Cotton Quilting to High Fashion Part 2 (Finally!)

Donna Dewberry's Roses fabric collection turns into a fun, strapless number made by Shanetta Dorsey. Shanetta participated in the Kent State/Coats & Clark Experiment, a Project Runway type competition in which the winner received a $1,500 scholarship from Coats & Clark.

Amy Butler Designs and Heather Bailey provided some of the prizes for participating students. Here Tracy Shapoff shows off her winnings as well as her garment. Tracy cut out individual leaves from Cloe's Imagination collection by Tina Givens to create a three-dimensional effect. Tina Given's TG41MariPalace is the contrasting fabric seen on the underside of the skirt.

It's all in the details. The Aqua Bee from Tina Given's Chloe's Imagination was added to Sparrows from Aviary by Joel Dewberry to pull together the top and bottom of this casual capri/halter top outfit. A crochet watch bob lends a finishing touch.

Kristy Howard channel quilts to create fabric to be used in the bodice of her dress. She used different stitch length's for throughout the piece to create a more loftier look.

Kaffe Fassett's Paper Fans will serve as the flared skirt and bodice of Kellie Barnhill's design.

Kellie Barnhill's flippy dress is accented by a belt made of fused yarn and an innovative zipper broach. Here competing fabric is on the underside of her skirt. She used wire in the hem to create the flounces.

Two opposing prints were part of the challenge during the Kent State/Coats & Clark experience. Students were permitted to bring accessories or other fabric to help pull together their designs.

New Patterns and a Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

We just posted some new free quilt patterns on the website and had to show you! Plus, we have a little giveaway... but we will get to that!

This quilt is from the collection Moondance from Jenean Morrison.

This quilt is from the collection Pretty Please by Jennifer Paganelli which will be introduced in May.

Showing you these great free quilt pattern downloads has put us in the mood to do a little giveaway! Heather Bailey and Tanya Whelan have new sewing patterns out and we thought that would be a great thing to give to you sewers! We will be giving away two from each designer, so leave comments and we will pick four random readers! I will then post the winners,once chosen! Can't wait to read your comments!

An Inspiring Studio

Hey everyone! One of our designers had a great opportunity to have her studio published in Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. Not only is her studio published in the magazine but she made front cover of the third STUDIOS issue by Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. Melissa Averinos who presented her first collection called Sugar Snap with FreeSpirit in October of 2008, not only is a fabric designer but has many other talents up her sleeve. Attached to this wonderful studio is her own shop called YummyGoods. If you visit her blog you are able to learn much more about her, what she does and where her creative juices are sending her. And be sure to check out her fabric line also!

Part two of Cotton Quilting to High Fashion coming soon!

Cotton Quilting to High Fashion Part 1

So, what if you were given two very opposing prints of cotton quilting fabric, like Kaffe Fassett paired with Tina Givens, along with yarn from Rowan and Red Heart®, plus thread and zippers from Coats & Clark, then given the directive to create fashion – from quilting cotton, in less then 18 hours?

That’s just the challenge presented to students at Kent State University’s Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design. Dubbed the Rockwell/Coats & Clark Experience, the competition was designed to provide students with an educational opportunity and exposure to different products from Coats & Clark and affiliate companies. It also introduced them to career opportunities in the textile, needlecraft and sewing industries.

What was amazing is how these students transformed these materials, fabrics we look at in terms of piecing and blocks, into truly wearable fashions.

There was resourcefulness too. The corsage made from balls of yarn. Cheese grating your seams to create a fray, raw edged look. Using a zipper as an accent or broach to complete the collar on a dress. Hand stitching yarns all over a bodice to tie your two pieces of mismatched fabrics together. Crocheting trims as accents.

In the end, 22 students gave up their weekend to vie for a scholarship of $1,500 from Coats & Clark and a plethora of other prizes from some of our industries biggest names: a Babylock Sophia sewing and embroidery machine, Singer® Confidence 7470 sewing machine, Singer® CG754 serger, Electric Quilt 6 design software, the opportunity to create a pattern for BurdaStyle.com, free membership to Rowan International and gifts from Amy Butler Designs, Heather Bailey, CK Media, Interweave Press, Bernina and C & T Publishing.

First place scholarship winner was Kristy Howard, a junior fashion design major, whose pin tuck pleated sun dress included fabric she made by pin weaving yarn, crocheted matching trim, quilting and chenille details.

Carolyn Peters, a senior, won the Babylock Sophia sewing and embroidery machine with a “girlie with an edge” Capri and halter top outfit featuring beautiful top stitching details and a crocheted wallet chain.

The third place winner was sophomore design student Theresa Rietschlin who will design a pattern for Burda Style, an open source sewing community website. She meticulously hand-stitched looped yarn all over the bodice of her dress, carrying the detail through to the hemline.

Quite A LOVEly Pattern

Saturday is Valentine's Day and we could not think of a better free pattern then this! Provided by Coats and Clark, this project was made from the House collection by Annette Tatum. We hope you enjoy this free pattern (just click on free pattern instructions) and if you sign up for the monthly Coats newsletter here, you can receive many more free patterns in the future. Enjoy!

Also, we will not be able to continue with the giveaway because there was not enough interest. We were very disappointed and we love doing giveaways so please, look out for future giveaways!