Ever Kelly has teamed up with Superbuzzy to offer free tutorials and projects with Japanese fabrics and notions. First up, the back-to-school lunch kit above (pdf link). Keep an eye on the Superbuzzy blog for more to come.

And in other free pattern news, Josephine Kimberling is offering a free pattern called the Glam-O-Ruffle Pillow. It joins several other amazing free downloadable patterns on her inspiration page.

Liesl of oliver + s talks on the BurdaStyle blog about how she designed her new City Weekends fabric collection.

The New York Times’ Freakonomics blog on Copyrighting Fashion.

Fabric prints using tape, on How About Orange. Love this!

Virginia Johnson visits the block printing studio in India that prints some of her fabrics.

A HUGE list of U.K.-based online fabric shops. Thanks Kat!

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1. Textile Stew: 8/18/10

Tags: austin, block printing, copyright, ever kelly, fabric design, fabric printing, fashion, josephine kimberling, oliver + s, patterns, sewing, shopping, superbuzzy, u.k., virginia johnson | Category: Textile Stew

Heather Ross‘ new collection exclusively for Spoonflower, Macaroni Love Story, is going on sale today. Finally, the clothespin people see the light of day! Same for the newspaper boats. And the rest of the prints round out the theme of awesome kids’ crafts.

(Heather’s page on Spoonflower doesn’t seem to be working at the moment, but keep an eye on the Spoonflower blog — I’m sure they’ll fire the starting gun there!)

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3. Preview: Heather Ross – Far Far Away II

Tags: digital textile printing, fabric collections, fall 2010, heather ross, spoonflower | Category: Fabrics 2010

kalla Design features the hand-screenprinted fabrics of Hitomi Kimura. She prints out of her home in Ibaraki, Japan (lovely studio pictures on her blog here). This (falling hearts? leaves? petals?) print is available in a rainbow of colors in her Etsy shop.

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Tags: hand screenprinted, indie designers, japan, kalla design | Category: Designer and Store Spotlights

Australian designer Saffron Craig recently introduced her latest self-produced range of fabrics, Bird Tree. It’s a sweet, modern collection in striking purple and chartreuse. These and past prints can be purchased directly from the Saffron Craig website, or throughout Australia and the world through your favorite brick-and-mortar and online retailers.

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1. Saffron Craig: New Designs

Tags: australia, fabric collections, fall 2010, indie designers, saffron craig | Category: Fabrics 2010

I’m in love with lots of the traditional-Japanese-designs-with-a-modern-twist at Fabric Tales but this wavy stripe in particular. It’s expensive, but just look at how great it works as a dress.

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Tags: geometric, japanese | Category: Japanese Fabric of the Week

We have a long holiday weekend here in the U.S. and Canada, so I’m signing off till Tuesday. Enjoy the many sales and have a restful three days! What are your plans?

I leave you with these irresistible graph paper fabrics (plain linen/cotton, laminated) from Nothing Elegant on Etsy. (via the Crafts Dept.)

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Tags: graph paper, international, laminated, linen, meta, shopping, south korea | Category: Designer and Store Spotlights

Hoffman lavender and white daisy vintage chenille bedspread cutter (sold) from classytrashgirls on Etsy.

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Tags: chenille, vintage | Category: Digital Fabric of the Week

Charm Stitch: 10% off Nani Iro, and free shipping on U.S. custom convo orders $50+. (through 9/9/10). 20% off Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane, Amy Butler’s Love and Dena Designs’ Leanika (while supplies last).

Contemporary Cloth: Special Labor Day sale for True Up readers only! Use Coupon Code Kim for 20% off your order (through 9/6/10 midnight). Holiday fabrics 25% off. (through 9/10/10)

Delta Patchwork: New markdowns include Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Moda, Clothworks, Michael Miller, and Alexander Henry. Check out their new Special of the Month! (through 9/6/10)

Denver Fabrics: Select cottons $3.95/yard, plus linen and activewear on sale. (through 9/6/10) Select categories $1.99-7/yard for Labor Day. (through 9/13/10)

eQuilter: Provence & Mediterranean themed fabrics 10% off; clearance novelty fabrics 45% off. One yard min. on sale categories. (through 9/5/10)

Fabric.com: Flannel, minky, and fleece 15-25% off. Top patterns by Hotpatterns $9.95, plus 15% off fabric picks. (through 9/6/10 midnight ET) Free shipping on all orders $35+.

Fabric Mart: 15% off orders $25+; 20% off orders $75+; 30% off orders $125+. Discounts will appear in cart; Julie’s Picks excluded. (end date unknown)

Fabric Shack: Half-price non-express shipping on all orders. (through 9/30/10)

Fabricworm: 5% off orders $50+ with code labor5; 10% off orders $75+ with code labor10; 15% off orders $100+ with code labor15. (through 9/6/10)

Fat Quarter Shop: 40% off Aunt Lindy’s Paper Dolls by Sibling Arts Studios for Blue Hill Fabrics, and tons more in the sale section. (while supplies last)

Gorgeous Fabrics: All fabrics on sale in celebration of Labor Day (markdowns already taken). Muslin, swatches, and gift certificates excluded. (through 9/6/10 midnight EDT)

Hancock’s of Paducah: Select Amy Butler $4.98/yard; Happy Camper by American Jane $3.98/yard. See web specials section for TONS more, including the Saggy Baggy Elephant print above. 20% off Kona cotton with purchase of 1 yard or more. 10% off select Fall 2010 pre-orders. (end date unknown)

Hawthorne Threads: Shasta from RJR Fabrics $5.99/yd; Art Journal from Bari J. $6.99/yd, and lots more on sale. (while supplies last)

Lola Pink Fabrics: 20% off of Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane, Dena Designs’ Leanika , Jenean Morrison’s California Dreamin’, Tanya Whelan’s Dolce, Patty Young’s Flora & Fauna, Alexander Henry’s Fashionista, and Michael Miller fabrics. (end date unknown)

Pink Chalk Fabrics: Take 10% off your entire order with promotional code LABORDAY10. Free Fat Quarter (Pink Chalk’s choice) with orders $25+. A also, the turbo-charged sale section has over 100 new additions. (through 9/7/10)

Pink Panda Fabrics: End of summer clearance sale (while supplies last). Always free shipping in Canada, no minimum required; free shipping to USA on orders $99+.

Quilthome: Labor Day Weekend specials: 25% off Robyn Pandolph fabrics with code RPF25; 25% off Patty Young fabrics with code PYPF25; all Moda fabrics 25% off with code Moda25. One coupon per order, in-stock fabrics only. Also check the specials section for 30% off selected fabrics from our most popular collections by Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Joel Dewberry, Anna Maria Horner, and more. No coupon required, and selection changes daily. Always free shipping for U.S. orders $50+. (through 9/6/10 midnight PDT)

SewBaby: 20% off your entire order with the coupon code RELAX. (through 9/6/10)

So Fun Fabrics: Huge Labor Day Weekend Sale!: 20% off precuts of Fandango, Pure, Lollipop & Lumiere de Noel; Patty Young knits $8.50/yard; Playdate & Nicey Jane $6.50/yard; Flora & Fauna, Mezzanine, Gypsy, Summer Song, Rainy Days & Mondays, Wheels and Bloom & Grow all $6/yard. (through 9/6/10)

Wondrous Woven Fabrics: Birch Fabrics Organic Cotton Circa 50s collection
by Monaluna 25% off. (through tonight only, 9/3/10). Fandango, Spirit, and Origins jelly rolls 20% off. (end date unknown)

Z&S Fabrics: 10% off all merchandise (excluding gift cards). (through 9/7/10 midnight EDT)

Want True Up’s sale alerts delivered to your inbox? Simply visit this link to have the sales delivered to your email, or use this link for your RSS feed reader. (If you’re already subscribed to the True Up feed or get all the posts by email, you don’t need to change anything; the sale alerts will still be included in there.)

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Tags: coupon codes | Category: Sale Alerts

Mad About Patchwork (Canada): Save 10% on Colorful Christmas from Riley Blake. More fabrics 30-50% off in the sale section. (through 9/6/10)

Motif Personnel (France): All fabrics 10% off with coupon code miami. Website only available in French currently, but shipping all over Europe. (through 9/7/10)

Pink Panda Fabrics (Canada): End of summer clearance sale. (while supplies last) Always free shipping in Canada, no minimum required; free shipping to USA on orders $99+.

Totally Fabrics (U.K.): All prices reduced 20%. (end date unknown)

Voodoo Rabbit (Australia): Clearance sale on most of Japanese fabrics (while supplies last). Free shipping within Australia on all orders $50+. International orders welcome.

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Tags: | Category: Sale Alerts

Everything about Jessica Swift just radiates warmth: The colors of her website, her thoughtful and inspirational blog posts, the love she infuses into her custom portraits, her dazzling, mysterious paintings. Even her yet-to-be-fully-unvieled new project The Declaration of You looks to be a wonderful, warm, supportive whatever-it-is.

So I was really excited back when Jessica announced that she was going to be designing fabric. Giselle, produced by Red Rooster Fabrics, hit the shops earlier this summer. The collection is pure Jessica, from the distinctive lines of the florals to the warm color palette. She recently answered my questions about her fabric world debut, and about what makes her tick as a multi-media, full-time artist.

…

Please introduce yourself and your work to those who might not already know you and your work.

OK, hello! My name is Jessica Swift, and I’m a full-time artist and surface pattern designer in Atlanta, GA. I’m originally from Boulder, CO and I went to college in Ithaca, NY, where I earned a BFA in painting (although most of what I do now is self-taught!). I create a variety of things in my business, from surface designs and illustrations for products and fabric to paintings, prints, and other products that I sell in galleries, boutiques, and in my Etsy shop, and I also do custom design work for clients (logos, website headers, postcard design, etc.). A little bit of everything, really!

{ Hope, Or Let’s Just Be (2010) by Jessica Swift; acrylic, pencil, and linoleum block printing on wood, 10″x10″ }

{ Campout by Jessica Swift; acrylic, gouache, india ink, and linoleum block printing on wood, 8″x10″ }

I notice that you use a lot of block-printed patterns as backgrounds in your paintings, and that layering and filling with pattern is a theme in all your work. How did your relationship with pattern evolve? Did it sneak in slowly or did pattern work come first?

I’ve been pretty obsessed with patterns since I was a kid. I used to make these giant bubble-lettered posters for my family’s birthdays and holidays that I filled in with different hand-drawn patterns in each letter. I loved making them — I think that as the beginning of my love for pattern and color. I decorated everything I could get my hands on when I was growing up, so I think it was a pretty natural evolution for me. I went to school for painting, not pattern or textile design, because I don’t think I realized that was a career I could have. I discovered that I could create a career out of designing patterns when I started reading a lot of blogs, maybe five years ago or so, and my whole world changed! I taught myself to create repeat patterns digitally (I’d been experimenting with block-printed repeat patterns before that, which is how the block-printed patterns started making their way into my paintings as well.)
So I guess pattern came first, in the form of hand-drawn patterns as a child, then painting took over in college and afterwards, and then the two began to mesh several years ago.

{ In addition to her famous prints, Jessica also sells goods like coasters, stickers, and these little pocket mirrors, all adorned with her artwork, through her Etsy shop. }

What is a typical day like for you as a freelance artist/designer? Which are the draggy parts and when are you most in your happy place?

A typical day for me consists of lots of WORK! I check my email and respond to what needs to be responded to in the mornings after I’ve eaten breakfast and caught up on a few of my favorite blogs. I keep a running list of things that I need ot do during the day, so I basically just look at my list and start with whatever looks the most appealing. I have a variety of things that need to get done everyday, including working on projects for clients, updating my Etsy shop (possible taking photographs of new pieces and such), packing and shipping Etsy orders, writing blog posts, working on paintings for upcoming shows, creating products for upcoming shows, communicating with potential or existing clients … every day is different but consists of the same types of things. I usually go to the gym in the afternoon to work out, and then my husband and I make dinner together (or go out if we’re not up for cooking!) Then I typically work for several hours in the evening as well — lately I’ve been loving painting in the evenings. I can focus better than I can during the day for some reason.

The draggy parts … none, really. I mean, I work from home and I get to do what I love everyday, so I try not to complain! There are certain parts of making some of my products that I’m not crazy about, like when I have to go outside in the intense Georgia heat to spray glue my coasters together (I can’t do it inside because I don’t want to kill myself or my cats with the fumes!), but most everything I do is pretty fun. Another draggy part is when I force myself to work when I really need to take a break and do something to rejuvenate and recharge my batteries. I can easily make everything no fun at all if I overwork myself. So when I look at my list and everything on it seems like a hassle, that’s a clear sign that I need a time-out! My most favorite parts of my day are when I’m creating new patterns. I say it to my husband all the time: “I think I could create patterns forever and never get sick of it!” I love it that much. I can lose my sense of time when I’m in the middle of creating a pattern!

{ two pattern collections (available for licensing) by Jessica Swift }

How did you start working with Red Rooster? This seems to be the most contemporary collection of theirs to date — do you think this is the beginning of a new direction for them? If you’re allowed to say at this point, will there be a follow-up fabric collection?

I met the creative director of Red Rooster Fabrics at Printsource in 2009, where I was exhibiting for the first time. She stopped by my booth to chat and look through my portfolio, and she mentioned that they were looking for a young, fresh designer to begin working with. I took her card and contacted her after the show, and then several months later we connected again and began working together. I do think they’re branching out a bit and trying out a more contemporary look, in order to reach more people. And I think it’s working! I’ve had several people contact me to say my line is the first they’ve ever ordered from Red Rooster, so I think that’s a good sign! And yes, a second collection is in the works.

{ the complete Giselle collection }

What inspired the name Giselle, and the individual prints in the collection?

One of the prints in the collection is called Giselle, and we all thought it was just a lovely name. It sort-of encapsulates my designs, too, because a lot of them have women’s names … I’m not sure why, but I’m really drawn to beautiful names and often title my patterns that way!

The color is really the main thing that ties the prints together. They don’t have a “theme” per se… I wish I had something deeper and more insightful to say about them, but the prints are just meant to be playful, pretty, and fun! Many of them are inspired by flowers and plants, as is much of my pattern work, so there’s a nature element to the individual prints as well. We actually played with the colors a lot to make the collection feel cohesive, since the prints are so varied. I think it’s a nice representation of the way that I work, tying prints together with color that might otherwise feel very disjointed.

…

Thanks so much, Jessica! Giselle is widely available in stores now. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

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5. Designer Q&A: Laurie Wisbrun on Tufted Tweets

Tags: business, fabric collections, interviews, jessica swift, red rooster, summer 2010, surface pattern design | Category: Designer Interviews