We’ve spent the weeks since Spring Market busily finishing the July-August issue (more on that next week), but we’d still like to tell you a little about what we saw and soaked up during our time in Pittsburgh recently.
If you’ve ever heard a Quilt Market virgin gush about how overwhelming and amazing and inspiring and huge and how they got their 10,000 daily steps in while walking the first three aisles, the above picture will help you understand Quilt Market in one glance. This beauty pageant of booths and microcosm of trends is what helps drive our industry. It is The Place to really gain an understanding that we fiber addicts are all connected in some really delightful ways. From tried-and-true to newest and most innovative, pretty much everything we need for sewing, quilting and fiber crafting is under one roof for a magic moment. And shop owners have the overwhelming opportunity to see all of this wonderfulness available to them and thereby to you, their favorite quilt shop peeps. We can assure you that they have tough decisions to make and we love them for it!
But on to the good stuff…a fast dash through new trends in colors, motifs and more!
Indelible by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery Fabrics
* Deer and antlers. Really!
* Butterflies
* Numbers are the new text
*Octopi and other denizens of the sea
* More metallics
* Ombre prints
* Knits stronger than ever
*More linens and linen blends
*Wool! (Wool on cotton and wool on wool)
* Fashion fabrics
* Embroidery stronger than ever
Violet Craft's quilt showcasing her new line, Brambleberry Ridge for Michael Miller Fabrics.
Zen Chic's Figures Numbers for Moda
When it comes to top trends on color, it depends on whom you ask, but here’s what we saw:
From Low Country Indigo by Nancy Gere for Windham
–Navy and indigo
–Purples and pinks
–Blue paired with melon or persimmon or coral
–Continued interest in grays
History rules
We also noted a lot of collections based on historical references and/or archives:
* Free Spirit’s London Clothworkers’ vintage designs inspired by prints from the Victoria and Albert Museum
* Cotton + Steel’ s prints Kim Kight, who was inspired by historical inspiration
* Quilting Treasures‘ collections inspired by the New York Botanical Archives and Smithsonian Archives
* Historic Indigo prints inspiring collection for Windham (Low Country Indigo by Nancy Gere)
Also falling under the category of what is old is new again is Angela Walters’ Athena line by Art Gallery Fabrics.
Quilted skirts and petticoats were once worn over the long winter for warmth during those long, cold New England winters. These hand quilted beauties were not only practical but were also fashion statement with the lower portion of the skirt being stitched in such a way to show off the intricate detail of the hand quilting of this petticoat.
Well, Angela riffed on this idea to show off both her her quilting prowess and her new fabric line with this exquisitely quilted, runway-worthy skirt.
Robert Kaufman Fabrics, American Made Brand and Moda, among others, continue to feed quilters’ love for solid fabrics. Kaufman will releasing 32 more colors in July, bringing their total to 303. And Clothworks’ new American Made Brand debuted with a full line of 50 colors. Moda, too showcased its extensive Bella line. It’s our experience that quilters love and fear solids for a good variety of reasons including our understanding of color; design; experience and skill level. (Yes, these are different). With all of these solids available, we’re sure to find just the right…brown, red, green, pink, purple. Oh, my!
Moda's Modern Blocks sampler
Also interesting…
The time lag between fashion trends finally showing up in quilting has historically been two years. That time gap is getting smaller.
Collections are also getting smaller, partly so shops can afford to buy full lines and partly to control manufacturing costs, and collections are being given a bit longer life or are keyed strongly to basics, to extend shelf life. Which means the stuff you fall in love with may be available to you for a slightly longer period of time.
Moral of this story? Watch your local quilt shop for great things to come!
We’ll leave you now, but not without a little eye candy…
Dear Stella's latest
Remix by Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufman Fabrics
- Pre-print panels from Pickle Pie Designs
Alison Glass' wool applique design
Sew Serendipity's tunic showcasing popular embroidery designs.
Selections from Cotton + Steel's debut line
- Westminster/FreeSpirit’s new line of fashion fabrics
COMMENT #1
Oh, I can’t stand it!!!! These beautiful pictures are killing me! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m just a regular person, and I look forward to seeing these great fabrics, patterns, notions, and projects show up in my local shop. I also will be attending Quilt Market in Houston, and I hope, and actually expect, many of these gorgeous displays to be there as well.
COMMENT #2
Thanks for sharing! I envy the opportunity you had to dive into upcoming trends. I especially like the “deer” themed fabrics and projects.
COMMENT #3
You’ve made my mouth water & my wallet sob.