Scrap Basket Surprises Quilt Club

Today we're joined by Kim Brackett of Magnolia Bay Quilts. Her wonderful book, Scrap Basket Surprises, is the inspiration for our newest quarterly club, Scrap Basket Surprises Quilt Club! (Hence the name LOL.) Her book is designed around 2 1/2" strips, so -- of course! -- we've selected several patterns to kit every three months with stellar Moda Jelly Rolls!

As a member, each quarter you will receive enough fabric to make a selected quilt pattern in the book. You will need to purchase the book separately. We also have a Scrap Basket Surprises Backing Club to go along with the Quilt Club, so you don't even have to think twice about purchasing the right amount of the right backing fabric. The first project ships in June, so click here for more details and join fellow Jelly Roll addicts for some Scrap Basket fun!

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am that the Fat Quarter Shop is offering a quarterly club using my book along with Moda's fabulous Jelly Rolls! They're perfect for making many of the quilts in the book, and I know you're going to love the upcoming collections that have been chosen for the kits (so far, Fresh Cottons, then future collections by Kansas Troubles, French General, and 3 Sisters!).

Those who already know me know that I have a "thing" for 2 1/2" strips. The idea for Scrap-Basket Surprises developed after I cut all of my scraps into strips when my scrap basket (crate, really) became so full that I couldn't close it. I liked the idea of having all my strips cut the same width so that any fabric I had would be useable in any of my quilting projects. Since then, I've added stash fabrics and lots of Jelly Rolls.

Almost all of the quilts in Scrap-Basket Surprises were designed by playing around with EQ6, a quilting software program. I can occupy myself for hours (okay, days) by drawing outlines of blocks, then coloring and re-coloring them, rotating them, and laying them out in different settings. My favorite quilt in the book, "Kitchen Sink", began with a completely different layout, then ended up with two different blocks and set on point.

As hard as it is to unroll a brand new Jelly Roll, I like to store all of my strips in clear shoebox-size storage containers. The storage containers are in disarray at the moment because I'm working diligently on a new book (along with a few friends who have been extremely generous with their time and talent). The new book will have lots of new designs for 2 1/2" strips. What else?

Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you'll enjoy the Scrap-Basket Surprises Quilt Club!


Kim Brackett
Magnolia Bay Quilts

Heart and Soul by Whimsicals for Red Rooster Fabrics

There is something in Terri Degenkolb's new line for Red Rooster Fabrics, Heart and Soul, that just calls to you. I don't know if it's the combination of rich, dusty colors that remind me of an old sepia-washed photograph, or the fanciful little butterflies, angels and beautiful quote prints...but it draws you in to keep looking, reading, and sighing! The sweetness is balanced out with elegant and sophisticated stripes and florals. Today we're happy to welcome Terri of Whimsicals to the Jolly Jabber for the first time!

I am very much a "create as I go" person. When I start designing, whether it is a quilt or a fabric line, I rarely have a plan or a final design in mind.

In fact, to be perfectly honest, many times I don't even have a general plan! But I'll sit down and just start messing around with things, doodle a little something, and see where it takes me.

So, when I designed Heart and Soul, there were these little words that kept floating around in my head... secrets... whispers... moments.. They seemed so soft and subtle, like they were floating on a breeze. I could picture little butterflies and angels floating right along with them. I thought of all those wonderful muted shades of the Japanese fabrics that I love.

I jotted down little phrases that came to mind, began doodling, and so began the creation of Heart and Soul.

I wanted to try something a little different, with a soft feel and warm shades of browns and grays, yet still with a style that teeters on the line between folk art and traditional, something that looked aged and loved, yet in a fresh new way. And I knew that I did not want to do another large panel print. So, by creating the allover print with the patchwork squares, along with the large border stripe, I believe there are so many more options for using the fabric. You can cut each of the squares out to use in the center of a block, or cut a long strip to make a border. If you like, use only a part of the stripe for segments in a block, or use it as a whole piece in the center of a quilt.

As is the case for many designers, I have already moved on to the next fabric line and the next book, which (I hope) will be revealed in May. I'm revisiting the darker shades that I love so much, but have added a punch of red! However, I would love to see how Heart and Soul has inspired you and how you have used it in your own projects! Send me a note, send me pictures, and keep in touch with what I'm up to by visiting my blog Whimsicals Threads and soon-to-be-redone website Whimsicals!

Terri Degenkolb
Whimsicals
Whimsicals Threads

Garden Party Moda Quilt Kit Flower Block Tutorial

Garden Party, by Blackbird Designs for Moda, has finally arrived! A perennial favorite, Alma & Barb have never steered us wrong, with the elegant coloring and the perfect sampler prints. And when we spotted the Garden Party Moda quilt, we neeeeeeeeeded it. To make it available for you, of course. It would be wrong, not to have this quilt kit for our Fat Quarter Shoppers. Downright sinful. You would never forgive us. Right?

So then we happily listed it on our Coming Soon page, and, oh boy, you loved it too! We also heard questions regarding the difficulty of this quilt -- is there appliqué? Do you need any special rulers or templates?

Voila, this tutorial is for you! There are no templates or rulers necessary for this beauty! YAYYY!!! *Doing a happy Peanuts dance*

This two-page tutorial covers the steps to make a single flower block, with photos to assist you. You will need Moda's Garden Party project sheet to make the whole quilt. The Garden Party quilt kit includes this project sheet plus all the fabrics for the quilt, and a backing set is also available.

Click on the image below to download and print our tutorial and let us know what you think!

Whimsy by Joanna Figueroa for Moda Fabrics

Once again another great collection from Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts for Moda!! We just love Whimsy ... so many cute prints we'd never be able to pick our favorite!!

Hello Friends-

Thanks for joining us again for another installment of what’s going on around these here parts…
Whimsy is in the building! I know that I am just so corny… am I the only one who gets a kick out of saying that pretty much each and every time that a new fabric collection is released? Thanks for being such great sports about it!

The collection has some great retro prints, a couple of double-faced pre-quilted options great for throws and of course the now infamous MODA Snuggle fabrics in the 5 main colors: coral red, aqua, apple green, buttercream yellow and our traditional soft cream.

The first ideas for Whimsy started on a sunny afternoon at my favorite local Flea Market. Several times a year on the first Sunday of the month, my husband takes the munchkins to church on his own and I head off for a day of inspiration, junking and general “me-time”. When I was browsing around one of my favorite little “junk” stands, I found a giant stack of little 2” x 3” manila-colored elementary flashcards. I loved them instantly and bought most of what they had. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them at the time. To make them fabric friendly, we changed them a bit, simplified some of them and started adding our favorite colors and started playing with some coordinating prints. All of a sudden those little flashcards took on such a wonderful personality of their own and Whimsy was born.

Given that this was our first more whimsical, children’s flavored line, I wanted to make sure that there were plenty of prints and options in the collection for those who didn’t want to work on children’s project too. I just love the final collection so much because it can as easily be To see what we are working on with some of these yummies, come see the current posts on our Fresh Figs blog.

Thanks ladies and gents. Hope you love working with this newest Fig Tree yumminess. Let us know how it goes!

Joanna Figueroa
Fig Tree & Co.
Fresh Figs Blog

Chirp! by Katie Hennigar for Robert Kaufman Fabrics

Katie Hennigar is the newest Robert Kaufman designer whom we met at Fall Market last year. She debuted this month with her first fabric line, Chirp! It is so sweet, with that playful retro color palette, and it's designed with baby in mind. And those birds, UGH, too cute!! These are the PERFECT baby blue, pink, green and brown combination, y'all. Emma said she must have some. Enjoy some Chirp! in Boy, Girl, and Neutral colorways, along with a quilt kit of Katie's pattern & fabric!

Greetings! I am so happy to celebrate the arrival of my first fabric line “Chirp!” for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. I have been working in the quilting/craft industry since I was ten years old and my mom opened her shop, Bay Window Quilt Shop, in Perham, Minnesota. I was so short I needed a box to reach the cash register! After obtaining a marketing degree in 2001 I have been working with my mom managing the shop and our website. Now at age thirty, I’ve accomplished one of my life-ong goals in having my own line of fabric.

It all started about 3 years ago when I was trying to find fabrics to use in my son’s nursery. I couldn’t seem to find the right balance between cute and not too cute!! And, I knew I wanted something different than a traditional baby room. Then, while flipping through a magazine I spotted my inspiration - a birth announcement featuring a whimsical bird! Just like that the creative wheels started turning.

I designed Chirp! with the nursery in mind. The stripe is perfect for a crib skirt or valance. The dark brown leaf is a great accent piece for binding or inner borders. And, the panel is reminiscent of the old embroidered birth announcements my mom used to make. And while I didn’t have the line of fabric in time to decorate my son’s nursery two years ago… it is here in time for my new baby girl’s room!! Isabelle Catherine was born just two weeks ago and she has a beautiful pink and green Chirp nursery that she calls home. Here is a picture of her in the Chirp display at our shop! What great merchandising!!

I am excited to see how all of you use the fabrics to create your own projects. It is so cool to watch other people get inspired by something I’ve created! As for what’s next… more baby fabric (but not another baby for a while)!

Happy Quilting,
Katie Hennagir
Bay Window Quilt Shop

Jelly Roll Winners!

We loved reading the tons of comments...and tweets...and wall posts that flooded through over the weekend. It was way more than anticipated, and we're working on writing y'all back! (It's a good problem to have! Social networking maaadness!)

So anyway, we decided to throw in another Jelly Roll prize to commemorate this awesome "grand opening", if you will, of our new Facebook page. Please feel free to write us there and let us know what you want to see up there!

Here are our THREE Jelly Roll winners...

From the blog,
Pam said... Oh, please enter me! That fabric is so cute!

From Twitter,
teresamnj
Love you Fat Quarter Shop! Happy Valentine's Day!

And finally, from Facebook,
Beth Street aka Sparkles, who has a lovely profile pic up :)So nice to see you on facebook with some awesome valentine fabrics.

E-mail Jocelyn for your V-day Jelly Roll prize, and thanks for playing!

Oh yeah, WE LOVE YOU ALL TOO!

Happy Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Happy almost Valentine's Day!

Even if you are not a fan of this holiday, you can STILL enjoy this post! As a little way of celebrating this holiday of romance, we're spreading some love ourselves, a la Moda.

We're giving away a Sent With Love (by Deb Strain) Jelly Roll and a L'Amour (by Sandy Gervais) Jelly Roll to two lucky winners -- one by Twitter/Facebook and one by blog!

YES, we now have a Fat Quarter Shop Facebook page, folks. Become a fan! It's another great way to communicate with us.

So...write on our wall, tweet us, or comment on this post, and you'll be entered to win a love-ly Jelly Roll!

Giveaway ends Monday, 2/15 at noon CST, and we'll post the winners that afternoon!

For more free fun, make sure you enter Park City Girl's FQS-sponsored giveaway!

Enjoy your weekend, be safe, and we'll talk to you soon :)

Park City Girl Giveaway

Have you met Amy a.k.a. Park City Girl yet?

We "met" her when she first began the Blogger's Quilt Festival last spring! We thought it was such a cool idea when she e-mailed -- to alleviate some of that quilt-ish envy Quilt Market & Festival inspire twice a year, Amy created a quilt show for the online quilter's community. And wowee, it worked! The Fall 2009 Blogger's Quilt Festival had over 600 participants!

Besides her genius Blogger Quilt Festival, Amy also writes about her life, crafty outlets (quilting and otherwise), and posts crafty interviews and tutorials as well!

We are now a proud sponsor of her blog, and today through Monday Amy is hosting a Fat Quarter Shop-sponsored giveaway for Chirp Fat Quarter Bundles!

Go visit her blog and follow, even! And good luck!

Plume by Tula Pink for Moda Fabrics

Plume blew in like a bullet of sunbeams here at the Shop. We so needed a beautiful burst of Tula Pink after so many, many dreary days. The colors are what get me. Always bright and saturated, artistic and unexpected, and just a dose of what my mood needs. And it's like, yeah, uh huh, Tula Pink is back to rock your world. Plume is a full-on avian adventure -- you can get lost in the billows and feathers, and there is an air of mystique in those beautiful keys dangling from the treetops -- what magic do they unlock? But I digress...here's TP!

Hey Kids! I can't believe I am here again! Already! I have barely had time to recover from Hushabye but here we are. Another season and another flock of fabrics. I am here this time with Plume, my newest baby, fresh off the press from Moda Fabrics. I know what you're thinking, birds again? Yes, birds again but these birds are even more magical than before. I was going for an old school feel with a lot of the detail and depth that is found in historic prints but hopefully I've brought a little candy colored edge to it too.

When I set out to design Plume I was trying to make something a little more organic. I am typically a great lover of order in my work. I strive for the perfect line and absolute precision. This time I tried letting that go (a little bit) and allowed the images to emerge from my pencil with more fluidity and less structure. It's still there but I consider it an evolution of sorts.

I've been at this fabric design thing for a few years now and it just keeps getting harder, better but harder. It's harder because I am always setting out to stretch the limits of what I know I can do and force myself to do more. Its better because by pushing myself I tend surprise myself. Every time I sit down to draw I am thinking about you, the sewers, crafters and fabric lovers (I am one too). Plume was designed as a conduit between my vision and yours. The funny thing about creating a raw material is that when my process is complete, yours has just begun. So take Plume as an offering from me to you. I hope it inspires you to create something beautiful, something that you can love and enjoy as much as I did making it.

Your devoted designer,
Tula Pink
TulaPink.com

1895 Hoffman Batiks - A Love Affair...

Due to popular, popular demand, we now carry a rainbow of Hoffman's 1895 batik fabrics at Fat Quarter Shop as a regular staple. You can find them under our Basics category and Batiks category on our left hand sidebar. Cheryl, who happens to heart batiks, is going to be your FQS shop guide for today's post!

I can’t really say when my love affair with batiks began, but I truly LOVE batiks! Now I find myself surrounded with the most gorgeous batik fabrics in a myriad of colors! Where do I begin—color me happy! We have recently added to our inventory, and now I’m like a kid in a candy shop (I was before, but now there are more temptations)! As I begin to count, we now have here in the Fat Quarter Shop over 90 different colors in the fabulous Hoffman 1895 watercolor batiks.

These spectacular watercolor Bali prints are the consummate basics line — perfect for blending with other batiks, or, of course standing alone. What is even more wonderful — if you buy an entire bolt from Fat Quarter Shop, you will receive 20% off of that item! We have 24 more colors coming next month, so prepare to be dazzled! No one does batiks better than Hoffman, and now with all those incredible choices I can find literally any color I want.

Take a virtual stroll with me down the aisles in the batik section of the Fat Quarter Shop. The first things to catch my attention are the 1895 fat quarter bundles—six different colorway bundles, each more gorgeous than the last. Just looking at the names of the bundles makes my heart race. Emerald, strawberry, amethyst, sunshine, cancun and toast. I know that with just a moment of reflecting on those color names, your pulse is a little accelerated, too!

Maybe I can’t purchase all 90 + colors today, but believe me, I have more than a few at home in my stash just waiting to come alive. And we will continue to offer the ultimate in Hoffman 1895 batiks for your (and my!) projects. If there were only more time…..!

Cheryl Cohorn
Fat Quarter Shop

2010 Designer Mystery Block of the Month

One of Kimberly's most (in)famous quotes around these parts is, "I have an idea." Those words started the first Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery BOM in 2008, and now here we are in our third year of it! Before we used lines by perennial favorites 3 Sisters for Moda, but this year we're shaking things up a little. Cheryl's here to share a little more with y'all about the this year's club! Click for all of the details and to sign up!

One of the most exciting things around here is the think tank. As ideas began to circulate about the next (our third!!) Designer Mystery block of the month program, a very special plan emerged. We wanted to have a different "feel" with this one...to use fabric unlike the previous programs and have blocks that in no way resembled the first two quilts.

Which comes first, the fabric or the block design?? No matter, the decision was soon made. The 2010 Designer Mystery Block of the Month will debut in June, featuring 12 Days of Christmas fabrics by Kate Spain (see our previous post about her debut line Verna), and best of all, novelty blocks depicting some of the most recognizable holiday icons.

Kimberly has had many, many emails from you asking what kinds of blocks will be included. What things come to your mind first when thinking of Christmas? Here's a little teaser for you -- the blocks include 2 different packages, 2 different ornaments, a Santa hat, a fabulous gingerbread house (fabulous!! see the sneak peek below!), a stocking, a mitten, a tree, a wreath, peppermints and a basket. And we've brought back our favorite quilt designers to the line-up, with the addition of our Pam Buda, Carrie Nelson, Sherri Falls and Gudrun Erla!

The designers this year are:

• Bonnie & Camille
• Anka's Treasures
• Heartspun Quilts
• Pieces from My Heart
• G. E. Designs
• This & That
• Miss Rosie's Quilt Company
• The Pattern Basket
• Me and My Sister Designs (yay for the new blog by the way!)
• Minick & Simpson
• Bunny Hill Designs
• Fig Tree Quilts

One block has already been tested (instructions proofed, fabric cut and block completed!), and another one will soon be ready. Can I tell you, the wreath block is simple but absolutely adorable!! Can't wait to get to the next block!

The 2010 Designer Mystery quilt, setting by our good pal Brenda Riddle, is one of the cutest Christmas quilts I have ever seen! I get to see gorgeous fabrics and creative patterns and designs every day, and this one has me itching to join! Every block will be a happy, whimsical memento of that favorite holiday. Everything about it makes me smile! Sprinkle some funky stars in the corners (another little teaser!) for added smiles. I'm spreading the word...you will NOT want to miss this one!! Please join us!

Cheryl Cohorn
Fat Quarter Shop

Verna by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics

Verna, Verna, Verna! Everyone went Verna-crazy at Market last October, and rightfully so! I don't think I've ever met a happier Spring line (no, not Spring yet? Wishful thinking? Fiiiiine...) But it'll at least be Spring when we're surrounded in the Shop with Veeeerna! We've got all the cuts, yardage, and plenty of great kits for this collection! Here's another funny memory -- designer Kate Spain was pretty much re-named "Verna" after Market -- lots of people asking who that new Verna was LOL. After this line -- and her next, 12 Days of Christmas due out in April -- Kate's name will definitely be cemented in Quilter Land. Be sure and stop by her blog if you haven't already -- she's been churning out really super stuff!

Flash back. It was about a year ago that I completed the designs for Verna. I don't even think I had a name for the collection yet. The colors were much darker and completely different, and the first set of printouts were probably on their way to Cheryl at Moda (or on her desk awaiting review). I had no idea what would come of it. During that year, I've been to my first International Quilt Market in Houston, I've created some pretty cool crafty Verna beauties, and I'm already working on my third line for Moda!

Flash to a minute ago. *Jumping up and down* Yipppeee! I'm so excited to learn that Verna is now shipping out across time zones and continents to land at a fabric store near you (it has already arrived here at FQS)! One of the luckiest things about what I do is that I get to share it with so many creative people. Thank you for welcoming me into the fabric world and for sharing your enthusiasm with me. I'm so happy to know that Verna is in your hands now and it's truly my hope that you will find inspiration in the cheerful bouquet of spring colors and the warm beams of sun I tried to capture in all the flowers and folds. I hope you have as much fun making things with it as I did designing it. Please send pictures anytime. I'd love to see what you dream up!

It's amazing what can happen in a year — a thousand thanks to everyone at Moda!

Kate Spain
Kate Spain Designs
The Drawing Board