Elizabeth Scott Presenting Red Rose Farm and a Giveaway!

Today's special guest:  Elizabeth Scott owner of Late Bloomer Quilts is here today to talk about her first line of fabric with P&B Textiles, Red Rose Farm!

I’m so happy for the opportunity to share my excitement about my debut fabric collection, Red Rose Farm, by P&B Textiles. Like the rest of you, Fat Quarter Shop is my very favorite place to shop for fabric, and I’m so excited that Red Rose Farm is here first!

I love vintage fabrics and bright, clear colors. It was with this in mind that I started gathering up antique fabrics that I love—some from France, one from an old seersucker bedspread. I added polka dots, a fun stripe, and tossed some rosebuds around. I’m thrilled P&B agreed that this would make a great collection for quilters and home sewists.

I’ve been very busy with my sidekick Pam Kitty Morning working on pieced quilts, appliquéd quilts, home dec projects and bags for the big debut at Fall Quilt Market next month. Here is a sneak peeks—I can’t wait to show you everything!

In the meantime, Pam has designed a darling bag exclusively for Fat Quarter Shop customers. It’s called, appropriately enough, The Fat Quarter Shop Fat Quarter Bag, and as the name implies, is made entirely from fat quarters.

I hope you enjoy creating something special with Red Rose Farm!

- Elizabeth Scott

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We have another special surprise today!  It's another GIVEAWAY!

TWO people have a chance to win a Fat Quarter Bundle of the stunning Red Rose Farm! But today we are going to mix it up a bit...

To enter you need to post a comment in poem form of why you want Red Rose Farm and what you plan to do with it. Let's get creative! 


This contest will close Tuesday, October 5th @ 11:59pm CST.

CONTEST CLOSED. 

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Also, we are very excited to announce:

Today the Jolly Jabber was featured on Be@Home's blog as one of the best blogs on the web!  

Thanks to everyone for your support!  :-D

Hello to the newbie Felicity Miller + MORE MORE MORE!

We have another guest that is fairly new to our world as a fabric designer... well at least definitely new to pattern designing! And what an adorable job she did at this new roll she is taking on! Let's give a big welcome to... Felicity Miller!

Thanks to Fat Quarter Shop for the opportunity to introduce Tea Time and Pencil Pockets - my first patterns!

I've been designing fabric for four years and have loved sewing ever since my Grandma taught me to sew buttons on an old piece of felt in front of the fire. I graduated to making my own clothes at senior school (a rather voluminous jumpsuit made from an old dyed sheet sticks in my mind) and have recently enjoyed a sewing revival after pursuing many other creative outlets.

Gypsy is a tribute to my Romany heritage. My great, great, great Grandmother, Lydia Field, moved back to a caravan in her 90s after marrying and settling for a good part of her life. These designs are a result of my study of caravans and my imaginings of a nomadic life rich with music, full moons and ups and downs punctuated with flowers, in fearless colours. I hope you will enjoy them in your own homes and travels. I take my hat off to all you wonderful quilters out there who make what I do possible.

When I designed Gypsy for Free Spirit I thought it was high time I came up with some ideas for using it. Up and Down is a large scale rhythmic repeat I showcased a large square of it for my signature tablecloth, bordered by the damask inspired Round Flowers in a coordinating colorway. The finished cloth is about 57.5" square, and looks lovely on a round or squared table. Dimensions can be easily adapted to suit your use.

I love beautiful sets of colored pencils and was inspired to create a traveling home for them. You could adjust the spacing of the lines of stitching of Pencil Pockets to fit different items. This makes a perfect gift for artists of any age. A great way to use up scraps - you can mix and match for the interior and binding fabrics, though I show them all here in grey and green Music.

I welcome visits to my website and blog, any time and look forward to meeting some of you in Houston soon.

Bon Voyage!

Felicity Miller

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Now to other exciting news...

This week we have been hanging around not one, but TWO lovely blogs-- of course that's other than here at the Jolly Jabber!

1. There's a birthday bash going on over at the Wee Shares blog and she decided to write a little fun review over Fat Quarter Shop! There also might be a lil' bitty prize involved somehow ;-)


2. Teddy Bears are currently taking over Quilting Gallery's weekly themed contest! If you have anything quilting + teddy bear related I would hike on over there and enter! The top two winners get a Paper Doll Christmas Fat Quarter Bundle from Fat Quarter Shop! :-)


Oh and a reminder...!
3. You have 2 more days to enter into Me & My Sister Design's giveaway of a Happy Fat Quarter Bundle.

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And last but not least....


There's a prize that ... no I have not forgotten about! Last Monday's contest giving away Country Lane's Fat Quarter Bundle by Bari J. Ackerman... well it's about time the winner is announced!

......Drum Roll Please....

The winner is.....

Penny in Quilting California
"Had to ask my daughter how to "tweet" does this mean i'm getting old? No just spending more time in sewing room than on computer. I need more fabric, please."

Congrats Penny! To claim your prize email "Stephanie[at]fatquartershop[dot]com" with your full shipping information. You have till Friday, October 1st to claim your prize!

Rue Saint Germain by Robyn Pandolph & New Winners!

Rue Saint Germain is a boulevard in Paris that is filled with high end shops and is also known as a favorite gathering place for intellectuals. Although I never got to personally visit this famous street, I did get to take a day trip to Versailles and walk around the absolutely gorgeous gardens.  

The Palace 

The Gardens

The only thing I found not so appetizing about Versailles was the fact of a McDonald's being there.. (but at least it didn't look like the ones down here in Texas.. it was much more upscale contemporary).


But anyway, getting to the point... both these places are known as being very high end parts of France, and although Saint- Germain now has these newer --as is in the past 100 years-- shops, Versailles has kept much more traditional (of course besides the McDonald's sitting near by).  Rue Staint Germain definitely keeps more of that high end traditional feel to it... Well luckly we have Robyn Pandolph, designer of Rue Saint Germain, here today to chat about what was on her mind while designing... :)

Hello Jabber readers!

Rue St. Germain was named and inspired by an area in Paris where lots of shopping takes place. I've visited there a few times and I absolutely adore it. The colors were inspired by scenes from Memoirs of a Giesha and Marie Antoinette-- the last one especially. The scenes were beautiful with the blues and pinks and it was filmed in the Palace of Versailles. True eye candy!


The whole time I was designing the line I was also designing, in my head, The Charmed Life, Block of the Month.  The center block is the Eiffel Tower and the blocks around it also have the French influence.
I love the little ateliers in Paris with beautiful old world charm and the vintage textiles are quite stunning so this is where the inspiration started and as it evolved I tried to capture the spirit of my experience there.


Best Wishes,
Robyn Pandolph 



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Monday's winner of the Lumiere de Noel Quilt Kit never claimed her prize!  That means, everyone gets another chance!... and I get to pick a new winner!  So the new winner is as follows...

Mama Pea

"I also blogged it at my blog."

Congrats Mama Pea!  Your luck just doubled this month! :-)




Once again, to claim your prize e-mail "Stephanie [at] fatquartershop [dot] com" with your shipping information. You have till Wednesday, September 29th @ midnight CST to e-mail me.

Sonoma by Franchelle Contreras

Today on the Jolly Jabber we have a very new guest!  We carried her first quilting fabric line ever about a year ago, South Hampton, and now we currently have her second line, Sonoma!  Since she's still a newbie... besides just the usual line introduction I think it's time we also give her a proper Hello! and see how she came about into our lives... so here she is, the lovely Franchelle Contreras! 

How I Got Here to The Quilting World

I live in beautiful Northern California; there is so much goodness in where I reside; luscious grape vineyards, rolling hills, beautiful landscapes, old scenic missions, agriculture in abundance from sweet fruits to organic vegetables. Its sweet goodness is truly endless. I adore the area in which we live, because the sun, sea, and nature are so important to me.

I love traveling, taking pictures to create beautiful memories of the areas we visit within each State, which in turn inspires my collections. I really enjoy staying at Victorian Bed and Breakfast Inns, because of the heritage, décor, the personal attention one receives while visiting. I always walk away renewed within and ready to start the next fabric collection.

Currently, I am involved in the Art Licensing industry, working with wholesale product manufacturers, mainly in the children’s market. In 2008, I joined Henry Glass & Co., New York and started working with the Company as a Fabric Designer. For me, designing for the fabric industry has always been at the forefront. Although, I had to learn the industry before I jumped in with both feet. I have exhibited at the Surtex Show in New York for the last 5 years. My goal is to cross-over to exhibit at the International Quilt Market trade shows.

The thing I enjoy most about fabrics is researching how and where the textile industry first originated, how it has evolved from year to year, and where the market is currently headed. I do sew, although to be honest, I do not craft nor design quilts. I am very blessed in that Henry Glass & Co. designs each quilt and sewing patterns for all fabric collections, which allows more time to draw, and draw, and draw some more… Although, I do sew projects with the current fabric collections designed for Henry Glass & Co.

All about Sonoma

The Sonoma collection came about by drawing artwork for each surface pattern and choosing the color palette. Once, the color palette was stored in my head, I started thinking about the wine country and all the beauty within the area. Harriet, my Art Director for Henry Glass, started to brainstorm on the name for the collection. Finally, Harriet presented the name “Sonoma”, which fits perfectly for the fabric collection, because of the color palette, the designs within each surface pattern, and the area in which we live. If anyone has stayed in a Bed and Breakfast Inn around the Sonoma area, most of the Inns decorate with luscious vintage rose patterns for the décor of the home, which makes “Sonoma” the perfect name for the fabric collection.

So, in a nutshell, the inspiration for the Sonoma collection would be the beautiful wineries, luscious grape vineyards, Bed and Breakfast Inns, rolling hills, nature, flowers, flowing grass in the wind, and butterflies. The beautiful area all rolled into one beautiful collection of fabrics.

My vision for Sonoma is very clear. It’s not about me; it’s about the Quilt Shop owners and the Consumers. I want everyone to enjoy each collection that is designed by me and personally for them. I love to see how Consumers use the fabric and learn what their goals are for each fabric collection. Hopefully, Sonoma will be used for home décor and girly girl toddler clothing.

Right now, I am working on a new line of sewing patterns to go along with each fabric collection. To have sewing patterns would be another dream come true.  I’m also working on my third fabric collection, which will be a line of trendy surface patterns that can be used for a variety of projects; quilts, home décor, and children’s clothing.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be a Guest Designer on the Fat Quarter Shop’s Jolly Jabber.

- Franchelle Contreras

Happy by Me & My Sister Designs

The brightly energetic sister duo is back once again! Barb & Mary from Me & My Sister Designs are here today to share their love-- in more way than one-- with all of you! ( Note: once you get to the bottom you'll know what I mean by that one ;-) ) Me & My Sister Designs did it again-- they shoved their personalities right into the fabric of Happy with the bright colors and fun prints!







Hi Jolly Jabberettes!

Happy is here!
We had such a great time designing this collection!
Sometimes we stress over a collection, but this one sort of fell into place and that made us happy… so "Happy” seemed an appropriate name.

This is the first time that we have used black in one of our groups. It has only been used before as an accent or outline, but this one has actual black prints. I love the simple black stripe! We both love it so much that you will be seeing more black in our future groups.

We have all new patterns to go with the group…

And don’t forget the Warm and Happy project that can be found on the free pattern page of our website.

Hope these fun and colorful prints make you as Happy as they did when we were designing them.

If you would like to win this fat quarter bundle of Happiness…Visit our blog for all the details.

Good Luck!
Barb and Mary ~ Me and My Sister Designs
The fast, fun and easy girls…but at least we're bright!

Country Lane by Bari J. Ackerman & Winners!

Ok, before we start anything, lets talk about the Lumiere de Noel Quilt Kit giveaway from last Monday's post! Usually I do this at the end, but we have another special something hiding down there. ;-)

and a drum roll please!!...

The randomly selected winner out of the 440 comments is...

Tracy!!

"What a gorgeous kit! I tweeted, though I really wanted to keep it to myself!"

To claim your prize e-mail  " Stephanie [at] fatquartershop [dot] com" with your shipping information.  You have till Thursday @ midnight CST to e-mail me.  Congrats!!!  :-)

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Today we have a very special guest with the tag line of "vintage inspired design for your modern life" and she virtually came all the way from California.... Bari Ackerman is here to share her thoughts and inspirations on Country Lane... without further ado, here she is...
  

Hello all!

Country Lane was inspired by what I imagine as the perfect weekend in the country. A great bed and breakfast, walks in meadows, sleeping late and lazing around. The colors came to me from a crazy quilt that I have. It is full of deep navy blues, reds, pinks and white.

When it comes to my absolute favorite project using Country Lane, I have to say, I'm mad about the curtains I made for my family room and kitchen! And I super love the zigzag quilt, Meadow Fresh, which is part of my upcoming release of sewing patterns.

Currently I am working on 4 new sewing patterns (of course one being Meadow Fresh) to release in October. I'm also working on licensing opportunities in additional venues such as scrapbooking, paper, and more!

I also have my new book, Inspired to Sew, that will be out in January. It's a creative sewing book that covers many of my adventures in sewing. There's applique, collage, clothing, a quilt and much more. It also features my signature "Keeping It Real Sewing" sidebar hints and tips that are in my sewing patterns.

- Bari J. Ackerman

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And now! We have a fun surprise! :)

Another giveaway! This time it's the super sweet Country Lane Fat Quarter Bundle!

To enter:

1. Tweet @BariJ & @FatQuarterShop-- then leave a comment here
2. Like both of us on Facebook then make a comment @Bari J & @Fat Quarter Shop-- then leave a comment here
3. Subscribe to the Jolly Jabber-- then leave a comment here

You can comment up to 3 times if you do all 3!

Good Luck!


PS:  Link to  Bari J's Fan Page on Facebook

Bliss by Bonnie & Camille

Guess who's back? back again! Bliss is back after our feature on Emma's big girl bed! But Bonnie and Camille decided to come along for the ride this time too... They are visiting me at Fat Quarter Shop today so they can tell me, and of course all of you a little on their mind about Bliss.


First, let me tell you a little secret... We will be getting 2 kits-- one by Bonnie AND one by Camille-- which are going to be featured in the December 2010 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine! This will actually be hitting news stands on October 5th so be ready!



Hello again!

We are just so happy to be here, because that means Bliss has arrived, and we couldn't be more excited about that! We just hope that you love it as much as we do. We hate to use the word favorite, but this could definitely be our favorite so far. Especially after seeing Miss Emma's new bedroom!

(click to view blog on Emma's quilt)

Bliss is a popsicle on a sunny day, riding a beach cruiser along the shoreline, fresh flowers on a Tuesday and everything bright and cheery in between. Filled to the brim with florals, polka dots and retro prints, this fresh line has a little something to make anyone smile.

We are super excited that this time around we have 9 amazingly soft flannels to go with the line. These are perfect for pillowcases, baby quilts, receiving blankets, pajamas, even quilt backs. Our patterns to go along with Bliss are all over the sewing spectrum, from picnic quilts to sewing bags, ironing board covers to baby quilts, and just about everything in between. We had way too much fun with Bliss.

Here's hoping that the cherry red, lime, aqua and the sweetest pink take you back to the moments that are most happy, most delightful, and full of bliss.

Have a blissful day!

Bonnie
Bonnie blog
Bonnie website

and

Camille
Camille blog
Camille website

It's about time.. Lumiere de Noel Quilt Kit Surprise!

Nothing says classic elegance like beautiful pieced stars in red and cream. French General for Moda has designed the quintessential collection in Lumiere de Noel – fabulous medallions, florals and toile prints which mimic vintage French textiles. The Lumiere de Noel Quilt Kit is a treat for the senses and includes the pattern and fabrics to complete the 78” x 86” quilt top and binding.

And guess what!?  Today we are going to do a giveaway for this classic beauty!  All you need to do is either tweet about us, facebook about us, or subscribe to our blog AND then comment on our blog post below!  And, if you feel the urge to do all 3, feel free! ;-)

This giveaway will end Friday at midnight CST.  Lets see what you got! :)

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Hungarian Blue by Sue Zipkin

My entire life my parents have collected the Royal Copenhagen Christmas plates, or maybe I should say they gift it to themselves for Christmas. If you're not familiar with them, they are Danish blue and white porcelain plates with a different Christmas scene for each year. All growing up, and still to this day, my parents have had them lining the ceiling of their kitchen. (...By this point i really don't know where they are gonna fit any new ones..) Any-who.. now, anytime I see something solely blue and white, I think of home... The second I saw Sue Zipkin's line Hungarian Blue, it did just that.  Luckily today I got to tag her down to share her thoughts of her line!


Thank you so much for inviting me to talk about my new collection Hungarian Blue by Clothworks. I love your blog and store and I am always excited and honored when you purchase my fabric designs.

I guess you could say I have BLUE in my blood, well not really but being a designer for dinnerware for 25 years has helped inspire this classic blue collection. I have always been inspired by blue & white dinnerware and this project gave me the opportunity to bring that inspiration to fabric.

Initially, this was developed from some artwork I was playing with-- incorporating a blue-and-white motif with some fruit. At the time I was thinking about this more as a dinnerware collection, when Candice and Joyce-- the lovely ladies I work with at Clothworks-- spotted it and saw the makings of a new fabric collection. Their instincts were correct and this was a lot of fun to develop. The blue-and-white combination is always in my heart so I really enjoyed the challenge. As you can see we have removed the fruit motif in order to focus completely on the classic blue & white.

My goal was to create something fresh and new yet maintaining a timeless feel, the other challenge was to make sure I created something that quilters would really be able to sink their teeth into and create beautiful designs with. I hope you enjoy working with this fabric as much as I did creating it. If you're up for it, please feel free to send in your designs so I can feature them on my blog. Thanks to everyone who is purchasing my designs on fabric, you are my inspiration!

- Sue Zipkin


(Note: We have already sold out of Hungarian Blue Fat Quarter Bundles.)

Arnold's Attic by Barbara Brackman

Since the first time I set eyes on Arnold's Attic, I thought it was just another elegant fall line -- of course I think they are all very beautiful and put a unique spin on the season-- but Barbara Brackman, designer of Arnold's Attic, is here today to share a very intriguing story.  One that gives an extra diversion away from...well, even being called a Fall line at all...



Arnold's Attic celebrates everybody who saves things and especially my penpal Arnold Hegy Savage. Over the years he has sent me many gifts of fabric swatches with a note, "I found this in the attic." Arnold lives in an 1840 Ohio house that's been in his family for several generations. His mother, his aunt and his grandmothers were quilters and confirmed collectors.

Arnold Hegy Savage

The prints reproduce the latest trends from 1880 to 1920 when his Aunt Alice was buying for her quilts and clothing. The cottons in those years looked to tradition in subject matter but explored modern shapes and abstractions. Colors echoed the new aniline dyes ---olive, bronze and brick---earth tones with a little punch.

Aunt Alice

Aunt Alice Hegy (1870-1955) taught Arnold to sew in the early 1930s when he was confined to his bed with rheumatic fever. She started him out with nine-patches and he figures he must have made a thousand. His mother often found him asleep with a needle and a nine-patch in his hand. He tried hexagons with the same dedication and then took up applique. After a career as a professional cellist he returned to his family home and to quilting. Arnold's won numerous prizes for his quilts, which often reflect his family memories.

The combination of brown and bright pink was hot in the 1880s. But when I am coloring a whole collection I have to think about the all-over effect, so I decided against the pink. And I changed the colors by greening up the tans and shifting the carmels to red so all the prints would go together as a group.

The patterns and colors are named for family members and local landmarks. Thanks to all the collectors---women all named Mary. There's Mary Barbara Fisher Hegy, Arnold's great-grandmother, Mary Alice Hegy, his aunt, and Mary Madonna Hegy Savage, his mother. And thanks to Arnold for keeping everything, sorting it and sending some to me.

Original Print

Reproduction Print

Barbara Brackman
BarbaraBrackman.com
BarbaraBrackman.blogspot.com

Mrs. Sew & Sew by Dan Morris

For those of you who don't know Dan Morris he is a very unique designer in the quilting world. For one, he is more of a stylized realist artist rather than a quilter. But this little fact is what makes him so amazing at making novelty prints!


His process is much different than others who create their art digitally, which gives his fabric a unique dimensional quality. He creates a pencil drawing, traces that in ink, then colors the drawing with architectural and watercolor markers or colored pencils. After that is complete he then scans and manipulates a layout in Photoshop.


We recently received Mrs. Sew & Sew, one of his latest lines!...and my head won't stop spinning while I look at it-- imaging so many fun projects to create.  Luckily, Dan's here today to plant a seed of a few more ideas for you... 

Mrs. Sew and Sew was the first collection I’ve designed where I tried to directly honor the talented people who create amazing quilts and crafts for their friends and loved ones using my fabric. In designing this line, I tried to fill the collection with a broad array of vintage sewing imagery adapted from a range of different eras to appeal to quilters and crafters of all ages.

Mrs. Sew & Sew is the first sewing theme collection that I have ever designed, and I welcomed the challenge of creating something totally new. As an artist, I appreciate how important my studio space is to my creative process. The Mrs. Sew and Sew collection for me was a way to give quilters a canvas for which they can use to decorate their sewing room and make the time they spend creating for others more enjoyable for themselves.

The sewing panel design featured in the Mrs. Sew & Sew collection is very versatile. Combine 3 rows of 3 to create a quick wall quilt project for a sewing room. For a more involved project, fussy cut the individual panels squares and piece them together with an alternating block. If space is your concern, simply cut out 3 panel squares to create a quick wall hanging. With the remaining 3 panel blocks, you can make one additional wall hanging for a friend!

I received an email from a quilter who used one of my fabric collections to create a quilt for a friend who was terminally ill. I was reminded why designing fabric is unique from any other product category for which I design. When designing fabric, I am creating a raw material from which another creative person makes something lasting and meaningful. Their craft and the circumstance for which they gift it to another person are unique and special. Their time and effort represent how much they care about those they gift it to. I always try to remember when I’m creating art for fabric that those are the people I work for. I hope the time and effort I put into my work honors the creative work that they do.


- Dan Morris

Magazine Quilt Kits and a Winner!

Whether you are an avid subscriber, collector of quilting magazines, or merely one of those dedicated people who relax in a local book store while sipping a great beverage and flipping through the most recent issue - do we have a big surprise in store for you!

The Fat Quarter Shop has several kits - 5 to be exact – featured in the new Quilts & More Fall 2010 issue. You will find projects for every member of the family…let’s see which one is your favorite! Will it be a colorful quilt, or maybe a kid sized apron or even a hanging organizer with pockets!

Here’s a brief description of each fabulous kit:

If you love bold colors, Hello Yellow is just for you! This quilt designed by Vickie Eapen finishes at 42 ½” x 70 ½”, so it is great for a throw to snuggle under while watching television, for the foot of a bed or over a chair back. The kit includes Moda’s Botany fabrics and the EZ Easy Dresden acrylic ruler. Cheerful gold, green and melon are simply luscious!

If something more traditional appeals to you, then try the Flight of Geese quilt kit designed by Vickie Eapen. This kit uses 40 fat quarters in fall colors from several different fabric collections and features the well known flying geese block. This one will suit anyone’s tastes and décor, and measures 60 ½” square.

How about something super easy and very soothing in shades of blue with a spark of yellow? The Bar Code quilt kit designed by Lori Mason is large enough for a twin or double bed, measuring 79 1/2” x 90 ½”. Simply sew together strips and you have a great quilt in no time!

Have kids who love to help in the kitchen or maybe they are little Picassos. The Squeaky Clean Apron kit designed by Marinda Stewart is ideal -- apron has big roomy pockets for those necessary supplies. The fabric is Hello Betty laminated for easy clean-up! Whip up several for your kids and their friends!

Finally, the Dressed to Impress Organizer quilt kit has a place for your little one – or older one, for that matter – to put all those treasures that have a way of winding up all over the house! Expandable fabric pockets make this hanging organizer designed by Monica Solorio-Snow both fun and practical. The little doll dresses are printed on the fabric, so you can use the panel as is, or if you are really in a creative mood, you can embellish the dresses with buttons, appliqué collars, buttons, etc.

Please enjoy browsing through the magazine, and begin planning your projects now! The kits sell in a hurry once they are featured in a magazine!


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And now.. its time to announce the winner of the Fandango & Breakfast at Tiffany's Candy Bar pack!

Congrats to......

Maisy!  "I am so over the moon for this Fandango! And the tin with the candy bar prizes is SWEET!"

Contact me at Stephanie[at]Fat Quarter Shop[dot]com by next Tuesday 9/2 with your shipping information to claim your prize. :)