On Trend: PLUM Perfection

Colornistas are surely enjoying the influx of PLUM in the market, and like you, we couldn’t be happier about it! Check out today’s featured email from Joss & Main:

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Photos: JossAndMain.com

Plum can be cool, tinged with blue, or lean toward magenta with a slightly red tone.  It’s the color of fantasy, royalty, relaxation and more.  Our own Plum Story for 2016/17 begins with ANTIQUE COTTON CALICOS: Old Plum Calicos by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts.  Pam covers a perfect assortment of values from deep to pale.  Her inspiration comes from the prairie life of the past, and the colors remain just as relevant today.

plumflannelsPlum also lends itself to a more casual mood, with new PRIMO PLAID FLANNELS: Plum, perfect for loungewear, shirts, fashion accessories, plush toys, sofa throws and more, for guys and girls alike…

Try blending Pam’s gorgeous prints with the Primo flannels for a unique take on the trend. Or create a contemporary look with the subtle tones of Nancy Rink’s ON PLUMBERRY LANE, mixing plums with neutrals.  View the Lookbook.

plumb-lane-rinkFinally, if you like your Plum uninterrupted, remember the various solids available all year ’round in our WOOL COLLECTION and CENTENNIAL SOLIDS!

What’s your favorite Plum?  What colors do you mix it with, and in what types of projects?  Subscribe to our blog (at right) and share your thoughts below — comment by Tuesday, October 4, 2016 for a chance to win our Plum Surprise Pack!!

You’ll Love Our 60″ Wide Backings! Here’s Why…

60inchBacksCollageIf you haven’t tried our 60″ WIDE QUILT BACKS yet, you’re in for a treat!  Why 60″? We’ve found it to be the perfect width for lots of situations:

  • Back quilts and wall hangings to 50″ wide with a single length.
  • Back quilts up to approximately 110″ wide by simply piecing two lengths of backing with a single center seam. (Diagram below)
  • Simplify the process of sewing round tablecloths!
  • And because it’s printed on the same fine quality fabric as our 45″ prints, the 60″ yardage can be used on the front of the quilt as well as the back!
  • You’ll love it for easy home décor accents to coordinate with your quilt design, from window coverings to duvet covers, shams and other bedding.

We’re sure you’ll discover your own favorite uses for this versatile, economical alternative to the full 108″ width.  And, we’ve just added three new backings to coordinate with upcoming BOM programs CONESTOGA CROSSING by Pam Buda, and GTKH: Getting to Know Hue, by Nancy Rink.

60inchDIAG———————————-

To join two 60″ widths, we recommend using a seam allowance of ½” to 1″, and pressing the seam open. You can also join using an overlapping seam, sewing down the length, close to both edges of the fabric.

Travel Back in Time…with Pam Buda

ConestogaDetailWe just couldn’t wait to show you a little teaser of Pam Buda’s next BOM program, CONESTOGA CROSSING!  The fabric collection debuts online in August, and the BOM quilt program launches in January 2017.  The colors, the sampler-style block designs, the quilting — all are gorgeous, in keeping with Pam’s signature Heartspun Quilts style.

Travel with Pam, back to a time when America’s pioneers rode horse and wagon over the Oregon trail.  Their strong desire to move West and homestead is rich in history, and Conestoga Crossing presents fabrics of that era, along with interesting anecdotal stories of the trail experience.  We know this is one you’ll want to add to your creative plans!

Hexie Fever is Spreading…

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I’ve been seeing hexagons absolutely Everywhere, in every size and fabric type imaginable. Modern hexies, traditional hexies. Grandmother’s Flower Garden hexies. Huge hexies, tiny hexies. Hexie jewelry…placemats…totebags — it goes on! Have you caught Hexie Fever, too?

PBKeyringHexiePati shared some of hers above, cut from black and cream  VINTAGE ONYX Strip-It fabric for easy two-toned hexies.  She loves Paper Pieces for her English paper piecing projects. At right, an adorable (but slightly insane) micro-hexie key ring Vicki Bellino of Bloom Creek whipped up for Pati at Quilt Market.

SewingCaddyCherylHoistJun16Then I spotted this sewing case by my quilter friend Cheryl Hoist, at a local event I attended over the weekend — African batik & Aboriginal print hexies!

 

 

PamBuda2016Pam Buda chimes in with hexies by the bowlful…

and Victoria Findlay Wolfe goes overboard…; )

VFWHexiesDo you have Hexie Fever, too? Subscribe to our blog, then coment below about what you’re making with hexies (and your favorite sizes!) for the chance to win one of TWO Hexie-Friendly charm mini-packs of Victoria’s MOSTLY MANOR!  Comments received by Tuesday, June 21 are eligible for the drawing – good luck!

Today is Flag Day!

PamBuda2016It’s June 14 already?  Here in the US we celebrate June 14 as Flag Day, so who better to check in with than Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts!  Here’s a peek at her recent blog post – I thought this photo in particular captures the spirit of the day.  Read more about Pam’s work-in-progress, Lady Liberty…

StarSpangledBothStacked…and be sure to make plans for Pam’s newest BOM, STAR SPANGLED LIBERTY! You’ll love her two options for the center row and her distinctive vertical “quilter’s flag” down the left side.  Pam also includes American anecdotal history about our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance, Old Glory flag facts, and about Betsy Ross, who played an epic role in the birth of the new nation.

The 9-month program begins in September!  Quilt size: 74-1/2″ x 78″

Learn more about Flag Day!