Back in May, we showed you Cherry Guidry's booth featuring her upcoming fabric line, My Little Sunshine (click here to see the original post). Great news--the fabrics are now available! We asked Cherry to walk us through the fabrics and the quilt she has designed with them. If you're planning to make a baby quilt soon, you'll know what fabric to use!
Here's a closer look at the fabrics:
Animal prints
Sweet baby prints
Alphabet coordinates
Heart strings
Pinstripes
Text print
How did you come up with the idea for the My Little Sunshine
collection?
I loved the idea of having a cute little baby line. The first
thing that popped into my head was the “You Are My Sunshine” song. I used to
sing it to the kids when they were little.
What was the first print you created?
I had designed a little baby carriage pattern a few years
back based on my brother’s baby carriage. I pulled out the pattern and included
that idea in the first print I drew, along with little baby clothes and suns.
How did the animals get added to the mix?
I was talking to some friends, and sock monkeys came up. I’d started a monkey
quilt idea a while back, and thought it would be cute to have monkeys in the
collection. Then I started drawing more animals. That’s where the Animal Forest
print came in. I wanted the animals to have a retro feel, so I added the
wheels.
Let’s talk about the coordinates.
I love fabric with words. The words came from the first
print with the carriages. You’ll see an alphabet print as well—there are five
that read like solid, and two that are multicolor. I wanted a simple little
stripe, so I chose a pinstripe, and there’s a heart print that looks like a
string of hearts as well.
Tell us about your color palette.
The palette has a mix of soft and somewhat stronger colors,
which creates nice contrast for making a quilt. I love the range of colors
because I am an appliquer. There are the traditional pinks and blues, but
because I wanted it to appeal to both the older generation—the grandmas—and the
younger moms, I added in grays and yellows for a more modern look.
What else do you like about these fabrics?
Even though it’s a baby collection, if you take the monkeys
and the elephants, for example, you can really carry it through to older children.
It’s not only for babies.
What about the panel?
It’s a bib panel—a very simple project—great for a young mom
who wants to sew without committing to a quilt. There are applique options on
the panel as well—animals in bubbles that would make cute little projects if
you added them to a burp cloth or bag or onesie. The possibilities for the
panel are huge, even without a lot of sewing.
Tell us about the quilts you designed using My Little Sunshine.
"Duckies" is a free quilt pattern available on my website. It
uses a jelly roll and goes together quickly. As an appliquer, I had to add some
applique as well, so I enlarged the duckies from the border print to use at the
top.
I also have three commercial patterns available for sale on
my website.
First are the "My Little Sunshine" minis. It’s a little
triptych and they each measure 18” x 23”. I’m picturing a nursery with these
hanging over the crib. They’re cute little appliques, and super simple. The SVG
files are available as well.
My second pattern is called "Sweet Little One." There are boy
and girl options. The appliques are interchangeable between the two patterns,
so you can mix and match using the motifs you like. This will also be available
for hoop embroidery as well.
My third and favorite is "Bailee," the elephant. It’s a nice
sized wall hanging. I always love to do little swirly stylized designs, and
they show up here. You can see Bailee in three colorways—pink, aqua, and
yellow.
Giveaway: Cherry is giving away a print copy of each of her three
commercial patterns. For a chance to win one of the patterns, leave a comment
below letting us know which of the three is your favorite. Make sure we have a
way to contact you if your name is chosen! Giveaway ends Saturday, August 26th
at 11:59 pm EDT.
Blog
Hop: We have more "My Little Sunshine" fun all week long!
Starting Tuesday, we'll be hosting a blog hop; five different designers will
show what they've made with Cherry's adorable fabrics (and there will be
giveaways!). Don't miss it!
Click here to see the entire My Little
Sunshine fabric collection.
Click here to visit Cherry's website,
find the free quilt pattern, and see her commercial patterns.
