Sew in Love {with Fabric}: Introducing Nancy Halvorsen's new line, Bree

You saw a sneak peek in our Spring Quilt Market wrap-up post, but today we're here to show you all of it! That's right--Nancy Halvorsen's first collection in quite a while, Bree! And let us tell you, it was worth the wait! Fresh, cheery colors, a variety of gorgeous prints all coming from a whimsical paisley...38 prints to play with! Read all about the collection today, as well as Nancy's coordinating book, and stop by the rest of the week for a blog hop featuring Bree.

Where did the inspiration for your new fabric collection, Bree, come from?

It’s named after my 10-year-old granddaughter. This is my first fabric collection after a break from designing, and I thought it needed to be fresh and bright and happy. I started out with that in mind. When I finished, I was in love with it and the colors. My daughter-in-law said, “Bree is going to love this.” I realized the fabrics reminded me of Bree, who is so sweet and bright and fresh and happy, so I named it after her.

What print did you begin with?

I started off with the paisley. It’s the anchor for the group. Basically it’s just one little motif at a time. I knew I wanted to use flowers in each paisley, and I started with the tulip. I also love dots, and you see a lot of dots in there. This print definitely took the longest to design.

After I finished it, I realized it would be cute in just two colors as well, so I created that version.

Can you tell us about some of the coordinates?

From sewing and quilting for so many years, I knew that I needed a variety of colors and scales. I wanted some kind of dot in every print. There are tiny polka dots and bigger polka dots with circles around them. I like stripes and plaids, too, so I included those.

Do you have a favorite print?

That’s like asking which is my favorite child! I love them all. They all play their role and I feel like they all need to be there.

How did you develop the palette?

When I was designing the fabrics, I already had the quilt for the book in mind. I knew the fabrics needed to be useable year-round—not seasonal. I needed colors that worked for Christmas, but also Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and the 4^th of July. So you’ll see a wide variety of colors.

Tell us about the Imagine book that coordinates with the fabric line.

I always put a lot of messages and words on my projects because I love to do things that are uplifting and motivational. I’ve done a lot of month quilts, so I wanted to come up with a block of the month that isn’t specific to the name of the month. I came up with using an inspirational word for each month. The block ideas were born one at a time.

What might readers not realize by looking at the quilt photo?

I love to get dimension and texture in the quilt and I do that a lot with buttons. There are many fun buttons on the main quilt that I think add a lot to it. I want you to look at the quilt and smile.

How did you decide which words to use?

I put together a huge list of words and narrowed it down to my favorites—words that would be fun to show, to design with. People always want a Christmas something or Halloween something, so I wanted it to go along those lines too with the block themes.

The banners are so adorable as well!

The book also includes the banners. That was really fun too. I always try to give sewers lots of ideas for things they can do if they don’t want to take on the full quilt project. Blocks can be made individually into wall hangings or pillows. On the banners, I went a little bit more holiday themed. Usually when you’re putting up a banner it’s to celebrate something. They’re quick, fun easy projects.