Spring 2016 Quilt Market Recap

It's only been two weeks since Quilt Market and life is slowing returning to a more normal pace around here. I took the last two weeks off to work on paperwork, my garden, and cleaning up an art studio space in my basement. I haven't touched my sewing machine since sewing before the show! That's a long enough break and now I'm refreshed and back to work! 

Hopefully you all were following the Quilt Market news on Instagram and Facebook as the show was going. You can catch up on the AGF interviews of the designers and their booths by watching the live stream videos on the Art Gallery Fabrics Facebook page here. 

My newest Art Gallery Fabrics collection Tapestry will be available in your local quilt shop any day now and I am so excited about this line! Here's some images showing my Market booth and highlights of my favorite projects. 

Be watching the Art Gallery Fabrics blog for the Tapestry fabrics Lookbook that will be released very soon! The Lookbook is a virtual magazine jam-packed with fun and inspiring projects from this new collection. 

FAT QUARTER BUNDLE AND PATTERN GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate my newest collection, there will be a first and second place drawing this month. First place winner will receive a 20-piece fat quarter bundle courtesy of my sponsor The Fat Quarter Shop. Second place will be sent my two new pdf quilt patterns created with my new fabric line. Totem and Jali are both available for purchase on my Craftsy Pattern Store along with my other quilt and sewing patterns. Read how to enter giveaway below.

TO ENTER:

Giveaway for the Tapestry fabrics bundle begins today, Monday, June 6th, 2016 and will end on Monday, June 13th, 2016 at 4 p.m. EDT. Please note: The Fat Quarter Shop will ship the winning bundle as soon as it's available, sorry for a slight delay.

• Leave a comment on this blog post anytime between 6/6/16 and 4 p.m. EDT on 6/13/16 to be entered into drawing

The winner will be randomly drawn and notified via email so be sure to completely fill out the comment box entry form with a valid email address. If I cannot reach the winner within 24 hours I will select an alternate winner. Check back on your comment after 4 p.m. EDT 6/13/16 to see if you are a winner!

Pre-Show Post

This week will just be a quicky post to show you some Tapestry fabrics Quilt Market prep projects and to also bring you May's fat quarter bundle giveaway courtesy of The Fat Quarter Shop.

With only a week and a half away you can imagine all the last minute details and punch lists I am running through this week. The bulk of my sewing is done. I've stitched six quilts which wait to be packed into my largest suitcase to take with me on the plane. Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt as sewn the coolest bags for my booth and Alexis Wright of My Sweet Sunshine Studio has stitched up the most drool worthy little dresses from the meager fabric samples I was able to send her. You girls are amazing!

Bag and baskets made by Heidi Staples of Fabricmutt

Don't you just love these Pixie Baskets and tote Heidi made? Heidi has a free pattern on her blog for the cute Pixie Baskets and other variations.

Be watching for show news to see the other wonderful bags that Heidi made with my fabrics. I will also post recaps of the show on this blog so you don't miss a thing!

Alexis Wright is a genius with fabric and garment sewing. She took the smallest fabric samples and turned them into adorable dresses. She made four stunning looks and here's just one to give you an idea. So adorable!

Dress by Alexis Wright of My Sweet Sunshine Studio

As for me, I haven't been taking it easy and letting everyone else do the work :) You've already seen the Orange Peel Table Runner free pattern project I made for the show from my new collection. I have 5 more (full-size) quilts ready for the show. Hopefully we will have a break in this rain so I can get them properly photographed before I leave next week. 

Here's a look at my Tracery quilt to give you a little peek at what I've made. You may notice some Gossamer fabrics and Coastline fabrics incorporated into the low-volume strips. I love how my previous collections work seamlessly with this new one. Visit my Instagram feed at sharonhollanddesigns to see a little video of this quilt hung open wide. 

Tracery quilt by Sharon Holland 

Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway!

This blog is sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop and we've teaming up to bring you a chance to win an Art Gallery Fabrics fat quarter bundle giveaway every month! Yes, a bundle of fabulous AGF fabrics every month. 

TO ENTER:

Giveaway for the Joyful Carousel bundle begins today, Monday, May 9th, 2016 and will end on Monday, May 16th, 2016 at 4 p.m. EDT. 

• Leave a comment on this blog post anytime between 5/9/16 and 4 p.m. EDT on 5/16/16 to be entered into drawing

The winner will be randomly drawn and notified via email so be sure to completely fill out the comment box entry form with a valid email address. If I cannot reach the winner within 24 hours I will select an alternate winner. Check back on your comment after 4 p.m. EDT 5/16/16 to see if you are a winner!

Happy sewing!

Tapestry Fabric Collection

Springtime means Quilt Market time! This year the spring Quilt Market will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have never been the SLC and am looking forward to seeing it--I've been told it's beautiful. 

This Market I will be showing my newest fabric collection Tapestry for Art Gallery Fabrics.

Tapestry weaves together an eclectic mix of multicultural-inspired motifs, combining traditional designs with modern graphic brushstrokes in soft, earthy tones.

Summer Garden Colorway

Winter Garden Colorway

I love designing new collections and creating a story around what I am designing. The story helps me keep focused and makes for a more cohesive group of fabrics. I don't like matchy matchy but the prints need to make sense and compliment each other--almost as if one were pulling fabrics from their stash to make a quilt. I like to think my collections have a curated look to them. 

The story for this collection started with the cat print. Catalyst as my print is called made me think of a cat sunning itself on a Persian rug or out in a sunny courtyard. It was as simple as that that started the thought process behind Tapestry. Here are a few behind the scene looks at the inspiration for some of the prints. 

Photo courtesy of Ellen Eichelberger

Vintage photo of movie star Clara Bow 1920s

The Tracery pattern was inspired by the beach ball in this 1920s photo of Clara Bow. I thought this would be a fun blender type print and the way my pattern turned out as radiating hexagons it reminded me of ripples in a pond.

Vintage African mud cloth

I have a fascination with African fabrics and created my Mudcloth print from the various graphic imagery used in African textiles.

Tree of Life on Mata ni Pachedi, printed cloth offering to the mother goddess http://eyeburfi2.tumblr.com/page/16

The Tree of Life pattern is used in many cultures and was the perfect motif to add to my garden of prints. I love woodblock printing so my print Eternal was created to simulate the woodblock printing technique. Complete with birds, my print has a light airiness to it and great left whole cloth or cut up in patchwork. 

The print Rosewood was also created to look like a woodblock print and another nod to handcrafted global-inspired artistry. 

Over the next several weeks I will be busy sewing quilts and other samples for my booth. I have two fabulous makers helping me this time. Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt is making bags for my booth and Alexis Wright of My Sweet Sunshine Studio is making children's clothing from my new collection.  Here's a tiny peek into some of the quilts I have been sewing.

Totem by Sharon Holland Designs

Destination by Sharon Holland Designs

Good news for all of you waiting for me to republish my Orange Peel Table Runner project. I will be remaking the runner with my new Tapestry fabrics and rewriting the instructions to update this super popular free project. This runner was the first pattern I ever wrote and published on this blog when I first started in September of 2010. I cleaned house and pulled many of my old projects because I have changed formats and let's be honest--improved considerably since those first early days! I am hoping next month to have that project available again for free downloading. 

Art Gallery Fabrics has designed some fun graphics to share on your social media feeds. Use Either or both of these "I Want Tapestry" buttons to let your favorite quilt shop know you'd like them to stock the collection in their store! xxxx

Spring Grab Bag

Normally I like to have a singular idea or project to post about but this time it will be a little bit of everything all stitched into one blog post.

The current issue of Simply Moderne (issue no. 4) from Quilt Mania features the Bloomescent quilt I made with my Sketchbook fabrics, Pure Elements, and Squared Elements from Art Gallery Fabrics.

I had a little down time (a week) to do some garment sewing and play around with the new Art Gallery Fabrics Denim Studio fabrics. This new substrate for AGF is so beautiful and perfect for all sort of sewing applications. I intend to incorporate some in quilts but wanted to also see how it handled in clothing. 

My first adventure was sewing a blouse for myself. I love the clean lines of the Japanese garments found in book like Sew Chic Kids and Stylish Dress Book.

There's a little learning curve on these books because you need to transfer the patterns to tissue and add the seam allowances. I am not one to do a lot of garment sewing so it probably took me longer than someone with more experience. I am very happy with the end product and made this Button Front Blouse for my first project from the Stylish Dress Book. I definitely want to do more sewing with these fabrics and books!

With the weather getting unseasonably warm I made some bonnets for my granddaughter using the floral print from my Gossamer fabrics and lining from peach colored denim. The free pattern for this adorable Baby Sunbonnet is from Purl Soho. It was easy to make and a great pattern.

Spring also bring Spring Quilt Market! This year the spring show will be in Salt Lake City, Utah and I am already gearing up for the show. My fourth collection will be out in May and over the next couple of weeks Art Gallery Fabrics will be revealing all the new spring/summer collections. Here's the sneak peak for Tapestry.

Be watching as I show more prints from my new collection and glimpses into the Quilt Market preparations and projects for the show. It's starting to feel more like springtime everyday!