His, Hers, Ours?!?!

We're back with some more pillowcase love in conjunction with American Patchwork & Quilting's 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. (see the first post here).

We jokingly call these pillowcases "His, Hers, and Ours."All they need now is a monogram...

 The fabric? Tee Time from Kanvas. Realistic-looking golf balls, tees, and grass, with some argyle mixed in just for fun!

His

Hers

Ours?!

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Pillows that Pop!

Back in July we posted about American Patchwork & Quilting's One Million Pillowcase Challenge, which had recently crossed the halfway point. 500,000+ pillowcases made and donated; impressive, isn't it?!

Next Monday all of the sponsors for the Challenge (including us!) will be sharing their rendition of the winning pillowcase design from APQ's Pinterest contest. To lead up that post, we're going to show off pillowcases we've made using some fantastic novelty prints from various Kanvas collections. We'll be donating these pillows to a local organization when we're done sharing them. 

First up, Back to Cool School:

Crayon prints and rainbow stripes--these are really pillows that pop!

We chose these prints from the collection, but if you're looking for some back-to-school themed fabric, there are plenty more to choose from.

Some of our favorites, up close:

p.s. Since our last post about the Challenge one month ago, the pillowcase counter has jumped by 5,000! Keep those pillowcases coming!

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Hello, Jackie!

We spoke with Jackie Robinson of Animas Quilts back at Quilt Market in May. You've seen her newest collection, He Still Loves Me, and her quilt designs; now hear her in person!




Missed our previous posts on Jackie?
Click here to see He Still Loves Me and here to see her All Stars baseball quilt.

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He Still Loves Me

He loves me, he loves me not. He still loves me! Jackie Robinson's newest collection, so aptly named He Still Loves Me, is filled with daisies. 

You have a history with daisies, don't you?

My very first fabric line (8 years ago) was a daisy collection called ''He Loves Me." I am always hearing from customers 'I love the daisies.' I wanted to do a different type of daisy collection—on navy and on black, with blue and yellow as support.

And the collection name?

Well, it's a fact that my husband still loves me, so it seemed like a natural name for it.

Do you have a favorite print in the collection?

The allover daisy print. I sure do like the light blue one; the navy version is just sparkly and it feels good.

You are pretty well-known for unique stripe motifs in your fabric. Tell us about this one.

The stripe is the same format as the strips in my previous collection, Tulip Festival. It's a size that works really well, but it also means that if someone liked a pattern they used with Tulip Festival, they could reuse that pattern with He Still Loves Me.

What's different about this collection?

The butterflies are a new addition. I was looking for some kind of motion to create interest in the background. They are subtle, but there.

This collection has a huge variety of coordinates. Tell us about your strategy here.

You need lots of value in quilting. When you do value changes, you want variety—they need to be texturized. The collection has four value changes, all in prints that are pretty solid looking, but with some texture.

Anything else?

I'm really tickled with the fabric line. I like it bunches. I always like them, but some sing to you personally. Some of them are more personal and this one is. I'm extremely fond of daisies and there will be some of this fabric in my house soon! 

You can see Jackie's newest collection in her quilt "He Loves Me" featured in the September/October 2013 issue of McCall's Quilts.

"He Loves Me" by Jackie Robinson and quilted by Aimee Mahan;
featured in McCall's Quilts, September/October 2013 issue

Jackie has cooked up many more patterns featuring her new fabric line that you can order on her website. Here are just a few:

Bloomin' Furrows

Let's Twist

Lone Star Pizzazz

Find out more about Jackie and see the patterns she has designed featuring her fabric here.

See the entire He Still Loves Me collection here.

Find the kit for the "He Loves Me" quilt here. 

Find McCall's Quilts here.

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Will the real Jackie Robinson please stand up?

When we say "Jackie Robinson," do you picture the baseball player or the quilter? Or both? It turns out there is a connection, besides just a well-known name. 

"All Stars" designed by Jackie Robinson;
featured in Easy Quilts fall 2013 issue.

Read on as Jackie talks about her baseball quilt made using Bristol Bay Studios' Who's on First collection and featured in the fall 2013 issue of Easy Quilts magazine.

We've got to ask. Your name is Jackie Robinson, and you made a baseball quilt. The other Jackie Robinson, the baseball player, is one of the game's esteemed figures. Is there a connection?

Actually, I was named before he became famous. But it's because of him that I kept my maiden name (Robinson). He's someone to be very proud to share a name with; he's a fine man. My dad's name is Jack. He went by Jackie also when he was a kid, so I sort of became a ''junior." I'm an only child and I think my parents wanted a namesake.

But you did have another good reason to make a baseball quilt, didn't you?

Yes. My son, Serge, is quite the baseball fan. He made it his goal to visit every single [Major League] ballpark. It started because he traveled for work, and if he was in a city with a ball team, he'd go to a game. I made this quilt right around when he completed his quest.

Tell us about your quilt design.

I wanted to use the panel. Those six blocks in it were fun. The quilt looks like square in a square design, but it's actually just squares and hourglass blocks. Easy to put together.

How did you choose which fabrics from the Who's on First collection to use?

The baseballs for the outer border were a given—they had to be used in the quilt. The plaid was the perfect background, and it's small enough that the lines in the plaid don't have to match up.

Click here to see the entire Who's on First collection.

Click here to learn more about Jackie and her work. 

Click here to find Easy Quilts magazine and the kit for this project.

p.s. Later this week we'll be sharing Jackie's newest fabric line, "He Still Loves Me," and she'll fill us in on who still loves her (besides all of us quilters!).

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Winners! Christmas in July Blog Hop

Drumroll, please....it's time to announce the fat quarter bundle winners from the Christmas in July hop!

Day 1, Advent Calendar: Kristen King
Day 2, Twisted Hexagon Block: Debbie Rogowski
Day 3, Portrait Gallery Mantel Quilt: Maryellen McAuliffe
Day 4, Peppermint Pillow Duo: Theresa Merkling
Day 5, Star Bright Wall Hanging: Sally Murray

Winners, we'll be contacting you by email shortly, or you can email us at sewinlovewithfabric (at) gmail.com with your mailing address.

Thanks for participating!

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Kitty's Christmas Spectacular

We are wrapping up our Christmas in July celebration with one more designer interview: Kitty Yoshida. Debby Kratovil used Kitty's Christmas Spectacular collection in her table runner tutorial, featured here. 

Here's Kitty!

How would you describe your style?

I like to think of my style as vintage, but with an urban edge. As a New York native, the city is what inspires me most, and I love to juxtapose that within my collections of florals.

What inspired the collection? Do you have a special love for poinsettias?

Poinsettias are such a classic flower found only during Christmas time, and I love the striking combination of the red and white petals. I wanted to update this classic icon, and design a collection with a twist. By pairing poinsettias with the black and gold metallic, I thought it would make a beautiful and sophisticated combination that is accessible to a quilter of any style – Traditional or Modern.

What started as the main focus of Christmas Spectacular, the poinsettias or the snowflakes?

The main focus from the beginning was the poinsettias, but how can you not include snowflakes in a holiday collection?  As I walk the streets of New York City during the holiday season, I always go to see the giant snowflake that adorns Fifth Avenue, and I used this as inspiration in the collection.

How did you choose the color palette?

Red and green were natural choices, but I chose deep, rich shades to give the designs a sophisticated and regal feel. I think these darker hues are really complimented by the gold and the black as well.

What a great plaid! Can you talk about its modern twist?

This plaid is almost like a lattice print, which fits in better with the style of the collection rather than a more homey or folksy traditional plaid.  Setting it on point is a modern twist and I think this geometric element juxtaposes nicely with all the swirls and florals in the rest of the collection.

Do you have a favorite print in the collection?

As much as I love the poinsettia prints, the Flakes and Flurries print holds a special place in my heart. As I mentioned, the snowflakes are a nod to the giant Fifth Avenue snowflake adorning the city in winter, and the dotted swirls remind me of swirling flakes that blow as I wander the sidewalks during a snowfall.

Thanks Kitty!

Thanks to everyone for joining the fun for our Christmas in July celebration. Please stop back next week when we announced the five winners from the blog hop! 

And if you missed our five Christmas in July tutorials, you can find them by clicking on the links below.

Day 1: Ho-Ho-Ho, Let It Snow advent calendar tutorial, click here.

Day 2: Christmas Spectacular table runner tutorial, click here.  

Day 3: Snowfolk Mantel quilt tutorial, click here.

Day 4: Peppermint Twist pillow tutorial, click here.

Day 5: Star Bright Wall Hanging tutorial, click here.

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