Meet Miss Mustard Seed; mom, accidental entrepreneur, textile and paint expert and now a FreeSpirit!

Miss Mustard Seed, Marian Parsons, joins the ranks
of FreeSpirit Designers!

Her story is like yours or mine.  Young mom, looking to supplement her families income to help cover the cost of diapers and groceries; $200 a month would suffice. What started out as a one-woman-show decorative painting and mural business, evolved into an antiques business that tripped into a blog and blossomed into a entire brand.   Now, you can find Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Line in over 300 retail locations in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. Plus, her followers, over 150,000+ in all Social Media channels, love absorbing her talent, inspiration and joy as she guides you to making your home beautiful all on a DIY budget!

To add to her DIY and maker reproitoire, you can now partner all this love of love antiques, decorating on a budget, and giving old pieces of furniture new life with beautiful FreeSpirit Fabrics.  Introducing FreeSpirit Bunnies, Birds and Blooms! 

FreeSpirit Bunnies, Birds & Blooms by Miss Mustard Seed in the
Mustard Seed (top) and Enamel colorways. Each features
Solids which mimic her Milk Paint line, a perfect combo for your
DIY pleasures.

To welcome her in true FreeSpirit style, we have called upon a few friends who love fabric and more importantly are loving the designs from Miss Mustard Seed. Please plan to follow our Instagram Tour where some of your favorite "experts" will give you plenty of reason to want to touch, feel, sew and create along with Miss Mustard Seed!  Here is the schedule:

Miss Mustard Seed, April 5

Material Girl Quilts, April 12 

My Bear Paw, April 19

Kitchen Table Quilting, April 26 

Fat Quarter Shop, May 3

Lish Dorset, May 10

I'm A Ginger Monkey, May 17 

Daisy and Jack, May 24

She Quilts A Lot, May 31

Along the journey, please share the work of these instagrammers using #MissMustardSeedinstagramtour and perhaps you may be chosen to win some of your own Bunnies, Birds and Blooms!!!!!!

Enjoy!

Long Arm Quilting Workbook by Teresa Silva

Achievable and Encouraging – Long Arm Quilting Workbook by Teresa Silva
Photos courtesy of F+W Media

My job as the Inspiration Manager for FreeSpirit is to take our beautiful fabric collections and create quilts to inspire shop owners and quilters to fall in love with our fabrics.  Teresa has quilted for me, always with stunning machine quilting which I, as a quilter, aspire to and admire.  So when asked to review her new Long Arm Quilting Workbook, I jumped at the chance.

I have long considered purchasing a long arm machine but always ask, “Can I do this?” “Would I be able to learn how to create the beautiful stitches that make a quilt a work of art – stitches that turns quilt tops into quilts?”

For anyone who shares my thoughts when considering a long arm machine, this book is for you! It is chalk full of everything you need to consider from batting to marking pens and needles to rulers. She delves into thread and endorses polyester and poly-wrapped thread which many have considered taboo. Most importantly, from my perspective, she confirms that your quilts deserve premium, high quality fabrics.

The book is full of techniques including practical considerations in selecting the right machine, whether a mid-arm or a long arm.  Teresa encourages you to shop for a reliable local independent retailer who will teach you how to use your machine and be there to assist with questions and repairs.

Best part, the variety of techniques presented in such detail allows a complete novice to open the book and start playing.  Teresa tells you to practice the techniques on your home sewing machine before you even consider buying a long arm. From whole cloth to pieced quilts, she openly shares what she has learned along the way, encouraging your confidence and making the techniques achievable. 

She sprinkles wonderful tips throughout the book such as doodling in a journal thus teaching yourself to draw and hanging your quilts with hand sewing needles so as not to disrupt the beauty of your work of art.  Her gallery of quilts speaks to her outstanding work and expertise, making this truly a coffee table worthy book. 

FreeSpirit is stop one on this blog tour.  Follow along and hear what others have to say as well.  I am certain they will find this book equally as inspirational. In the meantime, comment on our blog and tell us your long arm aspirations.  We will select one commentator to win a copy of Teresa Silva’s Long Arm Quilting Workbook . . . your long arm quilt dreams will come true with this book!

-Sharon Thornton

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

50 sq ft Studios

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Moda Fabrics

Friday, October 6, 2017

Quilter’s Dream Batting

Monday, October 9, 2017

Stashquilts 

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

3 Dog Design

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Helen Ernst Longarm Quilting

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Jaybird Quilts

Friday, October 13, 2017

Redbird Quilt Co.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Colourwerx

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Quilting is My Bliss

A few quils from Teresa's Longarm Quilting Workbook

 

Blog Tour-Grand Prize 1

Blog Tour-Grand Prize 2

National Sewing Presents Shannon Newlin

Shannon Newlin shares her National Sewing Month Story! 

Early memories of sewing begin with my grandfather.  During his free time he enjoyed working on projects....from home additions to sewing clothes.  He made the sweetest floral dresses for me when I was a little girl. Even tiny details like sewing in a tag that said "made with love" were so special.

When I was old enough, I was taught how to sew by hand and then later by machine.  In middle school I took Home Economics and made my first skirt using a pattern.  I chose a beautiful corduroy fabric because it had flowers on it  - of course!  I completed a fully pleated skirt, and it turned out to be the heaviest garment I owned.  Needless to say I learned a lot.

In high school I continued to make many garments for myself...dresses, pants, tops...but I never used patterns again.  I would just stretch out the fabric on the floor and trace myself! Somehow it worked and I was able to express my fashion vision through sewing; if only Project Runway existed back then!

Today my creative energies are devoted to painting and designing patterns for fabric. I love this process.  One aspect that excites me is knowing it doesn't end with the development of the fabric, but continues on to another creative person....an inspired journey of which I’m happy to be a part.

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Shannon Newlin along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!

ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Tina Givens

Tina Givens shares her sewing story for National Sewing Month! 

My first memories of needle and thread was 12” talking doll. She was beautiful but her clothes were shockingly ugly to me. So I planned and proceeded to remove her clothes and remade them in my own ‘style’. I stitched each garment by hand and was delighted at my work. I started dreaming of the way a needle can magically go in and out of cloth, and piece parts together. This thrilled me and after begging my grandmother and mother to let me learn on the machine, they finally sat me down and taught me the basics. All to happy to provide me with a new hobby! I was so excited I almost passed out. Once I’d experienced the machine there was no stopping me. They ensured I had a stock of fabric when I was young to prevent me from cutting up the curtains, sheets and anything else I could find!

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Tina Givens along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!

ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably, & Liza Lucy

Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably, and Liza Lucy share their sewing story for National Sewing Month!

‘When I first started stitching needlepoint, I had the cheek to send an early tapestry to the Embroiderers Guild for a show they were mounting. It was sent back to me the next day as they were horrified that it had stitches running in two different directions and I thought a good colour arrangement was what was important – a good lesson – I’ve not done it again!’ Kaffe Fassett

‘If in a rush, use your sewing machine but stitching by hand is so much more of a meditative motion. The thrill of cutting up a piece of patterned fabric, mixing it with other colours and standing back to observe your progress is like the opening of a theatrical production and it’s your own creation.’  Brandon Mably

The year is 1972. I am in college. My boyfriend has a king size waterbed. And that bed needed a cover.

 Although I was in college to study and learn, I admit that I spent quite a lot of time embroidering peace signs on my friends' denim jackets.  It was the first clue that I would not be making my living as a clinical psychologist but as a needlewoman.

I had no idea how to make a quilt but it didn't look hard so, I purchased 25 blue and white bandanas.  I hand sewed them together, 5 across and 5 down to make a large square top.  I knew I needed to get batting and backing and thought the best batting would have to be the fluffiest so I got that and a several of yards of red pinwale corduroy for the backing.   I pinned these layers together (I wouldn't have called it pin basting because I didn't know that term yet) and using  a large circular needle and a skein of Red Heart ecru knitting yarn, tied the layers together.

To finish the edge (I didn't know the term binding), I bought satin edging yardage that is normally used to edge wool blankets and hand sewed it on. 

It was the Age of Aquarius and bell bottoms, and beads and I had made my first quilt.  I thought it was a beautiful quilt and it kept us very warm! Liza Lucy

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from the Kaffe Fassett Collective along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine!
ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Tanya Whelan

Tanya shares her earliest sewing memory for National Sewing Month!

I started sewing as a kid, just little craft projects, learning the basics. When I was about 19 and had my first apartment, and very little money, I turned my mattress into a daybed with a proper box pleat slipcover and giant back pillows made from inexpensive muslin. I found this so empowering to be able to shape my world and make it a little bit nicer through sewing. I could not have imagined then that these experiences would eventually lead me to write two sewing books. Paying attention to the small things that bring you, joy, like sewing, can pay off in small and big ways.

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Tanya along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine! ENTER TO WIN HERE. 

National Sewing Month Featuring Margot Elena

Margot shares her earliest sewing memory for National Sewing Month!

My earliest sewing memory was making clothes for my stuffed animals and discovering that flat paper doll patterns are not at all the same as sewing for three-dimensional critters. Discovering that flat sewing patterns need to accommodate three-dimensional shapes planted the seeds for my love of detail oriented and creative packaging, which inspired me to be the designer I am today.

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Margot along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine! 

Enter to Win a precut HERE and A Chance at the Grand Prize!

National Sewing Month Featuring Jennifer Paganelli

Jennifer shares her earliest sewing memory in honor of National Sewing Month!

In 1970, at the age of 12, I anxiously awaiting the arrival of my two sisters Shana and Meghan.  I was in 5^th grade at St. Croix Country Day School.  I knew my life as I knew it was going to change dramatically. It was such an exciting and thrilling time in our family.

Mom was committed to bed rest and I remember visiting her in her bedroom. We played games, thought of baby names and guessed the sexes. My twin brother Jimmy (yes, you heard that right, my mom had two sets of twins) threatened to run away if they were both girls. 

My mom had six kids all together with 10 years between the youngest and the oldest, Bridget who was 15, and had a boyfriend.  These babies were going to definitely going to cramp here style. 

I got busy sewing. I made my siblings pajamas and I overheard my brothers and sisters grouching that they didn’t fit and the crouch was down to their knees yada yada. My mother bribed them with candy and Cracker Jacks to wear them just one night without complaining.  I was blissfully unaware and just kept sewing.

My mom saw promise and sent me to the College of the Virgin Islands for extended education classes. We would stop at Woolworths to get the fabrics, thread, etc. – everything I needed. It was the icing on the cake! After the babies were born, I made matching baby outfits in class. My mom, being the wonderful mother she was, put them in the front row of church when they were old enough to wear the dresses and bonnets. I was beaming with pride…soaking up the love that welcomed the babies in their cherished outfits.  

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Jennifer along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine! ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Corinne Haig

Corinne shares her earliest sewing memory in honor of National Sewing Month!

I grew up with talented seamstresses in my family. My grandmother, mother and sister all sewed. My grandmother made all of my mother's school clothes and dance recital costumes. Likewise, my mother sewed most of me and my sister’s school clothes and doll clothes.

While growing up, my sister loved to sew clothes for her Barbie. I was the artist of the family, so instead of sewing fabrics outfits for my Barbie, I designed paper clothes.  I would paint and color designs onto paper, carefully cutting them to fit, and using clear tape to hold together. I made my Barbie a beautiful paper wardrobe of dresses, skirts, tops and swimsuits featuring my bright patterns and floral designs. I guess this was the beginning of what I do now, creating art on fabric for others to sew. I love what I do and it is a thrill to see how others bring my fabric to life!

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Corinne along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine! ENTER TO WIN HERE!

National Sewing Month Featuring Denyse Schmidt

Denyse shares her earliest sewing memory in honor of National Sewing Month!

My first sewing project was a dress for my Barbie.  I knew then that this was my calling and I had to continue to put needle and thread to fabric.

I learned to sew from my mother. She was 'doing it all' before it was a thing – she raised four kids, earned two masters degrees, worked full time and somehow found time to entertain, reupholster furniture, and make clothes for herself and her kids. My mother learned to sew from her grandmother, and I remember my mother telling me she made everything, including underwear! I found out after I started my business that my great grandmother also made utilitarian quilts – the kind of quilts that I love -- made in a hurry from old clothing and out of necessity.

When I was a kid, I had a toy sewing machine that always jammed which was super frustrating. I remember wanting to sew on a 'real' machine early on – I think my mother knew I would be a serious stitcher at that point! I sewed softies, doll clothes and home accessories for my dollhouse.      

                

In my high school Home Economics class, one of my projects was a linen, double-breasted skirt suit with bound buttonholes and pockets. I was always pretty ambitious and impatient!  My first 'professional' sewing job was working in the costume shop at the Boston Ballet. Early in the season, I made a terrible mess of a tutu – sewing yards and yards of delicate silk tulle to essentially a pair of underpants – but managed to keep my job! The rest is history!

Make sure to sign up for a chance to win fabric from Denyse along with our Coats Quilt+ thread! You will also be entered for a chance to win our Grand Prize giveaway featuring SEW many goodies including a Janome AMH-100 Machine! SIGN UP HERE

The Artist UnSEWn Series presents Posy by Amy Reber

Crisp mornings in the Pacific Northwest with dew drops kissing the grass, majestic evergreen trees reaching for the sky, the smell of salt in the air when on a ferry in the Puget Sound and rugged, white-capped mountains that seem to hug you from every angle, are the framework for the place I am proud to call home.

Some of my fondest memories growing up in Washington are the times spent in the yard of my childhood home.  Even as a young child I can distinctly remember being aware of its beauty, and I

always felt we had the best yard around! The sheer size of the yard made it an incredible place to play. In addition to size, it had a stream, a bridge and waterfalls which added so much to the hours I played outside with my twin brother and our friends, ah the 1970s!

As an adult, looking back, it was truly a masterpiece of color, design and inspiration.  Willow trees, dogwood trees (my favorite flowering tree to this day), cherry blossoms, purple irises, azaleas, rhododendrons, roses….I could go on and on.

But what makes it so special for me is that this richly-hued landscape was entirely the handiwork of my exceptionally talented mom. Donning her rubber boots, which are a must in WA, and with her basic metal watering can, spade and shears, she’d lovingly tend to the leaves and blooms of her treasured garden nearly every day, rain or shine.  

The pride she took in cultivating such beauty and joy was really inspiring and it has very much influenced the designs I create as an artist. Though none of the designs in Posy are directly taken from the garden of my childhood, they do reflect the vibrancy and joy that mom’s garden evoked.

Color is incredibly important to me and the original palette for Posy are the Rosa colors with the bright red, yellow, green and black. The yellow is a special homage to the yellow rose bush that my mom took with her from her Mom’s garden when she and my father retired to the San Juan Islands where she has created a new garden that my children now enjoy and will  -  I hope - one day remember with fondness just as I remember the garden of my youth.

As I think about quilting and how designs are created and color schemes are formed, I think of how my mom planned her organic quilt of sorts. She took great care in considering color, placement and plant size and much like quilters love to shop for fabric, my mom gets the same joy out of shopping for the perfect flower or shrub to add to her “outdoor quilt.”

The Artist UnSEWn Series presents Sunny Isle by Jennifer Paganelli

So picture an Island in the Caribbean surrounded by beautiful beaches and miles of ocean to forever and sometimes the shape of another island appears on the horizon or a ships silhouette and we all get excited and stand on the balcony or our home and the one who spotted it gets all the kudos.  

What we don’t realize is that we live differently from most folks and sometimes the extraordinary vision becomes everyday common place.  Its those memories of wonder that have seared into my memory and come through every time I sit down in my studio to create a collection. Sunny Isle is no different. It was the place we went to see a movie at the local theatre or shop at Woolworths.  It was on the other side of the island and felt so far away. I have never left there. St. Croix has never left me.  Salt water patinas on everything . Faded fabrics from the sun with highlights of their originality tucked into the folds of the fabric. That’s what I try to capture that faded piece with the unseen actual color way on the underside. The one that didn’t see the sun.  I like fabrics to glow that’s where I find the best of me.

So for quilters these fabrics and their resulting quilts love to make you happy.  I start with a happy heart and add joy. These colors burst on the scene with sunshine at their backs.  These colors inspired by the islands of my early childhood will take you places its almost like “vacation was woven into the fabric”  You begin thinking bright beach chairs,sun umbrellas, swimsuits and beach towels when you see these designs, its if we took your memories of all your vacations and wove them up.  So go ahead Welcome a baby, snuggle a pet , stay warm with your loved one, let it spark happiness in your mind. Let the fabric evoke that place in you where you first felt loved.  I hope I get to be that quilt. 

Sunny Stars Quilt designed by Monique Reynolds

Artist UnSEWn Series-TokyoMilk presents Neptune & the Mermaid by Margot Elena

Q&A with Margot Elena!  A fun chat discussing her TokyoMilk presents Neptune & the Mermaid collection.  

Q: You are an internationally known Perfumer & Packaging Designer know for sophisticated layered fragrances and beautiful products. That's drawn you to design fabric?

A: When I design a new collection, I design in four senses. First, the visual, how your eye is drawn to the sparkle of a glass bubble bath bottle. The way the product feels when you pick it up. I use a range of materials in my lines from crystals, embossed linen papers, to natural wood boxes, like in Library of Flowers. I think about the way a product sounds as someone engages with it. Lollia candles have cut-glass crystals hanging from the side that tap against the luminary. Our bath salt sachets have paper wrapped in soft fabric that crinkles when held. And of course, the fragrances are the final piece of the puzzle.

I say all of this to preface the fact that my collections are often inspired by the warmth and texture of fabrics. Both fragrance and fabric can capture ones imagination. They are invitations to immerse into a moment.

I have stacks of beautiful vintage textile design books that I've collected over the years, filled with original gouache paintings and printed samples. Some of those one-of-a-kind patterns have inspired my packaging designs, and the patterns I am creating for textiles. I am so excited to finally be designing fabric - I have wanted to do this forever!

Q: TokyoMilk by Margot Elena is a cult-classic fragrance brand, including TokyoMilk Dark,

TokyoMilk Light, and now Neptune & the Mermaid. Do each of these collections speak to different audiences?

A: I believe fragrance is so powerful - one scent is never the same on two wearers, and it's never exactly the same scent day-to-day. Fragrance is alive and evolves with our body chemistry and our mood - it's the most intimate "accessory" we can select.

While the collections within TokyoMilk, such as Dark & Light, each tell different stories, they are not meant for one specific audience. The wearer chooses their own path moment-to-moment. Perhaps a woman wears TokyoMilk Light in the morning, Neptune & The Mermaid perfume for lunch with friends, and TokyoMilk Dark for a date night - she decides what her story will be.

Q: Neptune & The Mermaid is full of bright punked-up classic patterns paired with surreal scenes of mermaids, octopods, and guardian goldfish. Is there a story you're telling through this collection?

There's always something curious and unexpected to TokyoMilk - and that's represented in this fabric line. I had such a great time dreaming up the patterns for Neptune & The Mermaid fabric, where you have to look twice to see all that there is to see.

A: Similar to creating a fragrance story with top, middle, and bottom notes, the fabric line is a visual narrative told in dreamlike ephemeral collages. By mixing & matching patterns, it becomes a choose your own adventure, inspiring creations that are as pretty as you please, or as unexpected as you dare. I want the person shopping at their local fabric store to feel like they can create their own story. My patterns are just the beginning of the tale.

The Artist UnSEWn - FreeSpirit presents Amy Butler's Splendor

Premiering a new fabric collection is always exciting for me because it’s the first time I get to share the story with my friends in my creative community. Up until now, I’ve been living with the ideas, inspirations and creations behind the scenes for months so it’s a bit surreal & wonderful to get to share my journey out loud. My inspirations are always a mixing of real life experience and some fantastical imaginings because this is the place to do that as an artist. The story unfolds from my early collage pages and sketches to the time I work with Sheila and friends in my studio to bring the ideas to life in sewn projects and then in Dave’s photography, and ultimately in the experiences my friends have in sewing with the material. I think it’s the collaborative energy in it all that makes me super happy! Splendor is primarily a quilting collection so when I began musing about my pattern ideas and stories, I wove together a combination of some of my exotic travel experiences over the past few years with my love of Mother Nature. The best creations come from what I love, and it’s the beauty in the world that I try to capture through elements, textures, conversational images and flowers that weaves it all together for me. When thinking about a quilting collection, I like to combine a balance of designs that work well together in a quilt story. I often have one or two more dramatic show stopper prints with a mix of textures, scales and complimentary designs that give a quilter the ability to mix it up and still have their quilt be cohesive. That’s how I think when I select fabrics for my projects. Some collections I will have 3 color ways or color stories, but for Splendor I opted to have just two so I could enrich the mix of prints to offer more options for someone creating with the fabrics. 

My first color way is called Mystic with highlights of coral and strawberry red and undertones of grey and charcoal with some tell tale pops of magenta and turquoise of course! 

My garden is always a muse for me and I took these palette shots to illustrate how I weave in the colors around me into my color stories. This is a good place to note my juxtaposition of prints.. not only do I want there to be a lot of interest within each print but I want the quilter to have many options for creating powerful flowing block layouts. The organic edges of a flower are striking against the geometry of directional arrows and small linear textures.. all working together to create interest and balance. 

And my Celestial color way celebrates that same design balance with indigos, blush and goldenrod highlights. When I land on my final color ways, my goal in mind is to be able to share two distinctly different color stories that are strong on their own but also can compliment each other. 

The Clematis Quilt below, created by Stacey Day, is a great example of color play between 2 different palettes. For me, I want the projects I feature and highlight in my photo shoots to celebrate the best use of my vision for the collection and to give quilters and sewists creative confidence to explore and stretch beyond their comfort zones.  Which is why I love collaboration with friends to see what they would create with my prints to expand on what I can offer in inspirations. It's super important for me that people connect with the line and feel inspired and empowered. I definitely have a way of relating to what I create but I know there are millions of options and to explore as many ideas as possible is not only fun but it stretches me too. 

And every collection is blessed with fur baby love! This is Tutu our little female. Our cats adopt everything that comes into our house.. quilts and people. If you visit me there is not a shortage of love from either one. 

My friend Sujata Shah from The Root Connection and author of Cultural Fusion Quilts graciously quilted this beautiful small quilt top using much of Splendor and some nice

dusty solids and some older Amy prints. She has a great eye for design and I love the depth she creates with the combos of solids, textures and florals. I also think she

did an amazing job celebrating that big juicy floral called Double Fault Flora. 

My friends Heather Jones { 2nd from top } and Suzy Williams { 3rd from top } created these fabulous blocks after inviting them to create with Splendor! I love Heather’s minimal use of two prints and a solid and featuring her Fly Away quilt pattern. She downsized her master quilt into this mighty powerful block. And Suzy’s confident, whimsical use of solids with a mix of Splendor is playful and fun! 

Another big focus for me when I create a collection is to think of the multiples uses for a print. For myself, I love to both quilt and make garments and accessories. And I know there are many schools of sewists with many needs stitching with my fabrics because of their beauty but also because the inherent quietly of our FreeSpirit fabrics makes it super versatile. There is enough sheen and drape to make some striking bags and garments and of course the finished hand on a home made quilt cannot be matched. You can see my Native Folk print is used successfully here at a quilt backing.. I often create designs that can be cut up or featured in a variety of ways and this one crosses over nicely.

Here is the same print in a new color way detailed out with machine quilting on my Newly updated Gypsy Sling PDF pattern. Again, you can see how successful this print is as an accessory design. 

And then used here as a perfect border print for my Bohemian Wrap. 

My buddy and fellow FreeSpirit designer Tina Givens www.sewtinagivens.com created with my Native Folk print in her Meri Tunic dress pattern. Another completely fresh approach to stitching with the same design. This really excites me! 

And Native Folk used in my " work in progress” loosely inspired from my free Hapi Quilt pattern . Sheila and I are making good use of my Splendor scraps in the studio and stealing every moment we can to build out this fun wonky design! This is a satisfying project to work on because it’s so organic yet the colorist in me likes to play within the harmonies of a color way. The strips are foundation pieced and mistakes are welcomed because the design just gets more and more interesting. That’s how I like to quilt.. organically, like making a painting. 

In the end the launch of a collection is a HUGE celebration of creation and collaboration. I am always proud of the end product that I work hard to make the best it can be with my power team at FreeSpirit and Susan, Dave, Sheila and my local sewing friends. These are the many hands behind the scenes bringing a line to life.  I want to invite you to come play with Splendor and join my fun Pinterest Splendor Contest! You can learn more about it here. And join me on my social media pages and share your favorite Splendor experiences. I’m most excited to see what you create! Enjoy and much love! 

XO Amy FB/IN - @amybutlerdesign TW - @AmyButlerDesig1