Sample Spree Giveaway Winner

It is finally time to announce the winner of our Portland Sample Spree Giveaway! (If you think you may have posted more than once, don't worry, we did our best to delete the duplicate comments.) And our winner (and their comment, since there were so many!) is....

April and Robert!
Who said, "As a new quilter I am in awe of everything that I see in your pics...some really amazing work. I could really use the bundle, I promised my husband no new fabric for the month of May....scary huh?"

Congratulations, we definitely want to see what you do with your new Portobello Market fat quarter bundle! Please e-mail me at jocelyn @ fatquartershop . com so I can get your contact information and send you your prize!

Introducing the Simply Sophisticated BOM

We've been busier than bees since Market, trying to get all our new goodies onto our Coming Soon page for you to preview (and drool over). As someone so aptly put it, there is no rest for the weary! If you read our Market posts, you might remember an image caption that read, "Kimberly and Debbie are doing some intense work dreaming up new BOMs for you." Well...

Our new Simply Sophisticated Mystery BOM is the second Moda University BOM being offered by the Fat Quarter Shop. This is the sequel to the Piece & Plenty BOM that we offered last year. The Piece and Plenty Mystery BOM was an enormous success, and many of you did not get an opportunity to sign up as that BOM sold out in three weeks.

Simply Sophisticated features the latest fabric collection by Blackbird Designs called “Harvest Home.” This fabric line is the embodiment of dusty elegance. Like an attic full of vintage treasure, there is inspiration behind every trunk. Flowers and birds are just the vehicle that drives the sophisticated palette of neutral purples and blues, tans and olive greens.

Our new BOM features only pieced blocks and is geared towards all quilters who have piecing experience. It includes the pattern and all of the fabric you need to complete the quilt top and binding. You will receive a total of thirty-three 9” blocks plus a setting triangle finishing kit over 12 months. The finished quilt will be 64" x 89" and is set on point. A backing set is also available at the Fat Quarter Shop. The program will run from October 2008 to September 2009. And the BOM is an excellent price at only $17.99 plus shipping per month.

Don’t hesitate on this new mystery BOM as we anticipate selling out quickly!

Portland: Day 3

First off, we want to reassure you that we've gotten your e-mails about the error messages that show up when you try to comment on our blog posts. Although you get an error message, not to worry, your comments are still being published, and you are still in the drawing!

Back to business....today was our last day at Market even though it continues through to tomorrow. Unfortunately we've got about a day's worth of traveling so we can be back in our offices on Monday.

After reading through your comments (yes, all 593 of them!) we realized, we never explained what Market is exactly, and some of you want to know. The International Quilt Market is a biannual trade show where all the magic happens, so to speak. Vendors and manufacturers of everything quilt related (textiles, notions, etc.) set up booths in a huge convention center, and we retailers navigate the area for three days, handpicking what will be in our stores for the upcoming season. (So it's only open for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers--sorry guys.)

At Fat Quarter Shop, we are constantly on the lookout for new trends, fabrics, and patterns, keeping in mind what will appeal to our customers. Most of Market is spent in meetings with our fabric vendors. If you've ever called into our store and spoken with any one of our friendly gals, they remember what you want and try their best to accommodate those requests when picking fabrics from our manufacturers. For example, on this trip, we looked specifically for more masculine and children-oriented lines at our Market appointments based on feedback we'd gotten from you all. Here we are at two such appointments with Lecien and Lakehouse Fabrics (psst, that's the Holly Holderman we're with!). See the piles of swatches we're forced to go through? ;)

We get to see the trends before they hit store shelves and plan for them. This year, cupcakes were the motif a la mode! They're everywhere--totes, pincushions, fabrics--and we looooove it. Capital L. Hint hint, watch for these on our Coming Soon page!
We also get to meet fabric & pattern designers in person and discuss potential projects with them. You'd be amazed at how may club and BOM ideas formed in these two days! Also, we are always scouting new talent at these shows and come away with stacks of cool patterns to try. Oftentimes, we finally get face-time with designers we've corresponded with for months or years, which is wonderful. Many cherished friendships come about this way. Here we are with Bunny Hill's Anne Sutton (who won first place for her booth, congrats!!) and Vicki Bellino of Bloom Creek.


All in all, it was a busy and sleep-deprived but successful Market, and we celebrated with a nice dinner afterward. We ate at a great restaurant called Stanford's, where Cheryl tried their Texas Pecan Pie. Being a native of the Lone Star State and an aficionado of pecans (she has a freezer full of them right now), she gave it an authentic two thumbs up.

Thanks for staying with us....remember, the bundle giveaway is still going on! Keep commenting (once per person please) for your chance to win, and although you may get an error message, your comment will still show up. Good night!

Sincerely,
the Fat Quarter Shop crew (minus Kevin, plus Bonnie Olaveson & Camille Roskelley)

Portland: Day 2

Hi again! We have ended the first full day of Market, and whew...exhausted but exhilarated! Today was a whirlwind of appointments with different manufacturers. We found some amazing new designs and designers that we can't wait to show you! And we saw plenty of familiar faces (caught on camera) and some news ones as well (also on camera). Each photo has it's own story, but these are just a few highlights from today. You can see the full set of photos on our Flickr gallery.

We met two lovely mother-daughter duos.


I asked Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs for a quote. They said, "We're here and you're not, neener neener neener." Joking, of course. (Hold the hate comments!)

Okay, now how awesome is this. Sandy Klop of American Jane has designed a quilt that becomes a gameboard where you make the rules. Below the quilt are the "game pieces" and "die." You really can play with it!
Look how beautiful and pristine that partridge quilt in the Minick & Simpson booth is!
Our dear bunny friend has this "I Believe In Angels" BOM quilt displayed. We put this on Fat Quarter Shop the day before we left, so I thought you might like to see it in real life!
Kimberly and Debbie are doing some intense work dreaming up new BOMs for you. See?

This girl is just too cute and nice. I'm so excited about Tanya Whelan's new line, Ava Rose!! I expect great things.
After Market closed for the day, we enjoyed a nice dinner party with Moda.

One of our waitresses was a sweet lady who reminded us a lot of Betty White with her zip and, well, looks :)
Don't forget to comment on our post from yesterday to win a Portabello Market fat quarter bundle! We're almost at 500, WOW!! Your readership is definitely appreciated :) Remember, if you need more more more pictures, you can find them here. Now off to catch some z's before Day 3.

Portland Sample Spree

Hey all! After a long, grueling, obstacle-riddled journey to the fair city of Portland (Oregon Trail after all?), we immediately went to work. No rest for the bleary-eyed! Here are a few peeks of booths we got to see....don't worry, there are more to come!

Deborah of Deborah's Designs was nice enough to give us the Sugar Candy quilt she designed for us!





And lastly, there was the always crazy event known as Sample Spree. Check out the fun at Moda's booth.

We even snagged a bundle to give away. Comment on this blog post, and we will hold a random drawing to give away this Portabello Market bundle by 3 Sisters, due out in September. Winner will be posted next Friday (not tomorrow)!

For now, good night! Talk to you more tomorrow!

Onto Oregon

Dear Jolly Jabber readers,

We are on our way to Quilt Market! I'm tempted to compare our journey to Oregon Trail, but we will be going by plane, and we will not lose any members of the Fat Quarter Shop party to dysentery or snake bites.

The next time we write will be from Portland. We will be bringing you updates every night while we are at Quilt Market and even a little giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled!

Talk to you soon, and thanks for reading!

Since there hasn't been much Emma activity here lately...

Valori Wells on "Olive Rose"

Valori Wells, one of our favorite designers for FreeSpirit Fabrics, has released a new collection that shows her unique twist on traditional themes. It's called Olive Rose, and it combines big, bold prints with a bright, almost bohemian palette. Read on about Valori's inspiration for the line.

The Fabric
Olive Rose is a collection of fabric designed by Valori Wells for Free Spirit Fabrics. Originally inspired by Valori's daughter Olivia Rose, this collection, two and a half years in the making, transformed from an idea to a stylist's vision of an old favorite - the rose. The two color palettes Topaz and Ruby are infused with hues of blue, coral, orange, shell pink, and vintage browns and reds. The prints mix geometric and organic forms to bring you a truly romantic, bold, contemporary approach to a classic flower. Valori invites you to surround yourself, your fabric collection and your projects with "Olive Rose" - a modern classic.

A little about me
Valori is a professional quilter, author, fabric and pattern designer. Amongst these she also co-owns The Stitchin' Post in Sisters, Oregon. The Stitchin' Post was started by her mother 34 years ago and is one of the nation's premier quilt shops. For over 10 years Valori has been presenting a new look to the quilting world and beyond, and her fabrics portray larger than life images inspired by nature in fresh colors. Details in her designs create an intimacy in pattern and colors. Being a quilter herself, Val is always designing quilts and sewing projects in the back of her mind as she paints a fabric design. As the author or co-author of 11 sewing and quilting books, Valori continues to find design through her photography and painting, striving to inspire the quilter and sewer. She lives in Sisters, Oregon, with her husband, Ross, their two daughters, Olivia Rose and Violette Grace, and Sophie the Cat.


My studio and my work
Six miles out of Sisters, Oregon, my family and I live on an acre of land at the edge of a canyon, overlooking a creek. My studio sits above our garage. It is a place for me to create and for my family to play. It has become a studio/ family room/ nursery, everything I have always wanted.

My fabric designs start with photos - I carry a camera where ever I go, always looking for something new, or something that looks new to me that day. My camera and sketch book are my constant companions as I travel through this life. From the photos my sketches begin transforming a flower to a stylized drawing. As I draw and re-draw to get to the perfect form and repeat, my mind filters through color ideas and painting techniques. The process of designing by hand gives me time to absorb and filter through all of the ideas.

Once the drawings are done I transfer them to canvas, illustration board, or paper to paint with acrylic or gouache. From there, the paintings are scanned and the other palettes are decided, then my labors of love are sent off to be printed.

As fabric arrives in the studio the girls and I play in the yardage as ideas for quilts and sewing projects fly through the air. It is always exciting in the studio whether I am working on projects, painting with Olivia, or playing with Violette. My studio is a place that I hold dear in my heart, a place that I hope my girls will remember as fun and creative even when Mom is working.

Valori Wells
Website
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