Hawthorne Threads Blog

Fall Quilt Market 2013 - Michael Miller Fabrics Part 1

Michael Miller's quilt market booth showcased their upcoming Blue and White color story, a nod to the classic indigo theme in textile design. From America to China, India, Africa, Central Asia, and Japan, this color has captivated the world for centuries.

I've always liked this color combination myself, and was pretty chuffed to coordinate with their booth! Though, with my bandana dress I'm definitely rockin' the American take on blue and white...

While the first blue and white group features influences from China and Japan, this soon to be released Indo Ikat collection takes us a bit further south in the Pacific. I love the block print motifs and ethnic vibe.

And now for something completely different! Michael Miller always does a great job showcasing their color palettes in story board fashion, and this upcoming Pastel Pop line certainly turned heads! The softer palette will no doubt inspire beautiful baby bedding, sleepwear, and teenage decor.

Finally, for our final peek at some of the great house prints we look forward to from Michael Miller in the coming months, here's one that'll add a little glam to the party. Glitz suggests that perhaps all that glitters really is gold. I'm rather liking that border design - great for fancy dresses and linens. Stay tuned for more scenes from market!

Fall Quilt Market 2013 - Free Spirit Fabrics Part 4 - Tula Pink

As usual, it was standing room only in miss Tula Pink's schoolhouse session at market! There, she debuted her newest line of fabric for Free Spirit. With her well-honed deadpan delivery, she told us that this was her version of a "grown up" collection. Of course, we all know that even the most sophisticated collection from Tula will always have a playful vibe and her signature color palette - "cause she's a rainbow kinda gal, and that a'int gonna change!"

With Fox Field, Tula returns to a woodland theme, and her menagerie of animals has grown - there are eight in all and she dares you to find them all!

But I suspect the favorite print in the collection, for Tula and for us, will be these prancing ponies.

Tula clarified for us that she does not ride horses, though her mother did at a stable called Fox Field no less. But if she did ride, it would certainly be on a horse of a different color, so to speak. You've likely guessed that the colorways are composed of morning, afternoon, and evening palettes. For as Tula pointed out, you'd obviously want to ride a pink pony in the morning, in the afternoon you ride your dapper gray pony, and in the evening you'd be wearing a ballgown riding side saddle on your blue pony with a pretty purple mane. Naturally.

And now for some quilts! We'll start with Tula's beautiful Acacia butterfly quilt above that everyone is desperate to get a picture of! And of course, Tula has already whipped up lots of Fox Field pieces, with the help of the talented Angela Walters and her signature swirling quilting. Here's a gorgeous dresden inspired quilt that showcases Tula's rainbow palette beautifully.

Tula seems to be on a cirlce theme, which I love! Here's another quilt that she calls "Phases of the Day," and this one shows off the different color palettes nicely, emphasizing the idea of morning, afternoon, and evening horseback rides.

Tula tells us that these first two Fox Field quilts will also be Fat Quarter Friendly, which is great news! Here's a pretty stack of Fox Field Fat Quarters sitting atop an Acacia quilt. We'll have these bundles broken down into the three colorways for you!

And next up, we have this Night Sky Quilt which uses this pattern from Jaybird!

Also using a pattern from Jaybird is this Disco quilt below! This design really plays up the jewel toned palette very nicely.

And lastly, here's a quick and easy strip quilt that would be great for beginner sewists!

And finally, I'll leave you with a fun picture of two guys in a pink booth. Here's Tula's brother Cameron and our Charlie talkin' shop!

Stay tuned to Tula Pink's site for pattern releases, and sign up in our shop to receive notice as soon as Fox Field arrives this March!

Fall Quilt Market 2013 - Free Spirit Fabrics Part 3 - Denyse Schmidt

Welcome to the Hotel Ansonia, the inspiration behind Denyse Schmidt's newest collection for Free Spirit! I had the pleasure of attending Denyse's quilt market schoolhouse where she took us on a tour of this hotel, a staple of New York's Upper West Side for over 100 years. Her newest collection, named in honor of this establishment, consists of 14 designs as varied as the hotel's history.

Infamous for its basement concert performances by Bette Midler and Barry Manilow, and for being the place that Babe Ruth once called home, the glamour of the hotel has as much to do with the people that filled its halls. Since fashion often follows celebrity, the Hotel Ansonia has always been a melting pot for both. A peek at the building's official website and a quick google search will afford you a glimpse into the gilded halls of this most intriguing establishment. Here's a fun collage that pairs some of Denyse's fabric designs with snapshots of the hotel.

From the checkered floors to the ornate tiles and swirling staircases above, you can easily spy some of the luxurious architectural attributes that inspired this new fabric collection. But of course, Denyse also looked to the ever changing fashion trends over the course of the hotel's long history. As a result, her collection is composed of a unique balance of contrasts. Below, old world glamour meets the bohemian vibe of the swinging 60's, resulting in a fun juxtaposition of contrasting styles that reflects the various incarnations of the hotel. Here are some fabric designs paired with some photos Denyse shared in her slideshow. The top half evokes turn of the century charm while the bottom half hints at the hotel's psychedelic past.

Here's a piece from Denyse's booth that marries these divergent styles beautifully! The citron green design really modernizes the vintage lace pattern in a fun case of modernized sophistication.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't include a few quilts from the mother of modern quilting! Here's a fun flying geese quilt done up in the mushroom palette.

And below Denyse shows off a nice strippy herringbone design featuring the mossy palette.

Look for this eclectic collection in our shop this February, and feel free to sign up to receive notice as soon as Ansonia arrives!

Fall Quilt Market 2013 - Free Spirit Fabrics Part 2 - Amy Butler

Looking at Amy Butler's glowing quilt market booth, one can easily tell she's feeling happy. But, she's also feeling Hapi, the Egyptian God of the Nile River that is. I love the playful double entendre here, for that's exactly the emotion that this most intoxicatingly joyous collection evokes.

If you follow Amy on Facebook or Instagram, then you've likely already gathered that the collection was inspired by her recent trip to Egypt. Our manager Becky and I had a chance to meet up with Amy in her booth, and it was wonderful to hear her stories of sunset picnics and riding camel-back across the desert, wishing she could stop along the way to pick up the glittering fossils that dotted the sands. What a magical experience that must have been...

Amy also explained that the collection is about creation and expansion. Looking at these vibrant hues and middle eastern influences in design, you'll likely notice straight away that she's expanded her color palette considerably. If you look closely at the pillows, you'll spy some camel blanket and pyramid motifs in there as well. You'll also notice that the textural elements of this line are new for Amy and she's embraced them with fervor. Here's a gorgeous tapestry inspired design from the line!

I asked Amy if the design at left below was a new fabric in the works, but alas - it's just some beautiful collage work from her equally talented husband David (aka Parson Gray). Stay tuned for pattern details on that shining quilt!

If you're looking for a bold piece, be it a handbag, an outfit, or a quilt, these fabrics make quite a statement.

Or you can easily choose one or two designs for an infinity loop scarf. You'll be "hapi" to know that the line comes in Voile and Linen as well!

I'll leave you with a photo Amy shared, looking the image of happiness incarnate in her voile dress and a backdrop of some rather quilty looking color blocks. Our shop gets Hapi this January, with 24 quilting cotton, 6 voile and 6 linen designs!

Fall Quilt Market 2013 - Free Spirit Fabrics Part 1 - Anna Maria Horner

We've just returned from our annual pilgrimage to Houston Texas for the International Quilt Market, and we've got so much to share with you all! Though it can be exhausting on our feet (and the Hawthorne Threads wallet!), it's also an amazing way to rejuvenate our creative ideas. Seeing all of the new fabric designs, booth displays, and handmade pieces brings us an enormous amount of inspiration.

Let's kick off our market re-cap with Westmister/Free Spirit Fabrics. Previewed at market were peeks of what's coming from Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Denyse Schmidt, Tula Pink and more!

We'll start with Anna Maria Horner, as her lines are due in early this month. Anna showcased Dowry and her True Colors line of anything-but-basic basics.

Dowry pays homage to many of her own family's heirloom pieces, celebrating the act of making and giving. The fact that we can make our own heirloom pieces with this new line really brings the creative spirit full circle in a truly beautiful way. We had the chance to attend Anna's pre-market schoolhouse session where she charmed us with stories of learning to sew and embroider from her grandmother in Greece.

The rich tones in this collection will make for gorgeous quilts that you'll want to cuddle up with for years to come. And here's a close up of this traditional, yet modern quilt.

Rich in detail, and luminous in color, each piece in this collection can stand on its own but they work surprisingly well all together as a whole as well. Here's a close up of that beautiful quarter square triangle quilt that uses each and every print in the collection.

Of course, this line will easily cross over into bags and clothing, equally sweet for both young and adult audiences. 

Here's True Colors and Dowry done up in Anna's All Set Kids Pattern Set, her Art Student Tote Pattern, and her Painted Portrait Dress patterns. The top right bag showcasing the Twill Bouquet design is an upcoming pattern - look for it in our shop soon!

Next, we'll head over to Anna's booth display. Full of garments, quilts, bags, embroidery, and illustration, it's a beautiful tribute to a homespun life.

That looks to be The Socialite Dress Pattern above, as well as a sneak peek at Anna's new ribbon selection coming out!

Here's a little Dowry mixed with a striking blue fabric from True Colors!

Finally, here's a pretty skirt that shows its True Colors rather nicely, and a quilt that marries Dowry with True Colors. As you can see, the colors overlap beautifully, and I'm sure you'll have so much fun playing with these two new collections. Look for them in our shop early next month, and stay tuned for more scenes from the Free Spirit Fabrics camp!