I think I’ve told this story before but it’s been long enough that since I can’t remember if I’ve shared it or not it won’t hurt to tell it again. And even if I have told it before I’ll probably tell it a little differently because I seem to enjoy certain parts of the story now more than ever.
The first quilting book I purchased was Glorious Patchwork by Kaffe Fassett with Liza Prior Lucy. I bought this book in 2000. A good 5 years before I learned to quilt. I pulled it out from time to time for inspiration. Wondering if I’d ever find time to unravel the mystery of the cryptic instructions.
Fast forward to 2005, Esther’s Fabrics, Bainbridge Island, WA, Quilting 101 with Margret Darrah. I show up for class ready to make my first quilt. Margret pulls out Glorious Patchwork and turns to the Leafy Rosy Quilt. My first thought was ‘oh good, I already have the book and don’t have to buy it!’
Of course, I realize now that it was an extremely rare occurrence to learn to quilt the way I did. Not only was Margret, a master quilter with an unparalleled creative viewpoint, my first teacher. I made a project that introduced me to quilting rules combined with extraordinary creative genius. The teacher, the quilt math, the color theory, the nuts and bolts of piecing and construction, all rolled into one beautiful first quilt.
I like to think the fact I bought Glorious Patchwork oh so many years ago before I even knew what quilting was about was a sort of kismet, a premonition, a little sign post on my creative journey that I can look back on now and giggle since it’s patently obvious the odds of me buying one book and showing up for a quilting class 5 years later that used the same book (published in 1991 no less) are about a million to one. I still worship Margret (whom I’m fortunate to call a friend), Kaffe Fasset (whom I spied at quilt market several times and was completely tongue tied when I had the opportunity to say hello) and the very lovely Liza Prior Lucy (whom I’m very lucky to have met in person and yes, creative energy radiates around her!)
Oh yes, and the point of this story is that I can’t see Kaffe Fassett fabrics without a wave of positive sentimentality washing over me. So even though I’m a bit biased I’m doing back flips over the new Kaffe Fassett Spring 2011 collection. I love the classic prints coming back in fresh, new colors. No one, and I mean no one, does dots like Kaffe. Gorgeous!
Moda’s delivered 20 new colors for its Bella Solids collection. We’ve bundled them into a fun 20 piece Fat Quarter set along with a card listing the color names. I get asked alot about the differences between the Free Spirit Designer Solids, Robert Kaufman Kona Solids and Bella Solids. I can honestly say I LOVE all three collections. They each have their own, unique traits that work. In a nutshell:
Moda Bella Solids – the cotton is a tad lighter in the hand. The colors are a bit more muted and dusty. There are some very sophisticated color variations that allow for amazing color matching. They go with the Moda prints very well. Some of the new colors are bolder than I’ve seen before and I think this is a very exciting expansion of their brand.
Free Spirit Designer Solids - the hand is a lovely silky feel. The colors are very sophisticated and support the Free Spirit designer prints extremely well. Same for Amy Butler Solids, her colors go with her prints like sprinkles on a cupcake.
Robert Kaufman Kona Solids – fabulous quality Kona cotton that produces saturated colors. To my eye, the colors are pure, bright and clear.
Last Week’s Downloadable Pattern Winners:
4 from the blog comments:
Carrie, Anna of Seckmans Say What, Elsa of A Fine Line, and Vicki K
4 from the newsletter subscribers:
Debbie, Christy, Jean and Heather
Look for an e-mail on Thursday asking you for your pick of a downloadable pattern. Congratulations!
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How Fat Quarter Tuesday works:
- Every Tuesday two fat quarter sets from Pink Chalk Fabrics will be featured and given away the following week in a random drawing.
- The first winner is selected from those who opened their Pink Chalk Fabrics e-mail newsletter during the week.
- The second winner is selected from all comments left on the blog for the week (comments from all posts, not just the giveaway post).
You can sign up for the Pink Chalk Fabrics Newsletter here.
Love the Kaffe fabrics, and the dots are the best!
I had a wonderful teacher too, that I didnt realize was giving me so much good information, until I learned more. I am ever so grateful for her help that went above and beyond.
I purchased the Mail Bag pattern recently from my local quilt shop. A member of our bits and pieces group had shown a completed bag. The shop owner did
not carry the patterns, but ordered them after seeing the bag. I am eager to get to it but am swamped at the moment with family health concerns.