Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber

I Believe in Angels

2008-07-18T14:51:00.004-05:00

At long last, after much preparation for this club, I Believe in Angels is ready to go out the door! We are shipping it on Monday, so for everyone who signed up, thank you for your patience and expect it soon! Unfortunately, membership is filled for this BOM, as most of our popular ones do run out of spots quickly (but there are plenty of other BOMs to sign up for). But for today, Anne gives us her memoir of this beautiful angel quilt to commemorate the occasion.

No one does packaging better than Fat Quarter Shop and if you signed up for the “I Believe In Angels” block of the month you’re in for a treat! They even include the embellishment kit! I can’t wait for you to get your first block and I hope you’ll get started right away. I’ll share a little story about that first block…the model for that little angel kneeling at the bottom of the tree was my assistant Nireko! Yes, that’s right; she had to kneel on the floor, with fabric draped around her to look like a dress. Just so I could see how the feet and legs should look so I could draw them!

“I Believe in Angels” was a fun quilt to design. The little angels took on their own personalities as I went along. I used the spray starch method of appliqué so I could see how each block would look. I’d put the blocks up on my design wall, stand back and make sure all the fabrics worked together. Then one by one the blocks were off to be appliquéd.

“Winter” by Minick & Simpson made choosing the fabric so easy! The colors in this line are clear and crisp. I like to call them “happy” colors. Then I added some beige, brown and pink for contrast. All the angels left the Bunny Hill studio bald and returned with a head full of hair. My friend Heidi and Nireko shared in the appliqué, and it was Nireko who embroidered all the hair! She made sure all the curls I drew were perfectly embroidered.

I had my own little group of angels to keep me company while I designed this quilt. Bitsy, Chelsea and my old cat Max were always by my side. Chelsea always knows when I need a break and she never hesitates to remind me.

So what do I have planned for my next block of the month? Well, you’ll have to wait a few more months to see. I’ll tell you this much…it has a few little “critters” in it. Why one even reminds me of someone in my studio! You just might be surprised!

Anne Sutton
Bunny Hill Designs

Next week, we're going to show another BOM quilt that's finally wrapping up! We love it. So keep watch :) In the meantime...it's been a while since we posted a Watch-Emma-Grow picture. She's becoming quite the fashionista.

April Cornell on Portugal

2008-07-16T17:04:00.002-05:00

April Cornell is a master of pretty, eclectic combinations and is always inspired by her travels. Here she talks about her influences for her newest collection, Portugal, which was released just this month. She sets earthy blues and greens against buttery yellows and sunset reds in creeping florals, confetti dots, and delicate birds. This collection is so beautiful in person, with a wonderful sheen! Tell us what you have made from it, or what you want/plan to make with Portugal! Better yet, show us!

For me a collection always begins with color. And the colors for the Portugal collection started long ago on a visit to Portugal.

Portugal is vibrant country with a rich earthy character bordering Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. Much more down to earth than stylish Spain, Portugal has an openness that is appealing in a complex world.

When I was in Portugal I was designing pottery – pottery made from the rich terracotta earth of the Portuguese country side. It was inspired by the earthy pottery that dotted balconies and steps of people’s homes, planted with lively red geraniums -- a real favorite of mine -- and set against an Azure Blue Portuguese sky. Those terracottas, azure blues, and creamy yellows of the homes, became a palette in my mind that reflected the warm and sunny towns of Portugal. This Portugal collection will fold gently into beautiful quilts and tablecloths filling a favorite room with the radiance of a Sunny Portuguese day.

Enjoy,
April C.

New Patterns from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co

2008-07-14T12:13:00.003-05:00

Carrie, the designer of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. patterns, joins us today to help us showcase her four new patterns, hot off the press--4OT, Cheap Trick, Crackling Palms, and Wind Farm. They all have a different feel but are equally excellent. Read about her designs, her "studio," and...well, it's just plain entertaining to read! Enjoy!

Hello Jolly Jabberettes!

I hope you’re having a lovely July day wherever you are. It’s hot here in Phoenix which means I’m inside finishing the binding on 4OT. It’s back from the quilter, the binding has been attached and clipped and now it just needs to be stitched down. I love binding clips! Imagine my surprise to find out that many quilters use only five or six clips at a time. I use five or six packages – and I put clips every inch or so until I run out! Does that seem excessive to you?

When asked to tell you where my inspiration comes from and how some of the new quilts came about, I wasn’t sure where to start. Every quilt is different in that some get their start when I fall in love with a particular piece of fabric while others start with a block or setting, and some come about through a jigsaw-like puzzle process. It is also the result of a particular mood, whim or challenge.

Quilts like Crackling Palms and Wind Farm started with a block that went in search of fabric to suit a mood – something warm and cozy, and then something soft and pretty. And since I was also in the mood for Fat Quarters, both quilts had to have pieced borders, which you probably already know I love. Cheap Trick is the result of a friend – former friend! – asking me to figure out how to fit the cutting for one of her favorite blocks into one of Moda’s Layer Cakes. Now that the quilt is finished, she thinks she should get it!

4OT is one of my “puzzle” quilts and I usually have the most fun with these. It’s a MacGyver thing – this is what you have to work with, see if you can figure out how to make something cool with it. With 4OT, I was sent a fat quarter bundle of Portobello Market, the new 3 Sisters collection for Moda. I knew what I loved – the big prints, especially the reds – and how I wanted the finished quilt to look – planned but still scrappy. I grabbed my notebook, a pen, and my trusty calculator, and I started doodling and making notes. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Color me totally biased, but I think this one worked.

Okay, I’ve put this off long enough but I can’t avoid it any longer. I was asked to send a few pictures of my “studio”. I don’t have a “studio”, I have a disaster area. Actually, it has been officially classified as a “crime scene”. I’m not kidding! The sheriff’s department has pictures! We had a break-in while I was at Fall Market last year and pictures of the “damage” are standard procedure, especially since they caught the nitwit in the house – that’s a long story for another day.

So all you get are close-ups of stuff that isn’t too messy. This is my wonderful sewing basket, it sits next to my sewing machine and holds all the things I want/need to keep within reach. It was made by a lovely lady, Barb Reininger. On the other end of the table – I sew on a very large table — is a large wooden tray-thing that holds all the stuff I think I might need and may want to have handy. I use a lot of it but I also have to confess that I can’t remember the last time I used half of it. Does that sound familiar to any of you? I also have a basket of stuff I am thinking about using, a doo-dad or two that makes me happy to see, and there is always a jar of treats for Rosie within reach.

And then there’s Rosie…waiting for me to finish so she can have one of those treats.

Carrie Nelson
Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Debbie's Recipe Box: Perfect Chocolate Cake

2008-07-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

Hi guys! This recipe is a long one, so I'm just going to type it up here and give you a link to a printable recipe card here.

This cake is worth the effort! It is wonderful!

DEBBIE'S PERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 cup cocoa
2 cups boiling water
1 cup butter margarine, softened
2 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Filling (recipe follows)
Frosting (recipe follows)
Pecan halves (optional)

Combine cocoa and boiling water, stirring until smooth; set aside to cool.
Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; beat at high speed of electric mixer 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients; add to sugar mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beating at low speed of electric mixer, and beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat.
Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans. Bate at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool the layers completely.

Spread filling between layers and spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Garnish with pecans, if desired. Serve at once, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: one 3-layer cake!

FILLING:
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup sifted powdered sugar

Beat whipping cream and vanilla until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until peaks hold their shape. Chill. Yield; about 2 cups.

FROSTING:
1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
About ½ cup half-and-half
¾ cup butter or margarine
2 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar

Combine chocolate morsels, ½ cup half-and-half, and butter in a saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; add powdered sugar, mixing well.
Set saucepan in ice, and beat until frosting holds its shape and loses its gloss. Add a few more drops of half-and-half if needed to make spreading consistency. Yield: about 3 cups.

New Patterns from Quiltsillustrated

2008-07-10T12:23:00.005-05:00

I am convinced that I never have enough bags. Small or large, square or cinched, tote or clutch, buttoned or drawstring -- there is always a use for each and every one of them! And I'm also convinced I'm not the only girl who feels this way. Enter Penny Sturges of Quiltsillustrated, championing the cause for more of these wonderful and functional accessories with her Quiltsillustrated tote and bag patterns. She has recently come out with several new designs, such as the Little Cupcake Tote, shown on the right. (Just more of the cupcake rage at Market!!)

Hello! My name is Penny Sturges, and I design tote bag patterns and own Quiltsillustrated, Inc., a small but growing pattern publishing company. I have been designing bags and totes for five years. I have been married to Bob (oh my goodness, the best husband ever!) for 37 years and have a one beautiful daughter, Darci, and wonderful son-in-law Ryan. We all live in the Phoenix, AZ area.

Basically minding my own business, making tote bags for friends and family when good friend Gerri Robinson of Planted Seed Designs called and told me about the great fabric she was given by designer Holly Holderman of LakeHouse Dry Goods. Gerri was designing quilts for Holly and asked me to make a couple of bags for the LakeHouse booth in Pittsburg, PA. Gerri sent me fabric, I made a couple of totes, and the rest is history. Holly liked my bags, hit me over the head, and dragged me kicking and screaming into the design and pattern publishing business. I was not sure the design business for me. I had adorable new twin granddaughters and it took many long conversations and pep talks from Holly to get me going!

I now work in the LakeHouse booth at both Spring and Fall Markets, showing the beautiful Holly Holderman fabric designs and writing orders for fabric and tote patterns. Holly and I are currently working on new ideas for teaching and promoting new design and quilting techniques. Now that I think about the past five years, I have not had any rest since I met Hurricane Holly!

Darci now works with Quiltsillustrated full time and we have 4 new patterns that debuted at Portland Quilt Market. Chubby Charmer (on the left) is our newest “charm” tote, it uses 48 5” squares and sports a 10” wide bottom. BYOB is our “green” grocery tote, simple to make with cotton twill handles and fabric from your stash! One of our most popular bags, Bow Tucks is now available in a smaller version called Mini Bow Tucks. We also have a new bag for little girls, called Little Cupcake Tote. I have a small studio where, Jill Navlan (my multi-talented sister-in-law) and I whip up new designs and sample bags using the great LakeHouse fabrics that arrive on my doorstep periodically. We are moving in August, and I will have a big, light and roomy studio for us to work in! Very exciting, lots of space for Jill, Darci and I to create!

A special thank you to Fat Quarter Shop for asking me to post!

Penny Sturges
Quiltsillustrated.com

Deb Strain's "It's Snowing!"

2008-07-07T11:05:00.007-05:00

Deb Strain joins us on the Jolly Jabber for the first time!! We are thrilled by her newest holiday collection, It's Snowing! Have you seen it yet? After you're done fawning over it, show someone else and make their day too! This collection is strewn with happy candy snowmen (and snowladies, as Deb calls them!) in the cheeriest Christmas hues. Besides the snowpeople, the strips, dots, and "Snow Fun" stripes are sure to please as well. So without further ado, please join us in welcoming Deb to the blog!

Hello! My name is Deb Strain and I am so pleased to be visiting you through the Fat Quarter Shop blog! What a wonderful way for friends to get to know each other, share ideas, and just have a lot of fun! I have been a designer for Moda Fabrics for about 12 years and thought you might like to know a little about our world.

My husband Scott and I live with our children in a Saltbox house that we built ourselves, along with A LOT of help from our family. (A project that was fun, but not something I would want to do again!) Our oldest is Arrin Turnmire, who also designs for Moda, lives on her own and is extremely talented. She teaches high school art when not coming up with wonderful, new fabric designs, that have developed a following of their own. (I'm so proud of her!) Katie, our middle child, is also a creative artist, is graduating from high school this year and heading off to art school. My studio is often filled with three drawing boards, lined up in a row, with the three of us working away! Our son is not interested in art (right now!), but loves basketball and all sports. He is a lot of fun and a great son, but doesn't want anything to do with pretty paintings and designs!

Moda approached me about designing fabric for them at one of my first Quilt Markets. We had a small, greeting card company, Saltbox Illustrations, and many of the images had a quilting theme to them. We have since merged our small company with Legacy Publishing Group which allows me more time to spend designing. What a thrill to design for Moda! It has been fun to watch them grow over the years and still retain that same wonderful sense of goodness about them. It really is genuine! They are such special people to work for...so creative and fun and always, always with the highest integrity in both quality of product and relationships.

Well, enough about my world...I would like to introduce you to my newest group with Moda...it's called "It's Snowing!" What could be more fun than spending a Snowy Day with 8 fun, happy, celebrating snowmen? I've created the panel using 8 jolly snowmen and snowladies enjoying all kinds of winter fun. From skiing down a snowy slope to hitching a ride on snowflakes, these busy snowpeople show how even a day filled with winter, can become a day of fun. This line is bursting with festive colors and patterns, sure to bring cheer to even the coldest of days. These snowfolk all have their own personalities but share one common feature...their arms and legs are made of candy canes! Gingerbread men and light-hearted words complete this bright, happy group. Designing "It's Snowing" was so much fun, I hope you have as much fun using it in your next "Snowy Day" project!

I would also like to give you a "sneak peek" at my next fabric collection called "Bistro." It is filled with patterns, color and images based on my favorite food group...coffee!

Hope you enjoy it!
Deb Strain
Saltbox Illustrations

2008-07-02T15:40:00.008-05:00

Tanya Whelan follows up her last collection, Barefoot Roses, with the stunning Ava Rose for Free Spirit. It is fresh, gorgeous, and inspired by her daughter. Who wouldn't want to wrap their little girls up in these pretty pinks and blues? Aptly named, it features vintage roses that harkens back to a day when TV was still black and white, and every mother had their own rose garden. Fat Quarter Shop has the whole line and two colorway bundles, Ruby and Aqua & Blue. Show us what Ava Rose inspires you to do! (P.S. We don't have her bag patterns in yet, but we will!)

It was so exciting to finally meet Fat Quarter Shop's Kimberly and Jocelyn at Quilt Market both of whom are adorable and totally nice! I was there with a booth for the first time showing my new fabric line for Free Spirit and my new hand bag patterns. Such an amazing and fun experience. And, I'm of course so happy to be asked to blog about my baby, Ava Rose.

Ava Rose isn't actually my baby but the collection is named for my little girl and was inspired by her. I wanted this collection to be as refreshing as lemonade on a summer day which is sort of how I see my little girl at age seven. It's a lovely, magical, innocent age and I was inspired to make a collection that would really celebrate that. Something I would really want to make bedding out of for my Ava Rose.

So, the collection is really vibrant and uses fresh, saturated color. Even the reds have a clean fresh feel as they lean toward raspberry and are very saturated. There are lots of pinks, shades of pink and cool and warm tones of pink but the color that makes me really happy is the watery aqua blue used in different ways throughout the collection.

As with my last collection for Free Spirit, Barefoot Roses, this collection has a very vintage feel, using lots of rose motifs, polka dots and ticking stripes but the clean, fresh colors give it a modern sensibility. I always have a sunny white room in mind as I design collections and want my designs to feel crisp and vibrant in that setting and I think Ava Rose does this. There's also a grey color way that I'm crazy about. Grey doesn't sound too vibrant but set against happy, raspberry red roses it's a great contrast and one I can't wait to use for handbags.

Though the collection has the happy, innocent feel of a little girl I think it will be great for big girl aprons, handbags, slipcovers, and of course, beautiful quilts. Thank you again Fat Quarter Shop for letting me blog about Ava Rose!

Tanya Whelan
Grand Revival Design

Erin McMorris's Park Slope

2008-06-30T15:34:00.007-05:00

We have Erin McMorris on the Jolly Jabber today to talk about her new collection for FreeSpirit called Park Slope! It's very fun, flaunts summery colors, and in my eyes sort of retro grooooovy... :) Just look at it and you'll probably agree! Fat Quarter Shop has it the full line as well as two color bundles, teal and pink. The blooming flowers make it perfect for the season. What are you going to deck out in Park Slope? Be sure to send us pictures so we can see!

Hi, and thanks for inviting me to talk a little bit about my work! I am so excited about Park Slope, my second collection for FreeSpirit, it's a collection that just makes me smile! It's called Park Slope after the neighborhood in Brooklyn where I spent a few weeks housesitting for friends last summer. The collection really started to gel while I was visiting and I can remember getting inspired by being there. I love to travel and sometimes I find I work best outside of my own studio.

For those who don't know me, although I'm relatively new to the quilting community, I've been designing textiles for about 15 years and absolutely love it! After studying textile design, my first job was painting repeats and recolors of patterns. I had to pinch myself, I couldn't believe that someone was paying me to paint all day!! I knew it was what I was meant to do. I really like flat graphic prints--I'm also a former graphic designer--and other reoccuring themes in my designs, are using linework and dots. I love dots! I love them so much I painted a wall in my house with colored dots! I just think polka dots are inherently fun and instantly make a solid surface happy. I love to use them as patterns within patterns, or create images, like my Leaf Dot in the new collection, that is just designed in the form of a circle, or like the Birds that reads as a small dot from a distance. I use a lot of line work probably because all of my designs start with a sketch on paper and sometimes I like to keep the pencil quality of the line in the final design. Oh, and did I mention I love color?

People always ask me how my design process works and I think it is such an interesting question to ask other designers because everyone works differently. I always start with a quick sketch on paper, but it is really rough and I usually stop once I can see where I want to go. But I can never fully visualize it until I start working with it in the computer. Then I continue sketching and re-sketching and re-sketching until it probably ends up like something completely unrelated to the original drawing. But that's the fun part! I'm really just using Photoshop as an extension of my sketchbook as it's easier to cut and paste and erase with it. I struggle to try and create modern designs that aren't too serious, because that's really what I like. I think most of my designs look pretty simple, but I can assure you, it takes me forever before I'm ready to let go of a collection. And now that I have let it go, I'm looking forward to seeing what amazing products people create with it. That's one of the most fun parts of this job!

Erin McMorris
http://www.erinmc.com

Debbie's Recipe Box: Best Loved Lemon Bars

2008-06-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

From none other than Mette Brown! These are DELICIOUS!

And check out Vicky's generous giveaway at her blog, LA Quilter, going on now...good luck!

Sandy Gervais' "Merry & Bright"

2008-06-27T10:43:00.001-05:00

Merry & Bright adds another punch of color to the holiday season! If Sandy Gervais' Holly Jolly line from last year was your favorite, then Merry & Bright will knock your socks off as well. She has done something wonderful with Christmas themes -- ornaments, holly, candy cane stripes, and trees as never seen before, especially the plaids and stripes! Definitely merry, and definitely bright with red, yellow, green, and teal. Be prepared to be delighted. Speaking of delight, we have some awesome kits using Merry & Bright!

Merry Christmas from water-logged Iowa! Here in Algona we are all safe and dry. Many of the farm fields have ponds and some parts of fields will have to be replanted, but overall we are so much more fortunate than those to the south of us.

Since Holly Jolly, (last year’s Christmas line) was so successful it was decided to use the same coloring in this year’s Christmas line, Merry & Bright. I have only repeated a coloring back to back one other time in my 13 years of designing fabric.

I was thrilled to hear that we would be repeating the colors. I spend the most time developing the colors, mixing and mixing until I finally get the color that I have pictured in my mind. It sometimes takes me 2 weeks to finalize the color palette. I always say once I have the color palette I am half done with the line. So by repeating the colors, I saved myself two weeks time! – I could get to painting that much quicker!

After the colors are decided the work is over and I can relax and paint. I actually paint out every single piece of fabric on paper. Of course painting out the panel is always the most fun. This line has two panels and a preprinted table runner. It is always a challenge to come up with a new twist on the usual Christmas motifs. (I mean really, how many ways can you make a tree?) But I love the challenge!

After the fabric is completely finalized I receive a disc with each of the pieces of fabrics scanned to the disc. I use this to design and computer-generate the quilts for this fabric line. It is almost like sewing using the computer! By doing this the sales reps can show the shops the fabric and the patterns at the same time. This is a great help to the shop owners when they are buying the line.

About 2-3 weeks before the shops receive their fabric I receive mine. I then make the “real” quilts – using a sewing machine – no computer involved at this point. The quilts are then photographed and become pattern covers. I designed seven patterns for this line of fabric. You can see and buy all of these patterns right here at Fat Quarter Shop.

So what am I doing today? I am anxiously awaiting my UPS delivery as I will be receiving Tranquility. You will have to wait until November to see this line and I hope you like it as much as I do.

I am also in the middle of painting out my Christmas 2009 line. Think fun and out of the box. (Just a little teaser for all of you.) :-)

I hope you enjoy Merry & Bright as much as I enjoyed designing it. Email me pictures of your projects. I love to see how you use my fabric.

May all your days be Merry & Bright.

Sandy Gervais
Pieces From My Heart

Smores by Me and My Sister Designs

2008-06-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

We are so pleased to have Barb & Mary, the hilarious duo of Me and My Sister Designs, back on the Jolly Jabber. They have created a not-your-average winter line for Moda that will surprise and delight you, and it's called SMORES. While many Christmas groups stick to a traditional red-green-winter white palette, Barb and Mary have tossed caution to the wind. If you are a fan of bright colors, no matter what the season, this group will not disappoint. Also, Fat Quarter Shop is offering several exclusive quilt kits for sweet sweet SMORES!

The inspiration for this group actually came to me about six years ago while shopping. I always purchase a special Christmas ornament for our tree every year and my husband paints the year on it. In 2001 I found the cutest marshmallow snowman on skies! I love that ornament! The idea to put the snowman onto fabric has always stayed in the back of my mind, and this year I finally decided to do something about it.

This group has all our favorites, chocolate, marshmallows, and fabric.

It is not your typical Christmas collection! I would classify it more “Winter Whimsical”. Many of the bright and cheerful prints are made to withstand the season and can be used long after the holidays have gone. Our particular favorites are the Rick Rack stripes and the Medallion Snowman Heads (seen on the right). I think that those circles look like snowmen ice cream sandwiches!

We were very honored this past May at Portland Quilt Market when Moda selected some of our “Smores” prints to decorate their notions booth. One of the talented girls made this giant cupcake!

Our booth at market this time was decorated with “Smores” and our new upcoming group “Butterfly Fling”. We think they blend together well!

This is the marshmallow garland in our market booth. (Psst, we have that quilt!) The next time that we try something like this we will use stale marshmallows! We had a gooey mess in the aisles. I had Mary wiping goo off the ribbons as I strung the marshmallows. Sometimes it's good to be the older sister. (Says Barb!)

Hope that you enjoy this newest collection -- and don’t forget -- every one of our fabric groups include a printed panel -- and there is always a free project on our website that uses that panel!

Thanks!
Barb and Mary
Me and My Sister Designs

Susan Winget's "Snow Show"

2008-06-23T17:33:00.004-05:00

Susan Winget's new winter line, Snow Show, displays snow in all its blustery beauty. Puffs of snow, sparkling snowflakes, and colorful knits adorn these prints in blues and lavenders, along with a cute little snowman named Sam! The Fat Quarter Shop has all her prints, along with bundles in two colorways, Aqua and Blue. Read about her inspiration, and see what it inspires you to create!

I am so excited to share a little about myself and the exciting new fabric line, Snow Show, that I have with Benartex, featured on the Fat Quarter Shop website. Quilting is a beautiful and spirited art form where I am from in North Carolina. We have beautiful quilts from my grandmother and mother-in-law in our home; they are precious family treasures! Quilts remind me of strong family ties always stitched together carefully with love, so I am always honored to see my own designs in these incredible creations!

Just a little about myself: my name is Susan Winget, and I am an artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. I have always loved art, and what started as painting small watercolor pieces for family and friends in my garage, has now turned into the design business that I am blessed to have today. With my studio of painters and designers, I have the great opportunity and joy of creating art for a wide range of products, from fabrics and dinnerware to calendars and stationery. I have been creating designs for fabrics for over 20 years now and each program has unique qualities. Some of my favorite programs produced by Benartex in the past are Kansas Song, Jolly Ol’ St. Nick and Gypsy Song.

I am inspired by so many things in my life from the joys of the farm my husband and I have with our many animals, to my three children that bless me everyday. Snow Show was inspired by my Sam Snowman collections that I have been painting for 15 years now. Sam, a delightful and curious snowman that embodies the joyful spirit and magic of the winter season, was named after my youngest son. I have so many warm memories of winter and the snow. Everyone bundles up to play outside with friends. We always have a crowd of children on the farm when it snows to sled, make snow angels, and then warm up inside as we gather together around the fire with mugs of hot chocolate. All of these dear memories and feelings about winter inspired the Snow Show program with its whimsical designs, playful snowflake flurries, and comforting warm woven patterns. You’ll even catch a glimpse of Sam the Snowman in this collection!

Snow Show is a wonderful and fun program, I hope you all enjoy using the fabric as much as I enjoyed designing it! If you enjoy this program, please be on the lookout for a new fabric line I am currently working on for Benartex. It has the same winter feel, and is a primitive holiday program with winter scenes and traditional Christmas decor. To see more of Sam the Snowman, visit our website that features Sam the Snowman products and calendars. Also, to learn more about this wonderful character, be sure to read our children’s book coming out soon with Harper Collins Publishers titled Sam the Snowman.

To find links to more Winget Art Studio products please visit my website, http://www.susanwinget.com, and to interact more with myself and the studio, please visit my personal blog, http://www.susanwingetsblog.com!

Susan Winget
http://www.susanwinget.com
http://www.susanwingetsblog.com

Secret Santa by Diane Knott

2008-06-18T23:59:00.000-05:00

We have not one, but two festive new collections by the talented Diane Knott in our store! Midnight Mischief for Halloween and Dear Santa for Christmas - which holiday strikes your fancy at the moment? Midnight Mischief has fun spooks and treats, and Dear Santa has Saint Nick on skates! Diane, the quilter behind the designs, talks about her holiday collections.

What a nice surprise I found in my email box! It was an invitation to write a blog for the Jolly Jabber about two of my fabric collections! I feel so honored to be asked to participate and to join all of the other designers who have been featured. Thank you, Fat Quarter Shop!

A bit of an introduction in case you haven't seen any of my fabrics or other products....my name is Diane Knott and I've been working in the art licensing field as an artist and product designer for almost 10 years, and I design fabrics for Clothworks Textiles. Designing fabric is a dream-come-true for me because I've been sewing since I was just 10 years old. I remember sitting at my mother's machine and making tons of mistakes, like not matching plaids and making my seams larger than 5/8" and wondering why the clothes I was trying to make were all skewed! :-) But, through trial and error I became a quilter and learned to sew those accurate seams after all both on clothing and that all necessary 1/4" quilting seam!

One of my collections that the Fat Quarter Shop has and which you'll be seeing here is "Midnight Mischief". I had so much fun painting this group. As I painted, I imagined it being a story to tell children on Halloween about how at midnight all of the pumpkins come to life, their vines becoming feet and arms so they can romp through the pumpkin patch dancing and making merry mischief by the light of the harvest moon! Fall is my favorite time of year and that made it all the more delightful for me to create these little characters that I hope will make lots of children happy when their moms sew up fanciful costumes and party decorations with the fabric.

"Dear Santa" made me smile when I was painting it - I wanted everyone else to smile too when they saw this chubby little guy. He doesn't look like the traditional Santa because I wanted him to be more whimsical and jolly and I wanted to show him having fun at the North Pole on his days off! I hoped that everyone would see Santa as he might be when he wasn't at work.

On my own days off when I'm not painting, I like to quilt and do needlework, beading, read, decoupage, travel and take pictures. I've also co-authored a book with my daughter, Holly Knott, called "Quilted Garden Delights" that has been published by C&T Publishing.

What I'd love more than anything is for someone to invent the 48 hour day. I'm always so happy to hear from people who have bought my fabrics and I want to say thank you! I hope that I'm always able to keep designing images that will continue to make your eyes and fingers happy as you sew them into special things for yourself. Blessings to stitchers everywhere.

Diane Knott
http://DianeKnott.com
Diane's Musings

Winter by Minick & Simpson

2008-06-18T09:53:00.005-05:00

Winter, by Minick & Simpson, beautifully depicts the season with classic poinsettias, garlands, holly, and candy canes in soft winter whites, blues, greens, and red that you will want to curl up in. It has been flying off the Fat Quarter Shop's shelves since it came in, but it's Minick & Simpson after all! (Psst, they have a new blog!) Winter is a favorite for us as well, and we even have two quilt kits for it.

Laurie Simpson
Jocelyn and Kim have asked us to tell a little about "Winter" our new holiday collection from Moda. Winter is our new favorite collection - but ask us in a couple months if we have another new favorite! We are fickle. This collection started in one direction, took a u-turn and arrived a little unexpectedly with these soft vintage colors. How, you ask? Ok, I will spill it all. Polly and I worked together and came up with a large collection that we submitted (this means many phone calls, emails, digital camera scans, and shopping trips). It was the prints that you see, in the colors that you see, but also with many other prints and more colors that moved into sepia's and browns. We loved it all!

We happily packaged it all up and sent it off to the Mecca of Fabric - the Moda Design Department in Dallas. A few conversations later, it was edited into Winter. Edited you say? How horrible, how can we stand it? Oh we can and we do! Polly and I have LOTS of ideas. More ideas than sense it seems. The lighter colors were the best part of the group and it was another great judgment call to go with them. I am so happy it turned out this way. I love these fabrics and have made 3 bed size quilts from them so far.

Ooooh, that was a great day when our package from Moda arrived with our yardage. The soft vintage colors and sweet little prints really came alive when you see them in the flesh, so to speak. I placed an order for some extra when it was ready to ship. I got my favorite bolt of fabric yesterday. I have so many ideas on what to do with it - I will probably have to order many more bolts. Curtains, pillowcases, shirts, baby layette's, and of course lots and lots of quilts. As you can see, sometime simpler is better. Yes, my favorite of all is the simple little polka-dot. Happy stitching!

Polly Minick
It is our pleasure to write something about our latest collection, Winter! As Laurie stated it all started with us going over our valuable "stash" that we live by. Our stash box consists of scraps of vintage fabrics, vintage paper, photos of things we love, ribbons - you name it. To someone who would come across our boxes of stash, they may be confused and not think it worth much, to us it is gold. When we travel we are always in search of something that inspires us - it may be the color, the texture, just something that gave us a great idea, or something we cherish and have had in our own collections for a long, long time. Never did I realize how valuable our "stash" would be to us as we design fabrics. I think we can honestly say that almost every collection has been inspired by something we love and have hung onto for a very long time. Or, it can be something picked up at an antique show recently that became our inspiration - for what, our next holiday line - now you have to wait and see what Laurie found at a great antique show - stay tuned.

Also as Laurie stated, we probably have more creative ideas than good sense and we always have to calm down, pick something that we really love, focus and get on with the task. We can and often can be "all over the place" with our ideas because of the plain fact that we LOVE doing this and we want to do it all. Thankfully those that we love and respect so much at the other end - they help us focus and pick our theme and move on - and this is what happened to Winter. You need to step back, look it all over see what is working, what may be crowding or really not working and pull your collection together. We really love how Winter turned out, and we were inspired to see so many wonderful projects made with Winter when we were in Portland - it always makes us so happy. Your collection becomes like your child and you want everyone to love and appreciate it as we do.

Minick & Simpson
Minick & Simpson Blog

Heartspun Quilts, Portland and Beyond

2008-06-17T10:33:00.000-05:00

Pam Buda from Heartspun Quilts shares with us her experience of starting her own pattern company and her first bout at Market. Read up, share your thoughts, and be sure to check out her patterns at Fat Quarter Shop!

Just some thoughts about quilting, girlfriends, family and the wonder that is the creative process…

When Kimberly asked me to write a blog, I confidently said yes! I had been thinking about writing one, so I thought why not?! Truth be told, it was only 6 short months ago when one of my best friends, Lynn, said “you really needed to have a blog”. Wow, I thought, a blog? I wonder what kind of sewing notion is called a blog? It must really be something if she thinks I need this! Needless to say, Lynn once again dragged me a bit further into the 21st Century, explaining what a blog is. Who knew? I live a rather sheltered life, focusing on what is new in fabrics, and quilting and what’s going on at the shops where I teach. And it’s a happy sheltered life, no complaints here! The fun thing is that through blogging, I can meet other quilters just like me, who… dare I say, are fixated on fabric and quilting and are living perfectly happy lives…albeit technology challenged! So, let’s get to know one another…

I’m turning the big 5 0hhhh this month, a birthday I welcome. I’m perfectly OK with this as my life is getting better with each passing year. I live in a suburb of Chicago and have lived here all my life. It’s a wonderful place to live. That makes me a lover of the four seasons…Christmas fabric, pastel & spring fabric, summer’s full assortment of fabric and autumn fabric. What can I say…it’s in my blood! I have two children; Nicole who is 23 and Ryan who is weeks away from 17. (Lord, give me strength). Ed is the man who signed up to see me through all that life has in store. So far, he’s served 29 years of his life sentence.

About 18 months ago, I decided to fulfill my heart’s desire to take the quilts I designed and start a pattern company. I set my sights on Spring Quilt Market in Portland, 2008. I packed suitcases and patterns and boxes and quilts and my two best friends and off we went. It was a wonderful adventure and I had no idea what would happen there.

With 14 new quilt patterns I decided a double booth was needed to properly display them. My friends, Nancy and Lynn (you’ll be hearing a lot from me about girlfriends in the future as I think they are among our greatest gifts) worked with me to arrange my booth. I think it looked great. What do you think?

I was so excited when Market opened on Friday morning. There I was for all the world to see. Yikes! What would be the next chapter in my big adventure? I was very lucky when I was visited by Kimberly and Debbie from the Fat Quarter Shop within the first hour on Friday morning. I could hardly believe what they were saying! They were interested in my patterns and writing this blog and more fun opportunities coming soon! And it went on from there. I met so many wonderful shop owners and other talented pattern designers. I saw the new yummy fabrics coming to all of us in the near future and it got my creative wheels humming. I had a great time in Portland and my new little business is off to a terrific start. (That’s Nancy & Lynn in the photo!)

Quilt Market was fun, but I was glad to be back home. I can unpack, fill orders and begin the new chapter in my adventure called: Spring Market is over – Time to Get To Work! I’ve already logged some serious design time on Electric Quilt for projects that were inspired by the new fabrics I saw. As I look out the window, the garden is wondering when the flowers will be planted, the family wants to see the new Indiana Jones movie and my other best friend, Bernina, is wondering when I can spend some time with her. And, ya know, it’s all good. A life where boredom is as much as mystery as the internet! What more could I ask for? I’d love to hear from you.

Until then, wishing you peace while piecing.
Pam Buda
Heartspun Quilts

A Winner and a BOM

2008-06-13T16:37:00.003-05:00

We have two orders of business today -- first, we announce the winner of the "Who Made Emma that Bear??" contest (yay!).

The correct answer was....Miss Vicky McGee of LA Quilters. Pats on the back to those of you who stuck to your guns, even when Vicky threw in a red herring!

And our winner (who also had a correct answer) is

Heather!
Heather said...
"Another vote here for Vicky. What an adorable bear!"

Heather, please contact me at jocelyn @ fatquartershop.com for your prize, a Woodland Bloom (by Lila Tueller for Moda) Jelly Roll and Charm Pack!

Secondly, we have a new Block of the Month for you guys! (Surprise surprise!) It's called Sweet Treasures BOM, named after the designer's company. A little back story on this BOM...

At Quilt Market last month, we were innocently strolling along an aisle in the far back of the convention center. At our Moda appointment the day prior, we had seen a new collection that we knew was destined for great things. Lo and behold, there it was, an image of a quilt sitting front and center in Terri Staat's Sweet Treasures booth. Debbie and Kimberly instantly knew that it was meant to be, Portobello Market & this beautiful quilt. Even on the plane ride home, they labored to marry the two.

Now, the program is almost ready to launch. It includes a total of thirteen 14" blocks plus a finishing kit. The finished quilt will be 87" x 87" and is set on point. The BOM includes the pattern and all of the fabric you need to complete the quilt top and binding. Blocks include traditional piecing and no appliqué. The program is from September 2008 to August 2009. You will not regret signing up for this beauty!

P.S. We are shipping the new Designer Mystery Block of the Month now, but there are still a few spots still open! If you've been thinking about it, sign up before they disappear!

New Patterns from Thimble Blossoms

2008-06-12T12:09:00.006-05:00

Miss Camille never seems to stop for a moment! Today, she introduces us to 6 fresh patterns, all new and touched with her cute and quirky style --Wallflower, Sassafras, Domestic Diva, Home Grown, Simple Charm, and A Piece of Cake. They are shown here in Cotton Blossoms, Camille and Bonnie's new line which is available in September.

Hello again!

Hmm... with all the craziness in the past month (or two... three, maybe?) I don't even know where to start! The last time I posted for the Jolly Jabber my mom and I announced our line of fabric for Moda, Cotton Blossoms, and it was just a few days after the yardage landed on my doorstep, and today I get to introduce you to new stuff! So... New stuff, meet the Jolly Jabber. Jolly Jabber, new stuff.

May was a big month! The fabric arriving, designing, a LOT of sewing, and very little sleeping all leading up to my very first Market. Well, technically I have been to Quilt Market twice before, but this was my first time as an exhibitor. It was an entirely different experience, to say the least! A wonderful experience of course, being able to meet all my favorite designers, show all my new designs, spend time with my mom and sister, and be a part of Moda, but definitely a lot of work! Now that I've got my first Market under my belt, and orders are out the door, it is nice to sit down and breathe. And dream, of course, because I can't wait for the next one!

At Market I debuted six new designs, all made from Cotton Blossoms, and all unique in their own way. Some of them are more quirky and fun, and some are more pieced, and are a little bit more traditional, but of course, following in true Thimble Blossoms-ness (??) there are a few funky little additions to each of them that I hope you like as much as I do. I think I say this every time, but these are my favorite ones yet!

Well, I better head out, I've got to go pick up my mom at the airport so we can celebrate our birthday together! June 10th is the day, and in case you were wondering, I'm going to be the big 2-5 (hooray!), and my mom? Well, a little bit older than that. ;-) Be sure to stop by my blog, because there is sure to be some sort of party going on over there, probably involving some of the new stuff...

Have a good one,
Camille
Camille's NEW Blog
Thimble Blossoms

The Bear Contest

2008-06-09T22:44:00.000-05:00

This is a contest we lovingly call the Bear Contest. Just for a bit of fun...

This is a pretty pink stuffed bear Emma received for her birthday in April. Just post on our comment page with a guess of which dear friend bestowed this upon her, and you might just win a fabulous prize!

We will announce winners on Friday, June 13!

New Patterns from Cozy Quilt Designs

2008-06-05T10:21:00.000-05:00

Daniela Stout is our contributor today, talking about her excellent selection of new patterns and quilt-friendly gadgets. We have several of her new patterns at our store!

I was so pleased when I got an email asking if I would be interested in sharing a little something on the Fat Quarter Shop. I’ve been a fan for a while and am honored to be invited.

My name is Daniela Stout and own Cozy Quilt Designs and Cozy Quilt Shop. Cozy Quilt Shop is located outside San Diego and is about five years old now… After opening the shop, we started a monthly program we called Strip Club. It was our way of getting people excited about quilting… and to give them a little head start by cutting their 2 ½” strips for them. We soon started designing patterns to use those strips and our pattern publishing business, Cozy Quilt Designs, was born!

I still marvel and the success and amazing growth of Strip Club. With Jelly Rolls by Moda and Bali Pops by Hoffman, it’s grown exponentially. I’d even go so far as to say that it has shaped the modern-day quilting world! Who’d a thunk it?

This Market we released a whole slew of new patterns, two new books and a new ruler. It’s been a lot of fun designing, creating and watching our vision come to life. Here a quick preview of our new stuff…

First, let’s start with the patterns that put us on the map: Strip Club! We are very proud of our six new Strip Club patterns designed for 2 ½” strips, all available at www.cozyquilt.com. Transitions is a striking quilt that happens to be very easy-- made even easier with our very own gadget: The Strip Tube Ruler. Long Tall uses a rare rectangular block and offers all of the interest of an art quilt with none of the hassle. Chain Chain Chain has been an instant hit because the chain effect give it a classic quilt feel and it goes together very quickly. All Stars looks a little like inter-locking stars, with one simple block twisted and turned. It was designed for Jelly Rolls! Tube Top is a great way to use a jelly roll, strip club bundle or stash fabric because it looks good in anything. Rock Star is a wonderfully different star block and is made from strips and background.

I am very proud of a new gadget that we created earlier this year, called The Strip Tube Ruler. We designed and manufactured this ruler because it is a terrific way to use strips to create diagonally pieced squares. It’s fast, easy, accurate, and very versatile.

We also released two new books this Spring Market. One is for those yummy fabric morsels called Layer Cakes. Layer Cake Recipe Book includes seven different patterns designed for 10” squares. They are not only perfect for Layer Cakes, but great to use up stash!

The patterns are designed by my mom (Georgette Dell’Orco) Kara Birren, me. My mom does a lot of designing for us and we have quite a little rivalry. Whoever comes up with the better design get's to do that month’s pattern!

We also released seven new patterns that use 10” squares. None of these are duplicated in the Layer Cake Recipe Book!

Baby Cakes is easy and wonderful. The background fabric gives the pattern shape and the large blocks make it come together quickly! We have it in yellow, but it would be great in any color or Layer Cake! Flour Power is a funky flower pattern with a terrifically easy and fun technique! Use bright fabrics for a cheerful quilt or soft fabrics for a more peaceful design. Piece of Cake was designed so the pre-cut 10” squares are almost all the cutting you have to do! Just sew together the blocks and off-set them slightly to get a fast, fabulous, and easy quilt! Lady Fingers is perfect for any fabric, but especially great for the shabby chic look. This quilt goes together quickly! Linda Allen, who designed the pattern, made it for us out of a Layer Cake and said she did all of the cutting for a throw in just 10 minutes! Spice Cakes uses a technique to make the star points that is neat and easy to make! Simple and smart, it’s a favorite way to make stars! Since the blocks finish at 9 ½”, you get a lot of quilt for a little work! Party Cakes has blocks shaped like cakes and offers endless possibilities. You can use Layer Cakes or your own fabric. Just add two different backgrounds. You can even play around with twisting and turning the blocks to get a more southwestern look!

Finally the second book we released is Quick Cozy Couch Quilts by Sandy Thompson. Sandy brings her vision for fast and fun quilts with six great new designs. Using big blocks in classic and interesting arrangements, these patterns come together in a hurry so that you make them and enjoy them quickly.

That’s our story for Spring 2008. With as much as we released at Market, I hope there is something that will get you inspired and keep you quilting.

Happy stitching!
Daniela Stout
Cozy Quilt Designs
www.cozyquilt.com