Tula Pink

SO it’s that time again. It seems like only yesterday…International Quilt Market is in a few weeks which means little hotel shampoos,  the rekindling of bi-annual friendships, tons of fabric envy and some petty theft in the form of mini soaps and plastic shower caps (I love those things). I have been sewing like crazy and I’m pretty excited about my quilt for the Moda booth. My quilter friend, Angela, is going to do some really amazing stuff with it. She’s a genius, an artist, a genius-artist. I am told there will be some artsy stuff going on in there. I let her do what ever she wants because she always comes up with something I never would have considered. I guess that’s why she is the quilter and I’m not.

The first quilt I make with a new line of fabric is always my favorite. The quilt becomes the physical memory of first working the collection. It’s like falling in love, everything seems crucial and dire. I remember every moment, every stitch. When my seams don’t line up it hurts my heart. It’s like getting to “know” the fabric, I discover new combinations that I didn’t see before. If the quilt would bring me flowers and change the oil in my car it would be like the best boyfriend ever. I mean, it does like to cuddle.

This is the most tedious, mind numbing, eye burning part of designing fabric. It is also my favorite part. It keeps me in my studio and out of trouble for hours sometimes even days. I love to see people’s process so I hope I’m not geeking out too much by assuming that you might find this interesting. It’s also my clever-ish way of letting you know what’s coming before it actually arrives.

It always starts with a drawing.

Once the basic outline is down I add in the medium and highlights. Now it’s starting to move, I love that part.

Toss in some darks and throw in a pretty little patterned background and I almost have myself a print.

Aaah, little falling feathers. Now wasn’t that fun. If only I had Bob Ross’ skills I could make it “happy” and then I could have my own TV show!

There is always work to do. I hope y’all have noticed that I have been making an effort to keep up with my blog. I believe this makes three weeks in a row, a personal record for a self absorbed lazy bum like me, YAY!

So I would like to introduce you to the first sketch in my new line due out eons from now. Seriously, I think it’s something like three light years away. It’s always like this. It seems so far away from having fabric in my greedy little hands that I can barely stand it. Then it’s here, I have a couple of weeks to make some samples and boom! it’s all over and the next deadline approaches like it’s running from a three headed chicken. I wouldn’t trade it for anything but it still makes the day to day stuff a little hard to keep up with. Things like laundry just pale in comparison and I end up suck in a “where’s the beef” t-shirt and a pair of bermuda shorts. It could be worse.

So Here’s the deal. I get five to ten emails a week asking me where people can find those owls from Full Moon Forest. They are pretty much just gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. I have some left but I’m saving them for my grandkids or maybe to sell on ebay when they become antiques. Think of this collection as a Full Moon Forest II using everything I have learned in between then and now. I always hear people say ” If I knew then…” well I do so I did. I loved that first fabric line and it sort of came and went in a flash. I never felt like it had the chance it deserved. By the time people started to see it and ask for it it was all snatched up. So Hushabye is an homage to my humble beginnings. I hope y’all like it. By the way… 

Hushabye is due in stores in August!

It’s like a little slice of life! And it could be all yours. A Honey Bun is like a Jellyroll only smaller and cuter.  It has 40 1.5 in x 42 in strips of every piece in Neptune. How exciting is that! All you gotta do is leave me a comment and I will randomly pick someone to receive this little treasure. You will love it and I will love you. Don’t worry you don’t have to be clever, even though it will make me smile and that should be reward enough. So bring it on and win some free stuff. I will keep taking entries until Friday the 13th, because that sounds totally ominous and fun. I will announce the winner the following Monday, the 16th of February. Happy commenting! P.S. Some of you may have noticed that the entry changed a little. That is because I accidentally deleted it. Don’t fret, those of you who have already entered are still entered. Sorry, I am a nerd sometimes in my haste to do things and end up creating chaos. All is well now.  

This is a picture of the quilt I made for Neptune. I am really excited about it and I think it’s my best quilt ever. I worked on it with Lissa Alexander, the marketing director for Moda, and it turned out awesome. It is hanging in our booth which had a bake shop theme and was devastatingly adorable, if you ask me.

Below is my new collection of quilting cottons, Neptune. I am super excited about this group and can’t wait for y’all to get your crafty little hands on it. I think this may be my best yet. I will be giving the full details here shortly. I just need a moment to catch my breath.

I am putting my vanity aside for just a moment to show you something that I didn’t make. For the record I am green with envy. It is so ridiculously cute that I can hardly stand it. If Erin wasn’t my best friend I would probably pull a Tanya Harding on her and knee cap her. But then where would I go for pizza and movies? When the strike off samples came in for this I fell. in. love. Nothing but the actual fabric could really do this group justice, the colors are so fresh. I secretly want to redecorate my apartment with it, make a bunch of clothes and bags and maybe just roll around in it when no one is looking. The samples were sitting in the design room at Moda for weeks and I would go in and pet it, talk to it and try to coerce it into thinking it was mine, to no avail.  I mean really, look at it! Paint by number deer! paint palette polka dots! wacky citrus colored wood grains! A-maz-ing. One person should not be allowed to have that much style. It’s unfair.

Lush will be hittin’ your hot little hands in December. I am going to beg borrow and steal to get it a touch earlier. I know Erin gets advance yardage so maybe I will invite myself over with a pair of scissors and a large bag. Erin is one of those awesome people that can’t comprehend her own genius so maybe she won’t put up a fuss.

Hey Kids. Sorry for the tardiness but there is a really good reason…

Sigh, no there isn’t I’m just lazy. In an effort to make amends I am finally posting the whole group. Yay! Birds are fun! This flock is in the hands of Moda’s able sales reps as we speak, so if you want it you better tell your shop NOW! so they can order it and it can be in your crafty little hands by August. It’s only a couple of months, no big deal right? I knew you could handle it. I got a little ahead of myself with this one, I was excited. You have no idea how painful it is to sit on this kind of information. It’s like having a baby, naming her, dressing her up all cute then hiding her from everyone you know and pretending like she doesn’t exist. That would just be weird and maybe illegal.

The sample yardage is finally here and the Quilt Market quilt makin’ frenzy has begun. It makes all the difference in the world to see real yardage as opposed to the itty bitty swatches I see during the refining process. That pink is HOT! & I don’t mean Paris Hilton hot, I mean sizzlin’ hot, rock star pants on fire hot. It’s good stuff. So yes, you guessed it in the last post, the theme here is birds. We’ve got bird houses, eggs, nests, bird tracks, loose feathers and clouds. The coloring is like Flutterby on steroids. It’s warmer and brighter just like my bubbly personality, except for maybe in the morning or late at night or right before lunch. I would avoid me during those times unless it can’t be helped and even then I wouldn’t make any sudden moves. Enough about me, look at the new fabric! Yay!

Ok kids, since it seems that people like to see what they can’t have I will now commence with the premature posting of  far off fabrics. Think of it as a little glimpse of the future. I have always wanted to be psychic myself but lack the talent. I have a hard enough time seeing what’s going on while it’s happening.

Can anyone guess the theme? I know my wily wit and sleuth-like-clue-leaving  (I am sure there is a word that means all that) skills are unparallelled but I think I left you all with quite enough to guess where I am going with this. I plan to leave a little trail of bird crumbs that leads all the way to Quilt Market where all will be revealed in its entirety. We will see how that works out. I have heard that patience is a virtue, though it is not mine.