted over 20 collections this Market!

Of course we had to do some interviews! Here is Chelsey interviewing Camille of Thimble Blossoms in her adorable booth! Be on the lookout for an interview on YouTube soon!

Want to win a prize? We have two more bundles to give away from our Sample Spree loot! Enter to win a bundle of Vin du Jour by 3 Sisters and Love: Collections for a Cause by Howard Marcus.

Today's giveaway is a little different! We scrambled a word this morning at breakfast and you have to unscramble it!

For a chance to win, leave a comment below unscrambling our "breakfast scramble!" The winners will be announced on Tuesday, 5/21/13. Good luck!

Spring Quilt Market 2013: Friday

2013-05-18T02:15:00.001-05:00

Our first show day at Spring Market has come and gone. We spent the day surrounded by gorgeous new collections, patterns and all of our favorite designers. Each booth was extremely creative and we are so full of ideas for each fabric collection. Want a peek at what we saw? Here is an inside look! To top it off, we will be giving away a bundle from our Sample Spree loot! And if nightly recaps aren't enough, be sure to follow us on Twitter for live Market coverage, head to our YouTube channel to watch TWO videos from Schoolhouse (with plenty more coming soon!) and check out our Spring Market Flickr set for tons of photos!

The Fat Quarter Shop gearing up for a busy day at Quilt Market with a big breakfast!

This year we are FALL-ing in love with Moda in their booth at Quilt Market! What do you think of the colorful leaves?

Camille shows off the latest Bonnie and Camille masterpiece, Scrumptious! And yes, it is that delicious! (p.s. there may be a giveaway of this yummy collection at the end of the post!)

Fig Tree's booth featuring Honeysweet, which just might be another giveaway at the end of this post! The colors in this collection will blow you away!

Vanessa Christenson of V & Co. shows off her stylish new line, Simply Style in the Moda Designer Lounge!

The Sweetwater ladies and Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs pose for a quick photo before the craziness begins!

Lori Holt's Bake Sale display in the Riley Blake Designs booth was just too adorable! We can not wait for these patterns to come in. I bet you all can't wait for them either!

Ann Kelle's adorable new collections for Robert Kaufman Fabrics look great in these cute projects! We want those robots made with Fun Bots!

Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures shows off the goodies in her booth!

Jeni Baker of In Color Order shows off her latest collection for Art Gallery Fabrics, Nordika.

Sarah and Angela Walters are all smiles in the Art Gallery Fabrics booth! Angela's Legacy collection is inspired by her Grandfather-in-Law and it is very inspiring.

That Crazy Old Lady has done it again! Her latest collection for Michael Miller Fabrics is called Technicolor and it is filled with trendy graphic prints!

GE Designs' booth is filled with projects from her latest book, Fast & Furious Home! The projects are quick and easy!

Gerri Robinson of Planted Seed Designs' shabby chic booth, filled with new patterns made up in her new collection for Red Rooster Fabrics, Attic Treasures.

Northcott Fabrics debuted a new Stonehenge collection, Out of This World! The collection features the solar system. Blast off!

The Atkinson Designs booth shows off their new patterns, including one of our personal favorites, Stash Stars!

Sarah and Jocelyn pose with Heather Bailey!

We love the adorable details in the Dear Stella booth! The adorable whales and STELLA pillows add just the right amount of charm to the space!

Want a taste of what’s new at Spring Quilt Market? We are giving away TWO bundles from Sample Spree to two lucky winners, Scrumptious by Bonnie & Camille and Honeysweet by Fig Tree Quilts.

We do a lot of walking at Quilt Market. This year we decided to calculate Kimberly's mileage with a pedometer app on her phone. For a chance to win a bundle, comment below guessing how many miles Kimberly walked today at Quilt Market. A winner will be chosen Tuesday, 5/21/2013. Be sure to check back tomorrow for more Quilt Market updates and even more giveaways! We hope you are ready for day 2 of the show!

Spring Quilt Market 2013: Schoolhouse

2013-05-17T03:55:00.001-05:00

Our first day at Spring Quilt Market was spent at school. Schoolhouse to be exact! This year, we listened to great speakers, saw adorable projects and are now our brains are stuffed full of valuable information. This year we give Schoolhouse an A+. Keep reading for a lesson in Schoolhouse, but we promise the quiz at the end will be easy!

A breakfast of champions before Schoolhouse! Mother's Bistro in Portland is highly recommended by Fat Quarter Shop!

Joanna of Fig Tree Quilts and Kimberly before the Fig Tree Schoolhouse!

Joanna and Debbie showing off quilts at the Fig Tree Schoolhouse

Joanna of Fig Tree is fantastic with basket blocks!

The adorable Camille at the Moda Size Matters Schoolhouse

Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs showing of their new Giggles collection at the Moda Size Matters Schoolhouse!

Vanessa Christenson of V & Co. shows off an adorable ombre quilt at the Moda Schoolhouse.

Deb Strain's block from the Size Matters Schoolhouse by Moda!

Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs discusses her new petite Molly patterns!

The Moda designers after their Size Matters Schoolhouse session! They are all so fun and adorable.

A gorgeous butterfly quilt by Tula Pink shown at Schoolhouse featuring her collection, Acacia.

Tula Pink chatting about her new collection, Acacia, which coordinates perfectly with her Aurifil Thread Boxes!

Cindy and Jina of Riley Blake Designs debuting their "Gingham Style"! We much prefer "Gingham Style" to "Gangnam Style"!

This year we took a trip to India! Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish featured her new collection, Madhuri at Schoolhouse.

Atkinson Designs shows off their new pattern, Stash Stars. Perfect for using up your stash or showing off a new collection!

Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life debuting her new book. We can't wait for it's arrival!

Amy Butler showcasing her classic Belle collection! They are being reprinted in 24 of her favorite skus, and they are beautiful!

Fantastic projects made with Amy Butler fabric. Don't you adore these prints? They are so versatile!

The adorable Heather Bailey chatting about her new embroidery patterns and her new fabric collection, Lottie Da!

Gerri Robinson of Planted Seed Designs shows of the Tumbling Spools Quilt Pattern and other projects made with Attic Treasures.

Denyse Schmidt showing her new line, Florence!

Verna Mosquera chatting about romantic florals for Westminister Fibers!

The Sample Spree craziness! Lucky for you, we got plenty of stuff for GIVEAWAYS! Are you ready, we have some fun to be had!

Tonight we are giving away two bundles from our Sample Spree loot. Want a chance to win a bundle of Barcelona by Zen Chic or a bundle of Sweet Serenade by BasicGrey?

As you know, we love Twitter. If you are following along, we tried to tweet as much as possible to give you live Schoolhouse experience. We tallied our tweets today and the number is astonishing! Comment below guessing how many tweets were sent from the Fat Quarter Shop account today for a chance to win. TWO winners will be chosen and announced on Tuesday 5/21/13. Check back tomorrow for more Market updates, giveaways and more!

Fat Quarter Shop goes to Spring Quilt Market 2013 in Portland!

2013-05-15T16:12:00.003-05:00

We have arrived! After hours of travel, we have landed in Portland and Spring International Quilt Market 2013 is officially underway. Over the next few days we will be surrounded by new collections, new quilt patterns, taking photos to share, giving away some Quilt Market exclusive prizes and keeping you updated every step of the way. Talk about creativity overload!

Want to feel like you are right there with us at Spring Quilt Market? You can! We will be tweeting constantly on Twitter, posting photos of the new collections on Flickr, Facebook and Instagram (@fatquartershop), sharing goofy live updates on Vine (Fat Quarter Shop) and posting exclusive videos on our YouTube channel. Follow along for the full Market experience; it will be like you are right there with us!

After our long day of travel, we are going to rest up for the hectic weekend ahead. But first, let's have a giveaway! Let's see if you can match up the Fat Quarter Shop staffer with their in-flight entertainment!

Leave a comment below matching up staff names with the carry-on item for a chance to win a prize from our Sample Spree loot! We promise to get some great bundles at Sample Spree, so you won’t want to miss out. Check back tomorrow for our recap of Schoolhouse and Sample Spree and the winner will be announced on Tuesday May 21nd.

Back to School with Pam Kitty Love: Row 6

2013-05-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

We may be currently en route to Portland for Spring Quilt Market, but we haven't forgotten our homework! Today is Kimberly, Debbie and Pam's due date and we are turning in our assignments. This month's blocks are just as cute as the rest, because you really can not go wrong with Pam Kitty Love by Pam Kitty Morning for LakeHouse Dry Goods and Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler. We don't want to just be handing out the A's, but this month's blocks really deserve an A++! Looks like we are all at the top of the class.

Fort Sumter, page 74

Hovering Hawks, page 16

Texas Tears, page 80

Right Hand of Friendship, page 72

Apple Tree, page 34

Railroad Crossing, page 76

Right Hand of Friendship, page 72

Kentucky Crossroads, page 78

Indiana Puzzle, page 41

Grapes of Wrath, page 84
Want to come back to school? It is not too late! We have rolling admission! Pick up a copy of the Civil War Sampler Book, choose a block, and use the Pam Kitty Love fabric to play. (We suggest starting with about three bundles of Pam Kitty Love) Picking colors and prints is the best part. Why not add a burst of yellow? Or a hint of vibrant red? This class is teaching us to have fun with color!

For a little extra FQS Fun, upload your homework/block photos to Flickr each month for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to our website. For more information about our Back to School with Pam Kitty "class" head here. The winner of this month's $50 gift certificate is Sew Paint It! Email chelsey[at]fatquartershop[dot]com to claim your prize! Our next due date is June 15th, so come back by the Jolly Jabber and Pam's blog to see our blocks in row 7!

For full Spring Quilt Market coverage, we will be covering our bases on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine (Fat Quarter Shop) and of course, the Jolly Jabber! Follow along and you won't miss a beat.

Angela Yosten at Fat Quarter Shop

2013-05-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of hosting Angela Yosten at the Fat Quarter Shop studio for a day of sewing, chatting and having fun! We decided to film most of it and bring the experience to YouTube! Want to see what we were up to? We have a bunch of fun videos to share today!

First we had nice chit chat to learn more about the very talented and creative Angela. Did you know that her mother owned a quilt shop? That she learned to sew at a very young age but did not return to the craft until the birth of her first child? That she helped with the design and implementation of the Moda Bake Shop? We didn't either! Watch this FQS Exclusive interview to learn more about her!

Next, we had a little trunk show of Angela's quilts. She showed us quilts from her book, Stop. Go. Quilt. Sew!, her Moda Bake Shop projects, and projects with her new collection, Flats. Her projects are stylish, kid friendly and look like fun to make! You can find all of her patterns here, and more will be added soon to accompany the Flats collection!

Then she took us through her favorite sewing and quilting notions that she uses constantly in her home studio. It turns out she loves Omnigrip Rulers by Omnigrid, Aurifil Thread, Sewline products and much more! Find out what she uses, you might get some new ideas!

Are you intrigued by the panels in Flats? Want to learn how to make the adorable dolls in the panel? Kimberly and Angela will show you how in our how-to video! We love these dolls and think you will too!

Angela also shows us the ins-and-outs of a new quilt pattern, Baby Argyle. The quilt is quick, cute and would make a great gift for a new baby! There are tons of color options, so make it your own!

And finally we ended with a little fun. We played our new game, Hot Seat, and rapidly fired questions at Angela for her to answer as fast as she could.

Thanks for coming out to sew with us, Angela! Be sure to head to Angela's blog to keep up to date with her and head to Fat Quarter Shop to shop the Flats collection and make her projects for yourself!

Deck-ade the Halls: Fabric Requirements

2013-05-13T16:14:00.003-05:00

Are you ready to Deck-ade the Halls? Fat Quarter Shop is celebrating 10 years of fabric-loving fun with a FREE quilt along. Join us in celebrating 10 years with 10 blocks and 10 fabrics as we sew an unforgettable Christmas quilt! The whole quilt is pieced, so we welcome quilters of any skill level to join in!

The first FREE downloadable PDF is available and contains everything you need to know for what you’ll need to get started! We have kits and backing sets available using Aspen Frost by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics, but if you want to create your Deck-ade the Halls Quilt in a different color scheme, download the fabric requirements and get picking!

For more information about the Deck-ade the Halls Quilt and Fat Quarter Shop's 10 year anniversary, watch our introductory video! Kimberly and Jocelyn discuss the program, the inspiration behind the quilt and give you plenty of information about fabric requirements.

Will you be joining in on the celebration? Get the first download here and be sure to check back two weeks from today, when we will post the pattern on our Deck-ade the Halls page and a video tutorial for the gingerbread blocks.

We want to end with a big, huge thanks to our wonderful customers who have made this momentous occasion possible! We have had 10 wonderful years as your online quilt shop of choice, and this is just a small way to say THANKS from the bottom of our hearts. Here’s to the next 10 years!

It's Sew Emma Spring 2013 Release

2013-05-13T09:01:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Spring Quilt Market 2013 in Portland is THIS WEEK! (Someone please pinch me, has it already been almost 7 months since Fall Market already??)

But onto the news of what It’s Sew Emma will be bringing to the Market offerings... you saw it here first! Eight new patterns from It’s Sew Emma have been on our Coming Soon pages the past few weeks, but now the quilts are done and we get to show you pics! Two quilt patterns, one king-sized block of the month, and five new Little P’s are now available for purchase! We’ll also be doing another It’s Sew Emma tour around Market, so stay on the lookout for more of these beauties.

All Aboard came to fruition when Christopher, the youngest Jolly, got his own room. With his current love of “choo-choos”, it was decided he needed a “choo-choo” quilt for his new bed. He didn’t get just one – he got four! Our All Aboard pattern makes a large twin-sized quilt and matching wall hanging. Our version in Angela Yosten's Flats is picture perfect – even though the fabric has a doll panel, it’s not just for girls! Natalia Bonner also did a bang up job of quilting – each wheel, window, car and track is accented.

We are never not a fan of Minick & Simpson’s two-color lines, be it red or indigo. In the case of Midwinter Reds, we are fanatical fans. Hamptons was an automatic response to seeing the fabrics. You are able to play so many of the lights against each other for a scrappy, elegant appearance, set off by the reds and golds. This quilt works for any season and any favorite colors! The pattern has instructions for four sizes, so suit yourself in whichever version you make!

Vintage Days is one of our new Little P’s, and probably the most adorable. Stars in a square center, it is also one of our first Vintage-Inspired Little P’s, if you couldn’t already tell from the name! Just three Fat Quarters and a background fabric make up the center, with three star blocks arranged pleasingly. Any fabric would work for this group (you’ll see some more at Market!) but we went with Scrumptious by Bonnie & Camille for this version. Irresistible, right?

Through the Looking Glass is a fun Little P designed by Sarah! Using similarly colored fabrics (four Fat Quarters in all), you get a cool little quilt with a reflected effect. It’s made for novelty fabrics, and we’ll have another example at Market that we can’t wait to show you! Our cover quilt uses Celebration by Bunny Hill Designs, and one lucky Jolly boy will be keeping it… I guess we’re in for a fight!

Another one of Sarah’s designs, Four Patch Fun is ready for take-off! I can use this colloquial phrase because we used the adorable Atomic Bots collection for our sample, which features robots and rockets.

William’s Crossing is our second Vintage-Inspired design and is named for both Kimberly’s son and father, both Williams. Simple rows of little itty bitty (but not too itty bitty!) nine-patches make up this cutie, and five Fat Quarters is all you need. We made our sample in Love - Collection for a Cause, but try out some cute pastels or bold solids too!

Primrose & Poppies rounds out our Vintage-Inspired releases. Sweet half-square triangles come together, joined by little squares, for a pretty and radiant effect. Definitely pretty as a picture and we are loving our cover quilt in Wallflowers by Allison Harris! Four Fat Quarters and background is all you need for this one, so you’ll come back to it again and again!

Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

We wanted to take a moment to wish you a very happy Mother's Day. We hope you have a relaxing day with your family. Do you have any inspiring stories about your mom? Please share we would love to hear about them!

2013 Designer Mystery Block of the Month

2013-05-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Our 2013 Designer Mystery Block of the Month begins in June 2013. That is just one month away! We really can't wait for you all to begin making this effortlessly stylish row quilt with us. Make sure you are signed up, you won't want to miss out on this program. We just reordered more finishing kits and backing sets, which won't last long.

Natalia Bonner of Piece N Quilt on YouTube!

2013-05-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

After our stay with Lori Holt last month, we took a trip to the Utah Valley to hang out with our good friend and treasured quilter, Natalia Bonner of Piece N Quilt. We had a chat (and plenty of laughs), took a tour of her home studio, watched her quilt on her longarm and learned how to make a baby burp cloth. Needless to say, it was a long day but it was as fun as can be! We added some great videos to our Fat Quarter Shop YouTube channel and would love to show them to you!

We sat down with Natalia once we arrived for a nice, long chat. We asked about how she began her business, her affiliation with Moda Bake Shop, her book (and upcoming book!) and we showed off many of the quilts in her studio. We just love her! She is a very talented quilter and very fun to chat with!

Next, we took a tour of her studio, which is shared with her mother. The studio is perched on top of her parents' garage and is just perfect for their sewing spaces! Natalia's children stay with her while she works and there is plenty of room for them to play. Watch us tour her gorgeous studio!

Next, she taught us how to make a quick and easy baby burp cloth using scraps of fabric and a cloth diaper. This project is fast and fun, and as an added bonus it makes charming, personalizable gifts for new mothers! If you decide to make this project, be sure to post it on our Facebook page for us all to see!

If you ever find yourself sending a quilt to be quilted with no idea what to request, here are some common designs and programs used by Natalia. She walked us through the process of free motion and computer programmed quilting on her Gammill Longarm Quilting Machine. Her motions are artistic and soothing. If you are feeling particularly stressed, we suggest watching this video as a way to relax!

Natalia thank you so much for sharing your studio with us and our customers. And if anyone is looking for a great quilter send a quilt to Natalia!

The winner of our Lori Holt Giveaway has been announced, so head over to find out if you won a bundle of Lori's Designer Solids.

Pattern Play with the Fat Quarter Shop

2013-05-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to our Friday Feature! Please welcome Chelsey Kilzer as our FQS staffer of the week!

She chose the following pattern to feature this week:

Edgy Quilt Pattern by Crazy Old Ladies

Now, it's time to announce the winner from last week's blog post.

The lucky winner is.... Lerolai I think the Mint Juleps Batiks from Hoffman, with black background could be nice!

For a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to our website, leave ONE comment on this blog post with the name of your chosen fabric collection. Be sure to include an email in your comment!

The directions for Pattern Play can be found here.

Next week is Quilt Market in Portland so we have EXTENDED our dates, you now have until Tuesday, May 21st to submit your comment and the winner will be announced Friday, May 24th, so be sure to come back to see if YOU are the winner!

Designer Tidbits: The Quilted Fish

2013-05-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Take a trip to India from inside your sewing room with Madhuri. Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish brings the bold, ethnic and printed to you! Head out with us on an exotic adventure while Amanda chats with us all about the Madhuri collection today on the Jolly Jabber!

First off, let me say how truly excited I am to be back at the Jolly Jabber! I love posting here because they always ask such great questions.

Where did you find your original inspiration for this collection?
For several years I have been dreaming of going to India. I love so much that I see in pictures. I love the colors, the textures, and the beautiful architecture. This was where my inspiration came from. Someday I hope to go to India, but first I think I better learn to like the food.

What projects do you hope to see using Madhuri?
I really don’t think there is a project that wouldn’t look amazing done with Madhuri! But I just know someone out there will do something cool with those elephants. Can you imagine them fussy cut on a bag? I think the diamonds would make beautiful skirts. And, of course, QUILTS!

What TV show or movie does your collection fit best in?
One of my favorite movies is Outsourced. I can totally see it fitting in there! By the way, I liked the TV show that was a spin off of this, too, but not NEARLY as much as the movie!

Tell me about your sewing machines. What kinds do you have and how many.
I have four! Three are Berninas and two of those are from 1970. They are a not-so-lovely greenish color. I just purchased a Brother that we keep at the office (or Offish as we call it) so that I don’t have to carry my Bernina back and forth. It is about time to replace the Bernina I sew on regularly, I think it is dying a slow death.

What is your favorite part of the fabric industry?
I love the people. I work with such amazing people at Riley Blake and I really enjoy meeting people at guilds and shows. I think that it is amazing to be a part of someone’s creative journey and so cool when I get to meet them in person!

From what aspect of your life do you draw creativity?
Hmmmm….I guess it would be a lot from my travels. I am always taking pictures of flowers, architecture, sidewalks, carpets, and the list goes on. Of course everything gets my own spin!

What is your design process?
I always start with a pencil and a sketchpad. Once I have a good idea of where I want to go, I start new with my laptop and Wacom tablet. I use Adobe Illustrator to create and refine my artwork.

What is your favorite print in the collection?
The green medallion!

What is the most challenging part of the design process?
I always design one full color way then create the other two. The hardest part is making the same combination of colors look good in a different arrangement. That AND making sure that the repeats are correct.

Thanks so much for having me, I really love Fat Quarter Shop!!!
Hugs and Fishes,
Amanda Herring

Notion of the Month May 2013: Aurifil Thread

2013-05-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's time again for a brand new Notion of the Month! This month we have selected Aurifil Thread as our May Notion of the Month! And don't forget, the Notion of the Month is 20% off all month!

Aurifil Thread is a well established favorite for quilters, as it is high quality, durable and dependable. Perfect for piecing, quilting and embroidery, these silky smooth threads will allow your most treasured quilts to stand the test of time.

Aurifil is also a favorite among many quilting pros in the industry. Lori Holt is an avid Aurifil fan and constantly uses it in her studio. She prefers white, as she typically uses white when piecing and quilting! For a little more flavor, Aurifil has many bold, colorful colors that will coordinate wonderfully with your stash. They even offer thread boxes by some of your favorite designers for fool-proof coordination!

Stock up on Aurifil Thread throughout May 2013! It will be smooth sewing from here on out!

Winner: Vanessa Coppola's Blogger's Choice

2013-05-07T17:02:00.001-05:00

Last week, Vanessa Coppola of See Vanessa Craft stopped by to chat about her Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle.

Today we get to see who won her blogger approved bundle! The winner of Vanessa Coppola's fabric favorites is:

Karen Propes said...
Jelly Roll Planned and Print.

Congratulations, Karen! Please send your full shipping address to chelsey[at]fatquartershop[dot]com. Thanks for playing, everyone. Remember, you can grab your own blogger approved bundle right here!

Cafe Paris Quilt Kit

2013-05-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

Café Paris is our feature du jour in McCall’s Quick Quilts June/July 2013 issue! This is my lovely little quilt designed for 10” square precuts, and I chose Paris Flea Market to feature it in, since all the light creams, yellow, greens and blues blend nicely together, with a pop of red here and there.

Believe it or not, this is an easy one-block design that results in scrappy pinwheels and a pieced sashing with an offset appearance. To leave the focus on the intricate looking blocks, I left it borderless.

Natalia Bonner quilted this with a simple swirl allover, which lends to the meandering feel of the blocks.

I love Café Paris and hope you will too! You can find kits at Fat Quarter Shop to add a little Paris to your home!

Designer Tidbits: Laura Gunn

2013-05-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to a world of color and texture! Laura Gunn's latest collection for Michael Miller Fabrics, Edges, is full of movement and vibrant hues. Laura is here on the Jolly Jabber to chat about her latest dreamy masterpiece!

Q: Where did you find your original inspiration for Edges?
A: As a designer I just love great basics for my sewing projects. I wanted to make a line that I would want to use with everything. I thought of some of the modern art that I love and tried to channel that.

Q: What was your “aha” moment in designing this collection?
A: I sent in my first design to Kathy Miller thinking that it would be a great blender on its own--like Painter's Canvas. Kathy Miller loved it so much she wanted me to build a whole collection with it. And it just came together in a very natural way. It was such a blast to design.

Q: Tell me about your sewing machines. What kinds do you have and how many?
A: I have two Bernina sewing machines and one Bernina serger.

Q: What is your favorite part of the fabric industry?
A: The women I meet and do creative projects with.

Q: From what aspect of your life do you draw creativity?
A: I'm obsessed with color. I really notice interesting colors and textures in my surroundings--like peeling paint on an old building or bark on a tree, anything really.

Q: What is your favorite print in the collection?
A: I'm really loving the Ombre Circle and the Grid prints, available in orange, pink and lemon.

Q: What is the most challenging part of the design process?
A: Finding the time!

Q: What are your favorite and least favorite colors and why?
A: I feel a bit like you're asking me which of my children is my favorite. :) But I'll give it a shot. Aqua is a favorite color because it looks great with almost anything. As far as a least favorite goes--even the ugliest colors are great in the right context.

Lori Holt on YouTube!

2013-05-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

As you know, a few weeks ago we took a trip to Utah to film a few videos with our friend Lori Holt. She welcomed us into her charming cottage and had a whole bunch of fun. The videos are now all up on our YouTube channel and we wanted to tell you a bit about them! Also, we have a fun giveaway at the end of this post so don't miss out!

We are absolutely in love with Lori's ruler sets, so we filmed tutorials on how to use the Circle Ruler Set, Thimble Ruler Set and Hexie Half Ruler Set. Each ruler set comes with a free pattern, and in the video Lori walks you through how to construct a block from the free quilt patterns. These rulers are quite amazing and the possibilities are endless! Just watch and see!

Lori's home is filled with vintage treasures and her studio is no exception. Jina of Riley Blake Designs took a tour through her studio and Kimberly went through Lori's favorite sewing and quilting notions. Some of them may surprise you, but you will have so many creative ideas after watching these videos!

We are always looking for ways to organize our sewing space, and Lori's design boards are just the thing to keep our blocks in order. We love the idea so much that we filmed a video on how she makes her design boards!

We also filmed her sewing block 5 in her Quilty Barn Along. Learn the story behind the Quilty Barn Along and follow along as she makes block 5!

And last but not least, we caught a few spare minutes to sit down and have a chat. Learn all about Lori's background in quilting, her upcoming collections, including the adorable Bake Sale available at Fat Quarter Shop, and more in this one-on-one interview!

We hope you enjoyed the videos! Now it is time for a giveaway! We are offering up a bundle of Lori Holt's Designer Solids, which coordinate perfectly with any of her collections. To enter, leave a comment below letting us know what new tip, trick or project you will try from watching her videos! Contest closes Friday May 10!

UPDATE Giveaway is now closed. ✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾ has been selected as the winner! Please contact chelsey[at]fatquartershop[dot]com to claim your prize.

Basic of the Month May 2013: Cotton Couture Solids

2013-05-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's time again for a new Basic of the Month! We are so excited about our May 2013 Basic of the Month, Cotton Couture by Michael Miller Fabrics! And don't forget, the Basic of the Month is 20% off all month!

Looking for a basic that really packs a punch? Michael Miller's Cotton Couture will do the trick! Cotton Couture solids are silky to the touch, lie impressively flat and offer an array of fashionable colors. From pastel to jewel, and from bright to soft, you will definitely find the color you are looking for in our selection of Cotton Couture.

Solids have been stealing the show lately, becoming the main focus of many great quilts. With a wide variety of colors, the Cotton Couture solids will jazz up any quilt! The Preppy Quilt Kit by Susan Emory and Christine Van Buskirk is a great example, with the chevron theme and off center composition, it takes solids to a modern sphere!

Shop Cotton Couture by Michael Miller Fabrics at 20% off all month long! Stock up on your reliable basics, but don't be afraid to add some COLOR to your stash!